To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) nature and (b) value was of all contracts, consultancies or

£
Supplier Name	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04	Total
Deloitte and Touche	0.00	303,941.96	814,339.69	495,575.67	1,613,857.32
Cap Gemini UK	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
Ernst and Young	0.00	0.00	0.00	47,000.00	47,000.00
KPMG	140,341.47	26,711.66	0.00	48,675.67	215,728.80
PricewaterhouseCoopers	255,907.97	308,935.56	30,207.79	55,113.63	650,164.95
Total	396,249.44	639,589.18	844,547.48	646,364.97	2,526,751.07

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the work she has commissioned from Central Lobby Consultants since 1 June 2001. [163975]

No work has been commissioned from the company named by or on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the fruit growing industry in respect of Common Agricultural Policy reform. [166446]

Defra officials met a delegation from the National Farmers' Union on 31 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on progress in bringing the Over Thirty Month Scheme to an end. [164071]

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) review of the Over Thirty Month rule was completed in July 2003 and recommended that it would be acceptable on public health grounds to replace the Over Thirty Month rule with BSE testing of cattle in two stages. Cattle born after August 1996 could be allowed into the food chain, after being tested for BSE, with the possibility of complete replacemen of the rule from July 2005. Health Ministers are still considering the FSA advice, but it has already been decided that, for practical reasons, cattle born before August 1996 will be permanently excluded from the food chain. We are now other services placed with the accountancy firms (i) Deloitte & Touche, (ii) Ernst & Young, (iii) KPMG and (iv) PricewaterhouseCoopers since 2000–01 by the Department. [166085]

The information on the nature of all contracts, consultancies or other services placed with the accountancy firms Deloitte and Touche; Ernst and Young (now part of Cap Gemini Ernst and Young); KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers cannot be provided as it is not held centrally.The Department is in the process of compiling a central list for the future but this would take some time to complete. The expenditure for core Defra excluding its agencies and NDPBs with each of the firms since 2000–01 is as follows:unlikely to see any changes to the OTMS before January 2005, due to the legislative process that must take place once a decision has been reached by Ministers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what peer-reviewed and published UK studies she has received that have measured actual exposures to pesticides for people living in agricultural areas, including high and lower levels of exposure over both the short and long-term, and including all oral, dermal and inhalation routes of contamination. [166695]

The data that industry is obliged to submit to support applications for approvals of pesticides are not usually published. Such studies follow internationally agreed protocols and are subject to the requirements of Good Laboratory Practice. These data are subject to scientific review by the Pesticide Safety Directorate and the independent Advisory Committee on Pesticides and/or other European Union regulatory authorities. Evaluation documents are publicly available.Data submitted generally refer to operators, who represent the highest risk category for exposure to plant protection products. Several studies on worker exposure have been published in peer review journals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what peer-reviewed and published UK studies she has received that have provided direct measurements of pesticide levels in (a) people, (b) wild animals, (c) domestic animals and (d) livestock situated in or near sprayed fields. [166696]

The data that industry is obliged to submit to support applications for approvals of pesticides are not usually published. Such studies follow internationally agreed protocols and are subject to the requirements of Good Laboratory Practice. These data are subject to scientific review by the Pesticide Safety Directorate (PSD) and the independent Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP) and/or other European Union regulatory authorities. Evaluation documents are publicly available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment she has made of the impact of the introduction of the Single Farm Payment on fruit growers; and if she will make a statement; [166024](2) what recent assessment she has made of the impact of her proposed Single Farm Payment proposals on the future viability of orchards and fruit growers. [166448]

Fruit growers were generally not eligible for the subsidies which are to be replaced by the single payment. Our proposals extend eligibility for the single payment to land which is used to grow soft fruit. Single payments cannot be made anywhere in the European Union in respect of land under permanent crops, which include orchards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to make an evaluation of the success or outcome of the Voluntary Initiative on Pesticides. [166458]

The Government regularly reviews progress with the Voluntary Initiative on pesticides and reports its broad conclusions in the Budget and Pre-Budget Report. In Budget 2004 the Government confirmed its view that, provided the Initiative is fully implemented, it should be the most effective way of reducing the environmental impacts of pesticide use. However, to cover the potential case that the Initiative might fail to deliver the required environmental benefits within a reasonable timescale, the Government continues to keep the options for a tax or economic instrument under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress is being made on the introduction of Regulations to deliver the (a) Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment and (b) End of Life Vehicles directives. [167889]

I have been asked to reply.The information requested is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received about the use of the insurance money received by the Tate Gallery following the theft of Turner works on loan to Germany in 1994; and if she will make a statement. [168087]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State received a proposal from Dr Selby Whittingham, Editor of the journal J. M. W. Turner, RA, about the use of the insurance money received by Tate following the theft in 1994 of two works from the Turner Bequest in its collections. These works have since been recovered. Dr. Whittingham proposed that the insurance moneys be used primarily to establish a dedicated Turner Gallery. The use of these insurance moneys is a matter for the Trustees of Tate, in discussion with the Charities Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received about the establishment of a dedicated Turner gallery; which organisations and individuals have made representations; and if she will make a statement. [168088]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received representations from Dr. Selby Whittingham, Editor of the journal J. M. W. Turner R. A. about the establishment of a dedicated Turner Gallery.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to ensure that the works of Turner currently at the Tate and National galleries are (a) placed under the same body of trustees and (b) housed together. [168089]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to require the National Gallery or Tate to house the works of Turner together. The housing of the collections of the National Gallery and Tate is a matter for their Trustees under their governing legislation, the Museums and Galleries Act 1992. Under the Act, the two Galleries each appoint one of their Trustees to the Board of the other.

