asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the present annual subsidy being paid from the common agricultural policy funds to tobacco growers in the European Union; and what proportion of this is paid by United Kingdom taxpayers. [HL2727]

In 1997, the EU spent 998 million ecu (£670 million*) on subsidies under the EU tobacco regime.Member states contribute to the EU budget as a whole and not to any particular part. Our contribution is about 17 per cent before our Fontainebleau abatement is taken into account.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What powers the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has to investigate animals potentially infected with

In circumstances where there is suspicion of E.coli 0157 in food, powers already exist in the Food Safety Act 1990 not only to investigate the food business concerned but also to trace back to collect evidence of its presence on farm whether in the animals or elsewhere.In practice, the farming community generally co-operate fully with staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food where on-farm investigations are needed. However, the Government will amend the Zoonoses Order 1989 to include

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they expect to reach a final conclusion on the consultation exercise which they have recently conducted in relation to the proposed new restrictions on the retail sale of Vitamin B6 supplements; and [HL2724]

The Government will consider the results of the consultation exercise on its proposals on restrictions on the sale of Vitamin B6, together with the report of the Agriculture Select Committee, before deciding how to proceed. An announcement on the Government's policy will be made as soon as we are in a position to do so.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many submissions they received in response to their recent consultation exercise on the proposed new restrictions on the retail sale of Vitamin B6 supplements: and how many, and what percentage of those submissions (a) broadly supported and (b) broadly opposed the proposed restrictions [HL2725]

The Government received 50 responses to its consultation exercise on its proposals on dietary supplements containing Vitamin B6. The responses are currently being analysed and summarised. Copies of those from respondees who have not requested confidentiality will be placed in the Library in due course.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will reiterate their commitment to the self-determination of East Timor as set out in the European Union Common Position of 1998. [HL2538]

Her Majesty's Government remain committed to the 1996 EU Common Position on East Timor: the EU's aim is to contribute to the achievement by dialogue of a fair, comprehensive and internationally acceptable solution to the question of East Timor, which fully respects the interests and legitimate aspirations of the Timorese people, in accordance with international law.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What representations the British Government has made to the Indian Government to facilitate the release of Xanana Gusmao and to allow him to return to East Timor to participate in negotiations between East Timor and Indonesia. [HL2537]

Her Majesty's Government have on a number of occasions, most recently at the European Council in Cardiff on 15–16 June, called for the release of Xanana Gusmao. In his capacity as representative of the Presidency of the European Union, the Minister of State, Mr. Fatchett, visited him in prison in Jakarta on 28 May. He also stressed to the Indonesian Government the importance of Gusmao's early release, which would allow the dialogue on East Timor to be taken forward.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they are taking to engage the Portuguese Government and the United Nations in an active role to seek a just political solution in East Timor. [HL2539]

Under our Presidency of the EU, Troika Ambassadors in Jakarta visited East Timor (27–30 June). This mission was in support of the UN process of searching for a fair, comprehensive and internationally acceptable solution to the problem. The outcome of the visit is being discussed with EU partners under the Austrian Presidency of the EU. We remain in close contact with the UN, particularly the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for East Timor, Ambassador Marker, and the government of Portugal on this issue.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will insist that in any dialogue between the European Union and Iran the questions of human rights, terrorism and the Middle East peace process be included in the agenda. [HL2526]

The new EU/Iran dialogue will be comprehensive, covering issues of both mutual interest and areas of concern. The 23 February General Affairs Council conclusions defined these concerns as weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, the fatwa against Salman Rushdie, human rights and Iran's attitude to the Middle East peace process.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What further plans they have to tackle the issue of preventing unsuitable people from working with children and to protect young people from abuse by those in positions of trust following the debate on lowering the homosexual age of consent from 18 to 16, in another place, on 22 June HC Deb, col. 754–804. [HL2921]

