asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the cost to the United Kingdom taxpayer of the Birmingham G8 summit. [HL2000]

We do not yet know the final cost of the G8 Birmingham Summit because we have not received all the bills. But we estimate the cost of the arrangements made by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to be £6.9 million.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are their plans for the future funding of the Commonwealth Institute. [HL2009]

The Commonwealth Institute has been allocated a grant in aid of £600,000 for this financial year. Until the comprehensive spending review is completed, I am unable to say anything specific about future funding for the Commonwealth Institute or for any other FCO supported organisation. Our goal is to put the institute on a firm financial footing. Officials are discussing a range of options with the institute.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What changes are proposed to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office cash limits and running cost limits for 1998–99. [HL2388]

Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary revised estimate, the cash limit for Class II, Vote 1 (overseas representation) will be reduced by £2,261,000 from £590,265,000 to £588,004,000. This reduction takes account of transfers of responsibility to the newly established Department for International Development (Class III, Vote 1). It also reflects the movement of the Wilton Park executive agency from a net running cost regime to a gross running cost regime. This does not change the overall cash limit.

asked Her Majesty's Government:On what grounds the decision has been taken to refuse free school meals to the 29 per cent. of pupils at Oakwood Integrated Primary School who appear to be so entitled. [HL2208]

There is no entitlement to free school meals in the independent sector. The provision of a school meals service, including decisions as to whether certain pupils may be offered free meals, is a matter for the school authorities.

asked Her Majesty's Government:On what grounds the decision has been taken to refuse to provide classroom assistance to a statemented pupil at Oakwood Integrated School unless he transfers to a mainstream Catholic school. [HL2209]

By law, the special educational provision to be made for pupils with statements of special educational need is determined by Education and Library Boards. I am not aware of any such decision having been made by a board in respect of a pupil at Oakwood Integrated School. Where a parent is dissatisfied with a board's decision, there may be a right of appeal to the Special Educational Needs Tribunal.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are taking to identify the source of recent unauthorised disclosures of confidential information from the Northern Ireland Office; and how will they ensure that no further disclosures occur. [HL2210]

Leaks are damaging to good government and no effort will be spared to discover who leaked this information. The Northern Ireland Office has been in touch with the Royal Ulster Constabulary about identifying the source of this latest leak. In the meantime the systems for the distribution and handling of documents within the Northern Ireland Office are presently under review.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are satisfied that companies or other organisations or individuals soliciting the opportunity to lend money to young persons are authorised to do so; and, if so, whether they will publish in the

Companies or other organisations which offer loans to consumers for amounts up to £25,000 generally require a licence issued under the Consumer Credit Act 1974. The Director General of Fair Trading is responsible for administering the consumer credit licensing system and maintains a public register of licence holders.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they approve of banks granting overdraft facilities to young persons who are not employed, such as students, and who have no collateral security; and, if they are not satisfied with present practices, what steps they propose to regulate the situation. [HL2347]

Banks' decisions on lending are a matter for their own commercial judgment. The Banking Code sets out the factors that are taken into account by the banks when considering whether or not to lend. The age of the applicant and the applicant's ability to repay are two of these factors.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are aware of any difficulties which United Kingdom hauliers are experiencing in the recovery of VAT paid on road fuel purchases made in other European Union member states; and what those difficulties are. [HL2257]

Although the Government occasionally receive complaints from UK businesses about delays in obtaining refunds of VAT incurred on business purchases generally in other member states, they are not aware of any particular difficulties which UK hauliers are experiencing in relation to purchases of road fuel.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What percentage of the United Kingdom population has at least one grandparent who was born abroad. [HL2221]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics, who has been asked to reply.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have studied the recently published English Heritage Monuments at Risk Survey; and what action they propose to take. [HL2188]

Yes. The survey provides invaluable information about the state of England's archaeological heritage, and the threats it faces. English Heritage has responded very positively by publishing a number of measures which it is committed to implement. The Government's Planning Policy Guidance Note on archaeology and planning (PPG 16) sets out a framework for addressing the threat to archaeology caused by development, which the survey highlighted. PPG 16, and the possible need for additional legislative and financial measures, will be kept under review in the light of continuing discussions with English Heritage and other relevant government departments.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why, in spite of the assurance given by the Prime Minister on 13 May (HC Deb. col. 369), the Post Office is not going to issue a set of stamps to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Berlin airlift, which lasted from June 1948 until May 1949. [HL2358]