Table 1: Completed visual arts projects
Organisation name	Location	Approved amount (£)
ACAVA	London, Kensington	972,785
ACME Housing Association Ltd.	London, E3	1,200,857
Artsway	Lymington, Hampshire	398,966
Bournemouth and Poole College Services Ltd.	Poole, Dorset	1,835,756
Castlefield Gallery/Manchester Artists Studio	Manchester	708,235
Baltic, Sage Gateshead and Live Theatre	Gateshead	41,385,000
Ikon Gallery	Birmingham	4,614,047
Knowsley Arts Centre	Merseyside	367,790
One Church Square	Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire	1,024,000
The Foundation for Art and Creative Technology	Liverpool	4,599,990
Walsall Museum and Art Gallery	Walsall	15,750,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will introduce legislation to amend the Museums and Galleries Act 1992 so that it is consistent with the requirement of Turner's will that his finished pictures should be kept together. [168090]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to introduce legislation to amend the Museums and Galleries Act 1992 in this respect. After Turner's death in 1851, the dispute over the terms of his will went to Court. In 1856, the Court decreed that 100 finished pictures, 182 unfinished pictures and 19,049 drawings and sketches were to be held in trust by the National Gallery, a decision which took precedence over the provisions in Turner's wills and codicils. The National Gallery and Tate Gallery Act 1954 effected the legal separation of the Tate Gallery from the National Gallery and the trusteeship of the Turner Bequest was transferred to the Trustees of the Tate Gallery. The Museums and Galleries Act 1992 established the Tate Gallery as a corporate body and it became Trustee of the Turner Bequest, subject to the conditions of that trust and subject to the powers, duties and responsibilities of the Trustees as established by the 1992 Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures she has put in place to ensure that her Department meets the quick win targets set by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ensure that all paper for printed publications bought by the Department is 60 per cent. recycled, of which a minimum is 75 per cent. post-consumer waste. [165952]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 19 April 2004, Official Report, columns 243–44W. DCMS procures 100 per cent. recycled paper for in excess of 60 per cent. of paper for printed publications, but it has not been possible to ascertain the percentage of post consumer waste content.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many proposed new visual arts facilities her Department has been advised of since 1 January 1998; in which cities and towns they are located; and how much public funding was given in each case. [167286]

Arts Council England has awarded over £175 million of lottery capital funds to new and existing visual arts projects since 1 January 1998. Details of individual awards are set out in the tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures she has taken to check projections of visitor number attendances at the new visual arts facilities against the actual figures; and if she will make a statement. [167287]

Arts Council England rigorously assesses projections of visitor numbers contained in all applications made to it for capital grants. The Arts Council also monitors all regularly funded organisations, including those receiving capital funding, through an annual, covering attendances in the previous financial year and the projected attendances in the current year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the reasons are for the abatement of pensions under Armed Forces Pension Scheme rules; on what grounds those rules are applied for those in full-time reserve when contributions have been paid; and if he will make a statement. [168060]

[holding answer 23 April 2004]: Successive Governments have maintained the policy that the pensions of public servants who are re-employed in public service should be abated in certain circumstances: these include where an individual is re-employed by the same employer and where an appointment is made under closed competition. The broad terms of this policy apply to all public service pension schemes, including the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS). Abatement avoids the position where a re-employed member could receive a higher income from public funds, taking account of pay and pension, than a colleague of the same rank, seniority and trade with whom he or she might work. It also provides a safeguard against the potential abuse of re-employment.Members of the AFPS make no direct contribution towards the cost of their standard pension benefits. However, as part of is overall review of remuneration, the independent Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB) compares the value of benefits provided under the AFPS with those provided by comparator pension schemes in the civilian sector and makes an adjustment to pay to reflect any difference. At present the AFPRB makes a 7 per cent. abatement of comparator pay, and in particular take account of the fact that AFPS benefits accrue faster and are paid earlier than those of civilian comparators. This adjustment takes account of the overall terms of the AFPS which include arrangement, for the abatement of pension on re-employment in public service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 7 April, to question reference 165755, what the reasons are for the delay in collecting and analysing information with regard to incidents of self-harm in the army. [166929]

It is notoriously difficult to obtain reliable and consistent data about incidents of self-harm, because of problems of definition and identification, uncertainty about intention, patient confidentiality and the variety and inconsistency of reporting. As I indicated previously, more work is continuing to try to improve the collection of information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was paid by the Defence Bills Agency to contractors in 2003–04. [167070]

The value of the bills processed by Defence Bills Agency in 2003–04 is £19,104 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many consultants were employed in the Defence Medical Services in each of the last five years. [167232]

The numbers of consultants employed in the Defence Medical Services in each of the last five years were as follows:

	Number of consultants
2004	202
2003	185
2002	195
2001	201
2000	199

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1)if he will instruct the Medical Assessment Programme to test for (a) squalene anti-bodies and (b) mycroplasmal infection in servicemen who served in the first Gulf War; [167548](2) whether he has discussed testing for