During the debate in another place on 22 June, my honourable friend the Minister of State (Mr. Michael) referred to the interdepartmental working group set up to look as a matter of priority at further safeguards needed to prevent those unsuitable from working with children and to protect young people from abuse by those in positions of trust. This group is due to meet on 30 July.The need to protect vulnerable 16 and 17 year-olds from abuse of trust was discussed at length in the debate on 22 June. The working group will look carefully at the concerns expressed. Issues to be considered will include: the definition of a position of trust; the scope of occupations to be covered; the definition of those to be protected; the kind of behaviour to be prohibited; existing safeguards and possible new mechanisms for prohibiting such behaviour, including a possible new criminal offence. Any proposals will relate to the need to protect both boys and girls and will take account of issues such as avoiding the criminalisation of the younger partner in a relationship based on abuse of trust.On the issue of preventing those unsuitable from working with children, the working group's programme of work will include: how working with children can be defined; how to define those unsuitable to work with children; existing and potential safeguards to prevent unsuitable people working with children; a possible new offence to support the safeguards; and the possible establishment of a central register of those unsuitable to work with children, including questions of quality assurance, access, scope and cost.The working group will also take into account the report of Sir William Utting's review of safeguards for children living away from home and the Government's response to this review, which is expected to be published by the Ministerial Task Force later this year. In particular, consideration will be given to those recommendations dealing with choosing the right staff.The working group, which will be led by the Home Office, will hold regular meetings during the autumn and is tasked to make recommendations by the end of December. Other departments involved include: the Department for Education and Employment; the Department of Health; the Welsh Office; the Charity Commission; the Crown Prosecution Service; and the Lord Chancellor's Department. The group will also look at how best to involve outside organisations in the work. The group's recommendations will relate to England and Wales, but representatives from the Scottish and Northern Ireland Offices will also be involved.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many Home Office Presenting Officers are employed for the hearing of asylum and immigration appeals; and [HL2638]Whether they consider that a sufficient number of Home Office Presenting Officers are employed to meet the demands of the appeal system for immigration and asylum cases. [HL2640]

On 10 July 1998, 96.6 staff were employed. There is a temporary shortage of Presenting Officers in London and the South East, which has arisen as a result of recruitment constraints within the Home Office. This is now being actively addressed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have performance standards or criteria for the employment and use of Home Office Presenting Officers in immigration and asylum appeals; and, if so, whether they will publish them. [HL2641]

Presenting Officers are either Higher Executive Officers or Chief Immigration Officers and meet the normal criteria for membership of those grades. As part of the Home Office staff appraisal process, each Presenting Officer is continuously assessed against an individual agreed set of performance standards which takes into account the contribution made towards unit targets.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many requests have been made in each year since the coming into operation of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information for information in the area of immigration; how many of these requests were granted in each year; how many of these requests were declined, and for what reason they were declined. [HL2707]

The following table sets out the data collected on requests for information in the area of immigration made under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. This information was collected and published in the three annual reports on Access to Government Information for 1995, 1996 and 1997.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many requests have been made for each year since the coming into operation of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information for information in the area of law enforcement; how many of these requests were granted in each year; how many of these requests were declined, and for what reason they were declined. [HL2708]

The information requested is as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether before the coming into force of the proposed Human Rights Act a Minister of the Crown in charge of a Bill in either House of Parliament will, before Second Reading of the Bill:

The duty to make such a statement is contained in Clause 19 of the Human Rights Bill [H.L.]. We have not yet decided when Clause 19 or the other provisions of the Bill should be brought into force.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will place in the Library of the House full copies of the annual reports of the Association of Chief Police Officers, England, Wales and Northern Ireland for each year since 1992. [HL2737]

I have arranged for copies of the annual reports for the Association of Chief Police Officers for each year from 1992 to 1997 to be placed in the Library. The annual report for 1998 is not yet available.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer given by the Lord Williams of Mostyn on 24 June (

Despite a less than disproportionate cost of providing copies of invoices for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) for 1996–97, it would be neither appropriate nor practical to place in the Library copies of invoices for administrative expenses incurred by ACPO and processed through the Home Office's Business and Accounting Strategic Systems. This expenditure is subject to parliamentary approval and audit, as is all Government expenditure.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are satisfied with the level of security at the Clive House headquarters of the Independent Commission on the Voting System; and [HL2710]Whether it is possible for citizens to give an input to the Independent Commission on the Voting System at the Commission's office in Clive House; and what general literature is available to the public in the office of the Independent Commission on the Voting System on its remit and other relevant matters; and [HL2711]Whether the fact that an appointment is needed to visit the office of the Independent Commission on the Voting System to make a general inquiry is compatible with their policies of openness, transparency and accountability. [HL2714]

Clive House, where the Independent Commission on the Voting System has its offices, is a government building and the level of security is set accordingly.In accordance with the practice in most government buildings, access is restricted. Members of the public are not permitted free access to all parts of the building. Members of the Independent Commission's secretariat are, however, available to receive submissions at Clive House during normal working hours.What literature the Independent Commission chooses to make available about its remit and activities is a matter for the commission itself.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How and when the Independent Commission on the Voting System invited submissions; and what individuals and organisations were approached; and [HL2712]Apart from the public meetings what attempts did the Independent Commission on the Voting System make to obtain the views of the public on questions of electoral reform. [HL2713]

