asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list the actions taken by government departments to secure payments by the European Commission to British firms, especially consultants, for work authorised by the European Commission and satisfactorily completed; and whether they have expressed concern at the present delays in payment. [HL3380]

The Government are committed to changing the payment culture that exists in the UK. We are working closely with the European Commission and other member states to ensure that small businesses are paid promptly both in domestic and European markets.The European Commission has since 1991 a target of paying all bills within 60 days. I understand that in order to improve its payment performance the European Commission decided on 10 June 1997 to pay interest on all payments which are made after more than 60 days. This is in line with the proposed directive issued by the Commission to combat late payment in cross border transactions.In addition, the Small Firms Minister, Barbara Roche, has a standing offer to follow up individual cases of late payment to small businesses by the public sector including the European Commission. She would be pleased to receive details of appropriate cases which are not in dispute or the subject of legal proceedings.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are satisfied with the state of the road surface between junctions 4 and 5 of the M.1 motorway, and if not, what penalties have been imposed on the contractors responsible and what proposals they have to improve the situation. [HL3419]

As this is an operational matter, I have asked Lawrie Haynes, the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, to write to the noble Lord.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What instructions or guidance have been given to local authorities to implement the statements in the Integrated Transport White Paper on giving pedestrians and cyclists equal weight compared with motor traffic. [HL3404]

Current Transport Policy and Programme guidance to local authorities states that they should properly plan and provide for walking and cycling. The issue will be addressed in forthcoming guidance, now in preparation, on the production of the new local transport plans in England and Wales, and local transport strategies in Scotland. This guidance will emphasise that authorities should give higher priority than in the past to the needs of pedestrians and cyclists in the development of their local transport plans and strategies. They will be expected to demonstrate in their documents that they have a coherent strategy for encouraging walking and cycling.Local authorities will be expected to use the frameworks for action provided by the National Cycling Strategy and the forthcoming Walking Strategy document, to help inform their decision making and financial planning processes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which of the seven locations currently being considered will provide accommodation for the Greater London Authority. [HL3526]

Following a detailed assessment of the initial proposals for our seven short-listed buildings and sites, we have selected two first-class options to study further. These are:

• London Bridge City, SE1—a new building to be constructed on the site between Tower Bridge and London Bridge on the South Bank of the River Thames; and
• Victoria House in Bloomsbury Square, WC1—a major refurbishment of an existing building first constructed in the 1920s.

There was keen competition among all the short-listed teams to produce high quality ideas for housing the Mayor and Assembly in London. The architects associated with the two chosen projects—Will Alsop of Alsop and Stormer for Victoria House and Sir Norman Foster of Foster Associates for London Bridge City—are leading British architects with international reputations for innovation and excellence. We are confident that, with the teams associated with these two options, we will be able to ensure that the proposed new Greater London Authority is housed in a landmark building worthy of its status and one of which Londoners can be proud.We would like to thank all those Londoners who took the time to visit the exhibition at Oxo Tower Wharf, where the ideas for the seven short-listed locations were on display. Nearly 1,000 people called in and the views expressed were carefully considered before coming to a decision. In fact the two options I have chosen to take forward were the people's choice as well. Other factors such as finance, design, location and technical feasibility were also taken into account.The next step will be to work with the teams from the two selected options and with our expert advisers to explore the ideas in greater detail and see how well they will meet the needs of the new Greater London Authority. We also want these buildings to contribute to their local area and intend to work closely with the local authorities to ensure that this happens. We expect to announce a final decision in the New Year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How the criteria announced by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 28 July 1997 (H.L. Deb., cols. 26–29) are used to assess applications for a licence to export arms or goods subject to control for strategic reasons, for the purposes of demonstration, trial, testing or evaluation. [HL3501]

Licence applications to export goods and technology controlled under Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994 (the "Military List"), or dual use goods when there are grounds for believing that the end-user of such goods will be the armed forces or internal security forces of the recipient country, are examined on a case-by-case basis against the published defence exports criteria and the EU Code of Conduct.When the application is for demonstration, trial, testing or evaluation purposes, attention is paid to the level of control exercised by the exporter and whether the export will be temporary, in arriving at a judgment as to whether the equipment might be used for internal repression, international aggression, diverted to an undesirable end-user or otherwise contravene the criteria.If a decision is taken to issue such a licence, that in no way fetters our discretion in considering future applications for the export of equipment of the type demonstrated or evaluated. Such applications will be treated on their merits against the prevailing circumstances at that time.In some cases, licensees will be informed that, on the information available at that time, a licence would not normally be granted for the permanent export of the same or a greater quantity of the goods concerned to the same end-user, irrespective of the purpose of the intended export.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their policy on licensing arms exports to Slovenia. [HL3505]