The work of Dr. Nicholson has been monitored as part of the Ministry of Defence's consideration of research into Gulf veterans' illnesses. In line with its normal approach to issues relating to the health of Gulf veterans, the MOD takes medical and scientific advice from a range of internal and external sources. In this instance, there was no requirement to consult formally with the Defence Medical Services although they are aware of the matter. In the light of trials funded by the US Government based on Dr. Nicolson's work, we have concluded that there is no evidence to support a connection between illness among veterans and mycoplasma infections or that aggressive antibiotic treatment would benefit veterans. Assessments undertaken by the US Armed Forces Epidemiological Board similarly support the view that there is no evidence that ill health is linked to the presence of squalene antibodies. It would be inappropriate to subject veterans to tests for which there is no clinical indication.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what checks are carried out on private military companies supplying guards to British interests in Iraq. [166134]

I have been asked to reply.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) employs two private security companies to provide armed protection for its staff and assets in Iraq. These companies were subject to normal checking procedures for contact with private military and security companies in line with FCO guidelines.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what security checks are carried out on (a) Iraqi nationals, (b) Third Country nationals and (c) international employees of private military companies protecting British interests in Iraq. [166136]

I have been asked to reply.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office employs two private security companies in Iraq. One provides armed escorts for its staff when travelling outside secure areas, the other provides static guards at the former embassy and at the British Office in Baghdad. Personnel under these contracts are subject to security vetting prior to deployment, depending on the job they will be doing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what rules journalists working with British forces abroad in conflict areas must abide; and if he will make a statement. [167072]

The Green Book—"Working Arrangements with the Media in times of Emergency, Tension, Conflict or War"—sets out the arrangements for dealings between the media and the Ministry of Defence in times of emergency, tension, conflict or war. This book is currently being reviewed and updated.A copy of the current version of the Green Book can be found on the MOD website at: www.mod.uk/news/green_book/index.htm

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make representations to the UN to replace on the Memorial Wall in the UN Memorial Cemetery, Pusan, Korea, and in official documents, the words No Known Grave with the words Buried at Sea at Latitude 36 Degrees, 2 Minutes North, Longitude 129 Degrees, 42 Minutes East, in respect of the Servicemen who were killed on HMS Jamaica on 8 July 1950 and buried at sea; and if he will reply to the hon. Member for Castle Point's constituent Mr. Anthony Legg's letter of 4 March 2004 on this matter. [167274]

There are no plans to make representations to the United Nations to change either official documents or the inscription of the central commemorative plaque on the Memorial Wall in the United Nations Memorial Cemetery, Pusan, South Korea. The Memorial is dedicated to all Servicemen who died during the Korean War and are buried at sea. It would be invidious to make changes to cover just those who died on HMS Jamaica.Officials replied to the hon. Member's constituent, Mr. Anthony Legg, on 20 April.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make an announcement concerning the use by the US Administration of RAF Menwith Hill in the US missile defence system. [167746]

There are no current plans for any of the facilities at RAF Menwith Hill to be used for United States ballistic missile defence purposes. The position remains that United Kingdom approval would be needed should the US wish to use RAF Menwith Hill for missile defence purposes. No such request has been received.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the purpose is of the latest planning application for another radome at RAF Menwith Hill. [167747]

The proposed new radome at RAF Menwith Hill will house an additional antenna that will be used in support of the current mission of the base.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessments have been made of the dangers of exposure to radiation for MOD personnel. [167999]

Heads of Establishments and Commanding Officers have a statutory duty under the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999 to carry out prior risk assessments, and to keep the assessments up to date, to ensure that exposures of the Ministry of Defence personnel are restricted to as low a level as is reasonably practical. In doing this they seek advice from their Radiation Protection Advisers. Due to numerous and varied situations where this duty applies, it is not possible to list each and every recent occasion where such risk assessments have been undertaken.The MOD contributes to the National Registry of Radiation Workers database managed by the National Radiological Protection Board. The data are used to undertake epidemiological studies. In their second analysis of the data, published in July 1999, the National Radiological Protection Board concluded that overall death rates among radiation workers are below those in the general population. This is known as the healthy worker effect. This analysis contained 124,743 workers of which about one-third were MOD radiation workers or former radiation workers. The National Radiological Protection Board is intending to undertake the next analysis in 2005–06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provisions for medical check-ups are provided for (a) current radiation workers and (b) retired and former radiation workers in his Department. [168000]

The Ministry of Defence carries out medical surveillance of radiation workers as required by Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999, Regulation 24. These regulations lay down monitoring and medical surveillance requirements for personnel while occupationally exposed to ionising radiation. The main purpose of medical surveillance is to determine an individual's fitness or continuing fitness fer the intended work with ionising radiation.There is no mandatory requirement for a monitoring programme for retired personnel and no optional health screening is offered to retired personnel. However, the MOD does provide an independent counselling service for radiation workers, former radiation workers and their families who have concerns about their health consequent of their work with radiation. Individuals may request counselling by telephoning the Counselling Telephone line (02392 768098) and leaving their names and addresses or by writing to the MOD Counselling Registry at DSTL Radiological Protection Services, Crescent Road, Alverstoke, Gosport Hants, PO12 2DL. Further details are available on the World Wide Web at: http://www.mod.uk/dsef/hp/rwc.htm

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Army Medal Office to complete distribution of the General Service Medal for those who served in the Suez Canal Zone between 1951 and 1954 who have applied for the medal. [167479]

[holding answer 22 April 2004]: As at 16 April, the Army Medal Office has received 27,371 applications and distributed 4,113 medals. Work continues to confirm eligibility and distribute medals as soon as practical.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current strength of the Territorial Army is; and what its projected strength is for the next 12 months. [166939]

The total strength of the Territorial Army as at 1 March 2004 is 36,900. This includes 2,760 mobilised reservists.Forecasts of projected strengths are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the US bases for each year from 1997 to date where the ministry of Defence Police Agency operates. [167745]

Ministry of Defence Police Officers have continuously staffed RAF Hythe, RAF Welford, RAF Fairford, RAF Men with Hill, RAF Alconbury, RAF Lakenheath and US Navy (London) during the years 1997 to date.