I understand from the commission that advertisements inviting the submission of evidence were placed in The Times, Daily Telegraph, Guardian, Independent, Daily Mail, Daily Express, Sun, Mirror, Western Mail, Belfast Telegraph, Irish News, Belfast Newsletter, Scotsman and Glasgow Herald.The commission's web site provides details of the commission's address and telephone number.The Chairman of the Independent Commission invited written evidence in the course of a number of media interviews, including interviews on the "Today" programme and On the Record.The Independent Commission commissioned National Opinion Poll to undertake research in a series of focus groups.No individuals or groups were approached individually.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What members of the Independent Commission on the Voting System are or have been associated with the Constitution Unit or its financing arrangements in any way. [HL2715]

Two members of the Commission, Sir John Chilcot and Mr. David Lipsey, serve on the Constitution Unit's Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee is purely advisory and is not responsible for the Constitution Unit's financial arrangements.Prior to the 1997 general election, Baroness Gould of Potternewton served on the Commission on the Conduct of Referendums which was established jointly by the Constitution Unit and the Electoral Reform Society.The noble Lord, Lord Jenkins, was a trustee of the Pilgrim Trust, which made a grant of £15,000 to the Constitution Unit in 1995. Mr. David Lipsey is on leave of absence from his post as political editor of the

asked Her Majesty's Government:What considerations underlie the Baroness Jay of Paddington's statement on 8 June (H.L. Deb., col. 691) that "hospitals will be weighted for…catchment area" in the assessment of comparative death rates following surgery. [HL2633]

The clinical indicators which are to be published later in the year will include death rate information by both trust and health authority. This will enable a comparison of "like with like" catchment areas. From this it is possible to make more meaningful interpretation of death rate variations due to factors other than casemix and catchment area.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In how many instances the 199

Of the reports of Escherichia coli 0157 received to date by the Public Health Laboratory Service's Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre for the first 18 weeks of 1998, two incidents, involving three cases, have been associated through epidemiological and microbiological evidence with the consumption of specified food products. The specified foods were unpasteurised milk and cheese made from unpasteurised milk. The figures are provisional to date. The Department of Health's Food Incident Control Team was involved in dealing with the second incident, which concerned cheese originating from R. A. Duckett & Co. Ltd.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What criteria are in force to define the level of confidence required to determine that any food product is "safe" when it reaches the consumer. [HL2653]

The Food Safety Act 1990 Section 8(2) sets out the circumstances when food fails to comply with food safety requirements. These circumstances are as follows:

• the food has been rendered injurious to health by means of adding any article or substance to the food, using any article or substance as an ingredient in the preparation of the food, abstracting any constituent from the food, subjecting the food to any other process or treatment;
• it is unfit for human consumption;
• it is so contaminated (whether by extraneous matter or otherwise) that it would not be reasonable to expect it to be used for human consumption in that state.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Department of Health's decision not to screen for prostate cancer excludes selective screening even where research findings show that a particular group is at much higher risk of developing the condition. [HL2768]

Practitioners are free to test patients, including those who have evidence of a family history of prostate cancer. The key aim of any screening programme must be to secure a demonstrable improvement in health by increasing the length and quality of life. The National Screening Committee has advised that there is, as yet, no evidence that this would be achieved in relation to prostate cancer. The Government's policy, therefore, is to encourage early reporting and to ensure rapid referral of any patients with symptoms.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to Written Answer by the Baroness Jay of Paddington on 19 May (

Prostate cancer is common in older men and, while it can prove fatal, research suggests that many men with prostate cancer have no symptoms and die from other causes. Autopsy studies show that 30 per cent. of men over 59 who had no symptoms of prostate cancer while alive, have histological evidence of prostate cancer at the time of death. This percentage rises to over 50 per cent. in men over 80 years of age.Fluctuations in departmental spending stem from the cycle of commissioning (as projects and programmes start and finish) rather than any policy to change funding levels. Prostate cancer has been identified as a priority area for Health Technology Assessment. This represents a significant commitment to prostate cancer research. The Department is about to commission research investigating the feasibility of conducting a multi-centre randomised trial of treatments for localised prostate cancer. The study, which is to begin later this year, will cost about £200,000 over a 12 month period.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to Written Answer by the Baroness Jay of Paddington on 19 May (