The Post Office's stamp programme for 1999 has been designed to celebrate the millennium; no special anniversaries will be commemorated. The Post Office recognises the importance of the Berlin airlift anniversary and plans to issue a special commemorative label with associated philatelic products to honour the event.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why there is an apparent shortage of Home Office Presenting Officers (HOPOs); why some arrive for hearings before adjudicators without case files, either because the case files cannot be located or have not been sent to HOPOs; and when they expect to be able to ensure that all the cases listed before adjudicators at the Immigration Appellate Authority, Taylor House, will be heard on the day they are listed. [HL2330]

Recruitment constraints within the Home Office have led to a temporary shortage of Presenting Officers which is now being actively addressed; the Central London Presenting Officer's Unit last month moved into new premises following the Immigration Appellate Authority's own move to Taylor House. This unfortunately led to some administrative problems in the handling of files, which have now largely been overcome; the decision on whether a case will be heard on the day that it is listed is a matter for the adjudicator.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What efforts they have made to ascertain where and when the Independent Commission on the Voting System has held public meetings; how many members of the public attended, apart from people engaged in organising the meeting; and what was the total attendance of the general public as a percentage of the total electorate entitled to vote in the United Kingdom; and [HL2335]Whether they are satisfied that the public meetings of the Independent Commission on the Voting System are a sufficient means of ascertaining the general views of the public; and, if not, what other means of testing opinion have been or will be arranged; and [HL2336]What are the numbers of full and part time staff engaged in servicing the Independent Commission on the Voting System; and what is the cost of the monthly wage bill; and [HL2337]What scale expenses are paid to members of the Independent Commission on the Voting System; and [HL2338]How the general public are notified of public meetings held by the Independent Commission on the Voting System; and [HL2339]Whether any particular individuals or groups were specifically invited to any of the public meetings held by the Independent Commission on the Voting System. [HL2340]

The Independent Commission on the Voting System is an independent body and is responsible for its own procedures.I understand that the commission has held public meetings in Cardiff (on 10 March), Belfast (on 12 March), Edinburgh (on 24 March), Leeds (on 6 April), Birmingham (on 28 April), Manchester (on 21 April), Plymouth (on 29 April) and Newcastle (on 5 May). A further public meeting will shortly take place in London (on 1 July). In addition, members of the commission have attended a number of other meetings to which they have been invited.A wide variety of groups and individuals were invited to the public hearings, including various community/interest groups, political parties, local government representatives, business interests, academics, trade union representatives and, in most cases, the local Members of Parliament. On average, 80 people attended each meeting.The meetings were publicised by means of poster campaigns in public buildings, including libraries, citizens advice bureaux, schools, colleges and universities, and advertisements and articles in the regional press. In addition, the chairman and other members of the independent commission gave interviews to the local media, radio and television before the public meetings.After the independent commission has reported, a referendum will be held to enable the public to express a view on whether they wish to retain the first-past-the-post system for elections to the House of Commons, or adopt the system recommended by the independent commission as the most suitable alternative.The independent commission employs four full-time staff and its monthly salary bill is approximately £9,500.The commissioners themselves receive travel and subsistence expenses for travel outside London, paid at normal civil service rates.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which forms of early years care and education, both in institutions and in non-institutional settings, are not included in the definitions of "school" and of "specified nursery education" in clause 121 of the School Standards and Framework Bill. [HL2285]

Clause 121 of the School Standards and Framework Bill applies to schools defined in section 4(1) of the Education Act 1996 (as amended): every institution for providing primary education, secondary education, or both primary and secondary education which is outside the further education sector and the higher education sector. Independent schools are included in that definition.The clause also applies to children receiving education suitable for children under compulsory school age not in a school but provided: by a local education authority; by those receiving government grant under present or future funding arrangements for early years development plans; or in any educational institution which falls outside the definition of school only because no full-time primary education is provided there.It does not apply to persons or institutions providing only child care and not education.

asked Her Majesty's Government:During their negotiations on the development of Agenda 2000 environmental and rural policy, what account they have taken of the facts that in Great Britain tenant farmers' activities are bound by the tenant farmer's agreement into which the farmers have already entered and that if they do anything outwith the remit of the agreement they could risk losing their tenancy. [HL2260]

As part of our consultation process on the Commission's Agenda 2000 proposals, we have invited comments from many organisations including the Tenant Farmers Association. The Government will take full account of the views of these organisations during the negotiations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they expect to receive the report of the Advisory Group on Quarantine. [HL2343]

The Chairman of the Advisory Group on Quarantine, Professor Kennedy, envisages a delay in the advisory group's report, which had been expected this month. It is important that all the evidence be considered most carefully, and given due weight, before the advisory group's report is submitted. We now expect that the report of the Advisory Group on Quarantine will be published in the summer or early autumn. A full public consultation will then be held.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the Advisory Board on Family Law intends to publish its first annual report. [HL2387]

The Advisory Board on Family Law has today published its first annual report and copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.