To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what representations the Commission has received on improper use of office premises for party purposes since August 2003. [168452]

The Electoral Commission has informed me that since August 2003 it has received no representations on the improper use of office premises for party purposes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the effect of recent trends in investment in renewable energy upon residents of Manchester, Gorton. [167537]

Recent trends in renewable energy investment have been encouraging. More new capacity has been constructed in the last few years than in the previous decade, and a significant amount is currently in the pipeline. This covers a wide range of technologies including onshore and offshore wind, solar and biomass.While this investment has not translated into capacity within Manchester, Gorton itself, Renewables Northwest, a joint venture between the Regional Development Agency and United Utilities, is actively working with local authorities on the development of urban renewables in the area. This is looking to promote the installation of renewable energy systems in new build and urban regeneration projects in the Greater Manchester area. An example of this is the CIS Tower, Manchester, which has been awarded a sizeable grant from the DTI's Major Photovoltaic Demonstration Programme, towards the costs of a large PV cladding installation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and what percentage of women in Manchester, Gorton have taken 26 weeks maternity leave since 1997. [167354]

Take-up of maternity leave is not recorded centrally. It is possible to make an estimate of the numbers of women taking maternity leave based on employer returns to Inland Revenue for payment of Statutory Maternity Pay (since 2003 this has covered the first 26 weeks of leave). However, figures for the take-up of SMP are not available on a regional basis.In addition, there will be some women who will qualify for maternity leave but not SMP (because they do not meet the earnings criteria) and similarly some who qualify for SMP but not leave (because they are employed earners for the purposes of SMP but not employees in order to qualify for leave).

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the effects of the EU Social Chapter on the residents of Manchester, Gorton. [167355]

The residents of Manchester, Gorton have benefited from the EU Social Chapter by having their employment rights extended to include:

the right to Parental Leave, which gives parents the right to 13 weeks unpaid leave at the birth or adoption of a child;

the entitlement of part-time workers to the same pro rata terms and conditions of employment as full-time workers, thereby removing any discrimination and improving the quality of part-time jobs;

the provision that once a prima facie case has been made in an employment tribunal claim, the burden of proof is placed on the defendant (usually the employer), who will need to demonstrate that sex discrimination has not occurred;

rights under the Fixed Term Work Directive that provide equal treatment and prevent abuse of fixed term contracts;

rights under the European Works Council Directive which requires companies with at least 1,000 employees in total and at least 150 workers in each of the two member states, to establish structures for consulting workers on issues that affect them; and

in addition, the Information and Consultation of Employees Directive to be implemented in the UK by March 2005, establishes a right to new minimum standards for workforce communication and involvement in large firms.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the effects on residents of Manchester, Gorton of new rights for night-shift workers. [167356]

The Working Time Regulations came into force on 1 October 1998. The Regulations limit working time to 48 hours per week averaged over a 17-week reference period. For night workers the limit is eight hours per day on average, including overtime where it is part of a night worker's normal hours of work. There is no opt-out from the night working time limit.Night workers are entitled to 11 hours rest between working days, one day's rest per week, and a 20-minute in work rest break if the working period is longer than six hours.All night workers should be offered a free health assessment before they start working night and thereafter at regular intervals for as long as they are working nights. The health assessments should take account of the nature of the work and the restrictions on a worker's working time under the Regulations. Workers who suffer from problems as a result of working at night, should as far as practicable be offered alternative day work.All workers are entitled to four weeks paid annual leave. There are no specific data available for night shift workers in Gorton, Manchester.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many residents of Manchester, Gorton qualify for paid leave entitlements. [167357]

All workers resident in Gorton qualify for paid annual leave entitlements; at least four weeks as set out in the Working Time Regulations. While all women are entitled to 26 weeks ordinary maternity leave, only those who meet the eligibility criteria will be able to claim statutory maternity pay for that period.All employees in Gorton who are eligible will be entitled to take statutory paternity leave with pay and statutory adoption leave with pay.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many residents of Manchester, Gorton have benefited from a reduction of the working week to 48 hours. [167358]

The Working Time Regulations provide workers with the right to refuse to work more than 48 hours on average, if they do not want to. Numbers for Manchester, Gorton are not available. However, it has been estimated that around 100,000 workers resident in Greater Manchester stood to benefit from the introduction of the weekly working time limits in 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2004, Official Report, column 1363W, on state aid, what definition she uses of the term block exemption; and how many applications from each region were turned down by the Department of Trade and Industry and not passed on to the European Commission. [167402]

For state aid purposes a block exemption is a Commission Regulation which allows member states to implement state aid schemes complying with stipulated conditions without obtaining advance approval from the Commission. However, member states are obliged to inform the Commission of such schemes within 20 working days of their coming into force. Block Exemption Regulations exist covering aid to SMEs (recently extended to include research and development), aid for training and aid for employment.DTI's role is to advise those contemplating introducing state aid schemes and to help them with the notification process. It forwards all notifications to the European Commission via the United Kingdom Permanent Representation to the European Communities, sometimes after amendment in consultation with the aid scheme administrators. The Department does not turn down notifications, although on some occasions an aid scheme administrator may withdraw a notification on advice from DTI that the proposed aid scheme would not comply with the terms of the relevant state aid rules and would not therefore be approved by the Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effects of the EU Social Chapter on the residents of Burnley. [167897]