A number of reviews are planned or are under way to consider the information needs at a national or local level to monitor the achievement of the cancer target within The New NHS, the proposed target within Our Healthier Nation and the provision of high quality cancer treatment and care. The measures set out in A First Class Service will strengthen our capacity to monitor and evaluate all aspects of care; providing information which can then be used to improve standards still further.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many people with haemophilia have been infected with hepatitis C by contaminated NHS blood products. [HL2805]

The Department of Health estimates that around 4,000 people with haemophilia were infected with hepatitis C through blood products prior to the introduction of viral inactivation processes in 1985.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many of the reviews currently being undertaken by the Department of Health will be published during the parliamentary summer Recess. [HL2789]

There are two reviews which may be published during the summer Recess.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have approved the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's Fourth Code of Practice. [HL2920]

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's revised Code of Practice has been approved and was laid before the House on 17 July. Copies of the code have been placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will announce their expenditure plans for transport programmes, in the light of the publication of the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review. [HL2922]

We are today announcing, in conjunction with the publication of our Integrated Transport White Paper, plans to revitalise local and public transport. An extra £1.8 billion of funds will be made available for local transport, bus services, road maintenance and railways.The table below shows my department's current plans to use the resources available for transport programmes.These plans will secure greatly increased investment in transport infrastructure, through both increases in public spending in areas identified as priorities in our Integrated Transport White Paper and through partnership with the private sector. They will allow local authorities to spend almost twice as much on their transport programmes in 2001–02 as they do now.Extra public spending on rail services will bring in substantial amounts of private investment and, by removing bottlenecks in the network, real improvements for passengers and freight in support of our objective of reducing car use.The plans involve:

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in line with their manifesto commitment to "greater protection of wildlife", they will introduce urgent legislation to improve the protection of key wildlife sites. [HL2818]

We are presently considering a number of means for improving the protection and management of Sites of Special Scientific Interest. There is likely to be consultation later this year. We are also examining what further measures are needed to strengthen wildlife protection. If legislation proves necessary we will look for a suitable opportunity.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many of the reviews currently being undertaken by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions will be published during the parliamentary summer Recess. [HL2782]

Of the reviews currently being undertaken by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, the result of only one is expected to be announced during the summer recess. This is the review of the Environmental Action Fund.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they still intend to honour their commitment to a 20 per cent. reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2010; and, if so, whether they will publish their plans with projected annual reductions and the assumptions that these projections are based on. [HL2721]

The Government retain their aim of reducing carbon dioxide emissions to 20 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2010. Our first priority must be to make sure that we achieve the legally binding target of a 12.5 per cent. reduction in greenhouse gas emissions which we agreed to in the EU following the United Nations' Kyoto climate change conference.This summer we will be consulting on policy options for meeting our legally binding target and moving beyond that towards our domestic aim. Later this year the Government intend to publish new energy projections on which our new climate change programme will be based.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many licensed taxis operating in London do not have passenger seat belts; and whether, to avoid further injuries, they will consider bringing forward from the year 2000 the requirement to fit passenger seat belts in all such vehicles. [HL2729]

According to the Public Carriage Office's records, of the 19,082 licensed taxis in London, 2,525 are not equipped with seat belts. Of these taxis without seat belts, 473 were manufactured before 1 April 1982, and are not legally required to have rear seat belt anchorages; the remainder were built between 1 April 1982 and 31 March 1987 and are not legally required to have rear seatbelts. This legal position is the same for taxis as for cars.There is no requirement that all licensed taxis in London shall have seatbelts by 1 January 2000; there is, however, a requirement that all London taxis shall be wheelchair accessible by that date. That means that London taxis which are not accessible will not have their licences renewed after the end of this year, since taxi licences last for a year. The effect of the accessibility requirement will be further to reduce the number of taxis without passenger seat belts.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether statistics on export licences issued and refused for the period 1 January to March 1997 have been placed in the Library of the House. [HL2892]

The statistics on export licences issued and refused for this period were placed in the Library of the House today.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why they refused to include in the Competition Bill an index of defined expressions (60 in number) as in the Government of Wales Bill, the Scotland Bill the School Standards and Framework Bill and the Data Protection Bill enabling the reader to ascertain instantly whether a particular word has a special meaning and where that meaning is to be found; and [HL 2733]Whether they consider that the inclusion in the Competition Bill of an index of defined expressions would or would not be user-friendly. [HL2734]

The Government recognise, as the examples quoted show, that an index of defined expressions is useful in some Acts. However whether this is so is a matter for judgment in respect of each Act. In respect of the Competition Bill advice was sought from Parliamentary Counsel. His view was that the nature and structure of the Competition Bill made an index unnecessary and unhelpful for users. The Government accepted this advice.