The residents of Burnley have benefited from the EU Social Chapter by having their employment rights extended to include:

the right to parental leave which gives parents the right to 13 weeks unpaid leave at the birth or adoption of a child;

the entitlement of part-time workers to the same pro-rata terms and conditions of employment as full time workers, thereby removing any discrimination and improving the quality of part-time jobs;

the provision that once a prima facie case has been made in an employment tribunal claim, the burden of proof is placed on the defendant (usually the employer), who will need to demonstrate that sex discrimination has not occurred;

rights under the Fixed Term Work Directive that provide equal treatment and prevent abuse of fixed term contracts;

rights under the European Works Council Directive which requires companies with at least 1,000 employees in total and at least 150 workers in each of the two member states, to establish structures for consulting workers on issues that affect them and;

in addition, the Information and Consultation of Employees Directive to be implemented in the UK by March 2005, establishes a right to new minimum standards for workforce communication and involvement in large firms.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how man) and what percentage of women in Burnley have taken 26 weeks maternity leave since 1997. [167896]

Take-up of maternity leave is not recorded centrally. It is possible to make an estimate of the numbers of women taking maternity leave based on employer returns to Inland Revenue for payment of Statutory Maternity Pay (since 2003 this has covered the first 26 weeks of leave). However, figures for the take-up of SMP are not available on a regional basis.In addition, there will be some women who will qualify for maternity leave but not SMP (because they do not meet the earnings criteria) and similarly some who qualify for SMP but not leave (because they are employed earners for the purposes of SMP but not employees in order to qualify for leave).

To ask he Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the benefits to residents of Burnley of new rights for night-shift workers. [167898]

The Working Time Regulations came into force on 1 October 1998. The regulations limit working time to 48 hours per week averaged over a 17-week reference period. For night workers the limit is eight hours per day on average, including overtime where it is part of a night worker's normal hours of work. There is no opt-out from the night working time limit.Night workers are entitled to 11 hours rest between working days, one day's rest per week, and a 20-minute in work rest break if the working period is longer than six hours.All night workers should be offered a free health assessment before they start working nights and thereafter at regular intervals for as long as they are working nights. The health assessments should take account of the nature of the work and the restrictions on a worker's working time under the regulations. Workers who suffer from problems as a result of working at night, should as far as practicable be offered alternative day work.All workers are entitled to four weeks paid annual leave. There is no specific data available for night shift workers in Burnley.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many residents of Burnley qualify for paid leave entitlements. [167899]

All workers resident in Burnley qualify for paid annual leave entitlements; at least four weeks as set but in the Working Time Regulations. While all women are entitled to 26 weeks ordinary maternity leave, only those who meet the eligibility criteria will be able to claim statutory maternity pay for that period.All employees in Burnley who are eligible will be entitled to take statutory paternity leave with pay and statutory adoption leave with pay.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many residents of Burnley have benefited from a reduction of the working week to 48 hours. [167900]

The Working Time Regulations provide workers with the right to refuse to work more than 48 hours on average, if they do not want to. Numbers for Burnley are not available, however it has been estimated that around 300,000 workers resident in the north west stood to benefit from the introduction of the weekly working time limits in 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many new businesses have started up in Burnley since 1997; [167892](2) how many new businesses hay e been established in Burnley since 1997. [167894]

Barclays Bank 's latest survey of business creation includes non-VAT registered firms and shows that there were 115,000 business start-ups in England and Wales, including 2,600 in Lancashire county (which contains the constituency of Burnley), in the fourth quarter of 2003. The latest yearly figures show 465,000 business start-ups in England and Wales in 2003. This represents a 19 per cent. increase on the year before. There were 10,200 business start-ups in Lancashire county in 2003. Data for counties are not available for before 2003.DTI figures based solely on VAT registrations for Burnley local authority (which covers the same area as the constituency of Burnley) are shown in the table for

	Insolvency proceedings	Date
Cammell Laird (Merseyside) Ltd.	Administrative receivership	11 April 2001
Cammell Laird (North East) Ltd.	Administrative receivership	11 April 2001
Cammell Laird (North East) Ltd.	Voluntary liquidation	16 July 2003
Cammell Laird (Shiprepairers) Ltd.	Voluntary liquidation	3 February 2003
Cammell Laird (Teesside) Ltd.	Administrative receivership	12 April 2001
Cammell Laird (Tyneside) Ltd.	Administrative receivership	12 April 2001
Cammell Laird (Wearside) Ltd.	Administrative receivership	20 April 2001
Cammell Laird Holdings plc	Administration	19 April 2001
Cammell Laird plc	Administrative receivership	11 April 2001
Cammell Laird Properties Ltd.	Voluntary liquidation	21 May 2001
Cammell Laird Technical Services Ltd.	Administrative receivership	12 April 2001

The Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 imposes a statutory time limit of two years from the date of the first insolvency proceedings, for making an application for a disqualification order. Therefore the companies which failed in 2001 are outside of this time limit.The insolvency practitioners appointed as liquidators of the two companies which failed in 2003 have reported to the Secretary of State as they are required to do. On the basis of the information currently provided, no disqualification proceedings are being considered. Should additional information become available this decision will be reviewed to determine whether such proceedings are in the public interest.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will take steps to prevent car the period 1997 to 2002. Data for 2003 will be available in autumn 2004.

VAT Registrations: 1997–2002
	Burnley
1997	170
1998	180
1999	180
2000	205
2001	205
2002	205
Source:
Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994–2002, Small Business Service.

VAT registrations do not capture all start-up activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register will not necessarily have closed. Only 1.8 million out of 3.8 million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action she intends to take against directors of Cammell Laird at the point when the company was moved into administration. [167503]

[holding answer 22 April 2004]: There are a number of Cammell Laird companies which have gone into insolvency proceedings during 2001 and 2003. These are:advertisements from referring to maximum speed levels achievable where these are in excess of the national speed limit. [167766]

The rules under Section 48 of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) Code already provide such safeguards for motoring advertising.Section 48.3 states:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will publish research carried out or commissioned by her Department which compares the level of (a) secured and (b) unsecured debt in the UK with other countries. [167267]

The DTI has not carried out or commissioned research which compares the level of secured and unsecured debt in the UK with other countries.Comparisons of amounts spent on unsecured debt by the bottom two income deciles in UK, France, Germany and the USA are included in research commissioned by the DTI to look at the way interest rate controls have worked in other countries. This work was announced in the Consumer Credit White Paper (December 2003), and will be published later this spring.The DTI commissioned and published research into levels of household debt in the UK from the Personal Finance Research Centre (Kempson, Elaine, "Over-indebtedness in Britain", September 2002, available at http://www.dti.gov. uk/ccp/topicsl/pdfl/moricontents.pdf). In the Consumer Credit White Paper, we committed to monitoring the extent and profile of over-indebtedness in the UK, and will be reporting on our approach in the forthcoming Strategy on Over-indebtedness.DTI draws on research carried out by others in its assessment of the level of debt in the UK compared with other countries. For example:The Treasury published a comparison of outstanding residential mortgage debt across EU countries in the EMU study 'Housing, consumption and EMU' with the five tests assessment (available at http://www.hmtreasury.gov.uk/documents/the_euro/assessment/studies/ euro_assess03_studdorset.cfm).Sir Andrew Large, Deputy Governor of the BoE, recently gave a speech entitled 'Major puzzles in today's economy: the build-up in household debt' in which he placed the UK experience in the international context and compared household debt levels in the UK with other major industrial countries (March 2004, available at http://www.bankofengland.co.ul/speeches/speech217.pdf).

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya's debts to the Export Credits Guarantee Department, broken down by sector, are; if she will list the top five contracts, by value, on which these debts are based; and if she will make a statement on the Government's intention to recover this debt. [167829]

Libya made a payment of £20 million to ECGD on 29 December 2003 in negotiated settlement of its outstanding debt obligations towards ECGD-insured debt.To avoid prejudicing ongoing negotiations with other similar debtors, it is not ECGD's policy to reveal details of the amounts outstanding in respect of which this settlement was made. However, the settlement reached represented a good outcome to negotiations between HMG and the Libyan Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if she will make a statement on the timetable for the Export Credits Guarantee Department becoming a capitalised trading fund; [167265](2) what estimate has been made of the cost of the Export Credits Guarantee Department becoming a capitalised trading fund, broken down by

Ministers are considering the arrangements for ECGD's Trading Fund, and an announcement will be made in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether an assessment of the effects of fully privatising the Export Credits Guarantee Department was made before the decision that it should become a trading fund was taken. [168650]

Privatisation of ECGD was considered in the Mission and Status Review of ECGD in 1999–2000 (a copy is available on ECGD's website www.ecgd.gov.uk). The Review concluded that privatisation should not be pursued, and that ECGD's risk management systems should be strengthened by the establishment of a Trading Fund.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to encourage the gasification of coal. [167750]

We are supporting six R&D projects under the Cleaner Coal Technology Programme. We are also investigating the feasibility of Underground Coal Gasification and plan to produce a report on this in about a month's time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of power was derived from gasified coal in 2003. [167751]

Currently in the UK there is no power produced through coal gasification.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the terms of reference for the Low Pay Commission's Report of 2004; why the monitoring of enforcement and compliance with regard to the National Minimum Wage was not included as in previous years; and whether such matters will be included in the Low Pay Commission remit in the future. [167301]

The Low Pay Commission monitored and evaluated issues connected with minimum wage—including enforcement—in their last full report in 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many inspections have been undertaken where no complaint has been made about an employer to ensure that they are complying with the National Minimum Wage provisions in each year since the introduction of the National Minimum Wage; and what level of underpayment was identified as a result of each of these inspections. [165826]

The number of cases completed and arrears identified since the introduction of the minimum wage, where a complaint had not been received, are provided in the following table:

	Number of cases	Arrears identified (£)
1999–2000	2,532	158,839
2000–01	4,742	1,025,333
2001–02	3,655	1,206,898
2002–03	4,284	1,043,706
2003–04	3,655	1,205,674

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets have been set for the national minimum wage compliance teams with regard to the investigation of complaints; and whether these have been met for each year since the introduction of the minimum wage. [166739]

Our Service Level Agreement with the Inland Revenue requires them to investigate every complaint made to the National Minimum Wage helpline each year and they do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reason there has been no systematic evaluation of the use and efficacy of the formal powers available to national minimum wage compliance officers in response to the recommendations of the fourth report of the Low Pay Commission. [166740]

The assumption underlying this question is incorrect. The Government are currently reviewing the enforcement powers available to them and will cover this point in future evidence to the Low Pay Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the progress being made by, and conclusions drawn from, the local enforcement pilot projects for the national minimum wage. [166741]

Following recommendations made in the Low Pay Commission's second report seven local enforcement projects were launched between March and September 2001. Three of these met with limited success and it was decided with our partners that they should close.Four of the projects are still running; we will be evaluating their effectiveness over the coming months and will cover this issue in future evidence to the Low Pay Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will break down those employees affected by cases of underpayment of the national minimum wage brought to the attention of the Inland Revenue by (a) sex, (b) age group, (c) ethnicity and (d) region for each year since the introduction of the minimum wage. [166742]

The following table provides details of the number of workers that were found to be paid below the minimum wage following an Inland Revenue investigation.

	Number of workers
2001–02	10,378
2002–03	7,373
2003–04	9,431

No information on the number of workers in this category was held prior to 2001–02. The Inland Revenue only holds information relating to workers being underpaid by sex, age group and region in connection with cases that originated with a workers' complaint. This information is set out in the joint DTI/Revenue Annual Reports on the minimum wage; copies of recent reports can be found on www.dti.gov.uk/er/nmw. No information is held in relation to ethnicity of the workers concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will break down by industry the employers found to be not complying with the national minimum wage provisions by industry for each year since the introduction of the minimum wage. [166743]

The following table provides details of the number of employers investigated by the Inland Revenue where non-compliance with the minimum wage was found.

	Number of employers
1999–2000	1,280
2000–01	2,119
2001–02	1,937
2002–03	1,996
2003–04	2,211

Further information on the breakdown by industry in connection with cases that originated with a worker's complaint is set out in the joint DTI/Revenue Annual Reports.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the prevalence of re-offending in relation to employer non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage Act 1998. [166744]

As part of the post evaluation assurance programme, officers re-visit a number of employers to ensure continued compliance with the national minimum wage.As part of the first evaluation undertaken in August 2002, 87 cases were selected for revisiting. Of these 71 employers were found to be complying (82 per cent.). As part of a second evaluation undertaken in March 2003, 95 per cent. Where appropriate the Revenue take formal enforcement action at an early stage where an employer has re-offended.DTI and Inland Revenue are presently working on a strategy to use the prosecution powers, contained in the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 to tackle, among others, any employers that are found to repeatedly re-offend.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the newspaper distribution network. [167512]

The arrangements for the distribution of newspapers are a commercial matter for the industry, operating within the relevant legal and regulatory framework.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the benefits to residents of Birkenhead of new rights for night-shift workers. [166502]

The Working Time Regulations came into force on 1 October 1998. The regulations limit working time to 48 hours per week averaged over a 17-week reference period. For night workers the limit is eight hours per day on average, including overtime where it is part of a night worker's normal hours of work. There is no opt-out from the night working time limit.Night workers are entitled to 11 hours rest between working days, one day's rest per week, and a 20-minute in work rest break if the working period is longer than 6 hours.All night workers should be offered a free health assessment before they start working nights and thereafter at regular intervals for as long as they are working nights. The health assessments should take account of the nature of the work and the restrictions on a worker's working time under the regulations. Workers who suffer from problems as a result of working at night should as far as practicable be offered alternative day work.All workers are entitled to four weeks paid annual leave. There is no specific data available for night-shift workers in Birkenhead.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the outcome and lessons learned review of the Post Office Urban Reinvention programme following its conclusion will include an examination of the extension of the flexibility currently covering the rural network to urban areas. [166819]

Government policy for the post office network is guided by the recommendations of the Performance and Innovation Unit report on "Modernising the Post Office Network", published in June 2000. The report identified the different nature of the challenges facing the network in urban and rural areas, and there does not appear to be a case at present for adopting the approach being applied in rural areas to the urban network.Rationalisation is necessary in urban areas where there are too many post offices for all of them to survive on the current levels of business available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many allegations of intimidation by (a) trade unions and (b) employers during recognition ballots were made in the last 12 months. [166989]

The Government are aware of concerns on the part of unions and employers of intimidation during recognition ballots, and sought further evidence in order to gain a better idea of the scale of the problem. Over a dozen allegations have been directly brought to my attention in the last 12 months as a result of this process, the majority of which have alleged intimidation by employers.

to ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many planning applications for wind farms in coastal waters of the United Kingdom have been made in (a) the first round and (b) the second round; and if silt will list the (i) persons and (ii) organisations who have been consulted on each application. [168093]

The Department has received 12 planning applications in relation to English and Welsh waters under the first round of offshore wind farms but none in relation to the second round. Of these six consents have been granted under the Electricity Act for the Scroby Sands, North Hoyle, Rhyl Flats, Barrow, Kentish Flats and Burbo Bank offshore wind farms and a further four have been granted Orders under the Transport and Works Act for the Lynn, Inner Dowsing, Cromer and Gunfleet Sands offshore wind farms. Consent application for the Teesside and Shell Flats offshore wind farms are currently under consideration.Depending whether or not the development was in English or Welsh waters either English Nature, the Countryside Agency and English Heritage or the National Assembly for Wales, the Countryside Council for Wales and Cadw Welsh Historic Monuments were consulted. Additional consultees included the Civil Aviation Authority, Crown Estate, Environment Agency, Health and Safety Executive, Ministry of Defence, Radiocommunications Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Chamber of Shipping (but not in the case of Scroby Sands and North Hoyle), Royal Yachting Association (but not in the case of Scroby Sands or North Hoyle), Trinity House Lighthouse Services, National Federation of Fisherman's Organisations, the relevant local authority and sea fisheries committee and the local port or harbour authority where appropriate. Both the Chamber of Shipping and the Royal Yachting Association were added to the consultee list following representations to the Department for Transport and the DTI. In addition to those listed any organisation including members of the public can comment on planning applications as each application is subject to a formal public consultation period and must be advertised in local newspapers. All comments received will be taken into account before any decision is made on a specific proposal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the risk of obstruction to the Port of London from the London Array wind farm; and what representations she has received on the issue from the maritime industry. [168356]

The developer of the London Array wind farm in seeking consent for the project must make a thorough assessment of the potential impact of the proposed installation on navigation and ports. The developer must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Secretary of State in the case of an Order under the Transport and Works Act or the Secretary of State for Transport in the case of a Coast Protection Act 1949 consent that their development, in combination with others in the vicinity, does not present a danger or significant obstruction to navigation. In reaching that decision either Secretary of State take advice from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Port of London Authority. Any other organisation or person who has an interest in the matter may make representations to the relevant Minister which will be taken into account in the decision-making process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the extent of interference with maritime navigational instruments from wind farms placed in UK territorial waters. [168357]

It is important that wind farms do not compromise safety by interfering with ship or search and rescue communications systems. The Government have given an assurance in the House of Lords that it will carry out a study on this subject.The study will draw on international experience, for instance in Denmark, and we will learn as much as possible from our own installation The offshore wind farm at North Hoyle can be used as a test facility to provide an input into the study. The study is a priority and work will begin as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will require that the costs of any navigational aids required to prevent collision with windmills positioned in UK territorial waters are met by the operators of wind farms. [168358]

The costs of providing navigational aids to prevent vessels colliding with offshore installations is to be met by the developers. The General Lighthouse Authorities set the standard for such marking and will monitor its provisions. Developers may also expect to meet the reasonable costs of altering existing aids to navigation if required as a result of their installations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consultations she has (a) undertaken and (b) planned with maritime groups concerned about the impact of offshore wind farms on maritime navigation. [168359]

I had a useful and productive meeting with representatives of the shipping, port and marine aggregates industries on 16 March this year about the second round of offshore wind farms planned for the Greater Wash, Thames Estuary and North West.These industries have had an opportunity to make their views known on the Department's plans for offshore wind farming. In November 2002, the Department issued a consultation paper, Future Offshore: A Strategic framework for the offshore wind industry. As a result, the Department decided that the future allocation of leases for sites for offshore wind farms would take place in a structured series of bidding rounds, following a strategic environmental assessment of the defined areas of the sea selected for potential development.In May 2003 the Department consulted on an environmental report which assessed the impact of wind farm development in three strategic areas—the Greater Wash, outer Thames Estuary and the North West (from North Wales to the Solway Firth)—on a range of matters including maritime navigation. Following this consultation the Department asked The Crown Estate to arrange a bidding round for site leases in these three strategic areas, with the exception of a coastal strip of 8 to 13 kms wide, which was excluded because of the particular sensitivity to development of shallow coastal waters. The Crown Estate announced before Christmas last year that it had offered site leases for 15 wind farms.The developers of these proposed wind farms must obtain statutory planning consents from Government before they can be built. The Department has already organised one workshop and is planning a series of further meetings to bring together the developers with the main stakeholders, including representatives of the maritime community, who should be consulted in preparing an environmental impact assessment of the project. When a formal planning application for the project is received the Department will consult a range of organisations including those representing shipping and port interests.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has recently received about the reform of annuities. [167684]

Out of the 209 responses only 14 directly addressed the reform of annuities. And about half of these wanted the annuity rules finessed rather than abolished.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total number of live births was in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland in each year since 1992. [168159]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether nannies count as registered child carers for the purposes of the Budget proposal whereby companies' contributions of up to £50 per week to the cost of a registered child carer are exempt from taxation as a benefit in kind. [168148]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O'Brien) on 19 April 2004, Official Report, column 381W, about nannies employed by parents with disabled children. That answer applies to nannies generally.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total number of children in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland aged under five years was in each year since 1992; and what forecasts he has made for future years. [168163]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the towns and cities which have been assessed by Sir Michael Lyons for possible relocation of civil servants from London which have been short-listed; how many locations will be selected; when he will make an announcement; and if he will make a statement. [167282]

In taking forward the Government's relocation programme, choice of locations will be for each department to determine based on a sound business case which aims to secure greater efficiency, improved public service delivery and better value for money for the taxpayer.The independent King Sturge research commissioned by Sir Michael Lyons in his review provides an assessment of the attributes and qualities of different locations outside London and the South East. The assessment, details of which may be found in Chapter 8 of his report, is an illustrative guide for departments and public bodies relocating functions or considering dispersal out of the capital and by no means intended to be prescriptive or exhaustive.In submitting relocation proposals to Sir Michael Lyons' Review, some departments have indicated an initial preference for certain locations. There are show in Chart 6.1 of Sir Michael's report.The Government will come forward with detailed proposals for monitoring and implementing dispersal plans as part of the 2004 Spending Review.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate for (a) 1997 and (b) the latest date for which figures are available the number of householders paying more in council tax than income tax. [166525]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to ensure that sea bass (a) served at functions at which he is the host and (b) used in Treasury catering outlets is sourced from hand-line fishermen rather than pair trawlers. [167545]

The Treasury's catering contractor sources foodstuffs with the aim of obtaining best value for the customer.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) men aged 50 to 64 years and (b) women aged 50 to 59 years were not in employment in each year since 1997. [168155]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.