The Government, along with EU partners, have decided, taking into account the well-entrenched democracy in Slovenia and her stable political and economic structures, to remove Slovenia from the EU Common Position on arms exports to the former Yugoslavia. Applications for licences to export military equipment will be considered on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the criteria announced by the Foreign Secretary on 28 July 1997 (HC Official Report, cols. 26–29), and the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their policy on the deployment of young people under the age of 17 years in the Naval Service. [HL3527]

Following a review of the policy on deployment of young people into operational service in Royal Navy vessels and Royal Marine units we have decided that, with immediate effect, Naval Service personnel will not be so deployed below the age of 17. Recruitment and training at age 16 will, however, continue. This change brings the Naval Service into line with practice in the Army and RAF.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many American computer companies have contracts with departments of state; with which departments; and what is the value of these contracts both by department and globally. [HL3410]

The Government's policy on the procurement of IT goods and services, as with all government purchasing, is to obtain the best value for money. Information on contracts placed with American companies is not held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in preparing to reform the common agricultural policy, they have commissioned any studies of the effect on the New Zealand rural economy of the withdrawal of all agricultural subsidies; if not, why not; and if so, whether they propose to publish the results. [HL3337]

The Government are well aware of the substantial reforms which have been achieved in New Zealand's agricultural policy. A number of studies of the New

Application number	Species	NL applicant	Estimated date of proposed NL decision(*)
45/798	Sugar Beet	Kleinwanzlebener Saatzucht AG., Germany	April 2000
45/822	Sugar Beet	Novartis Seeds AB., Sweden	April 2000
45/813	Sugar Beet	Danisco Seeds, UK	April 2000
45/774	Sugar Beet	Hilleshog AB., Sweden	April 1999
45/749	Sugar Beet	Kleinwanzlebener Saatzucht AG., Germany	April 1999
51/833	Maize	Van Der Have, Netherlands	February 2000
35/959	Spring Oilseed Rape	Plant Genetic Systems, Belgium	Late 1998/Early 1999
35/960	Spring Oilseed Rape	Plant Genetic Systems, Belgium	Late 1998/Early 1999
35/1016	Winter Oilseed Rape	Deutsche Saatveredelung GmbH., Germany	Spring 1999
35/1174	Winter Oilseed Rape	Plant Genetic Systems, Belgium	November 1999
35/1175	Winter Oilseed Rape	Plant Genetic Systems, Belgium	November 1999
35/1184	Winter Oilseed Rape	Monsanto Crop Protection, UK	November 1999
35/1185	Winter Oilseed Rape	Monsanto Crop Protection, UK	November 1999
35/1205	Spring Oilseed Rape	Calgene Inc., USA	November 1999
35/1206	Spring Oilseed Rape	Calgene Inc., USA	November 1999
35/1210	Spring Oilseed Rape	Plant Genetic Systems, Belgium	November 1999
35/1211	Spring Oilseed Rape	Plant Genetic Systems, Belgium	November 1999
35/1222	Spring Oilseed Rape	Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., USA	November 1999
35/1316	Winter Oilseed Rape	Plant Genetic Systems, Belgium	November 2000
35/1318	Winter Oilseed Rape	Plant Genetic Systems, Belgium	November 2000
(*) It is not the practice to publish national list proposals until the marketing consents required under Directive 90/220/EEC have been promulgated by the Competent Authority.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the corresponding genetically modified release consents in respect of each of the national

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether applications for national seed listing for genetically modified varieties will be proceeded with in the absence of a marketing consent for such modified varieties. [HL3392]

National list tests and trials cannot take place until a consent to release has been obtained under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations 1992 (as amended in 1995 and 1997) and they must comply with any conditions imposed in such release consents. It is not necessary to have a marketing consent for national list tests and trials to proceed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they expect to make a decision in respect of each application for national seed listing of genetically modified varieties. [HL3393]

The information requested is as follows:seed list applications received, indicating the application and consent number and dates; and, if different from the national list applications, the applicant's name. [HL3394]

The information requested is as follows:

Application Number	Species	Date of NL Application	NL Applicant	DETR Release Consent Reference (and holder if different from NL applicant) and date granted
45/798	Sugar Beet	31/12/97	Kleinwanzlebe ner Saatzucht AG., Germany	97/R19/13 (AGREVO)—Application 20/1/97 Granted—17/3/97
45/822	Sugar Beet	14/1/98	Novartis Seeds AB., Sweden	96/R21/4—Application 24/12/96 Granted—25/2/97
45/813	Sugar Beet	14/1/98	Danisco Seeds, UK	96/R21/4 (NOVARTIS)—Application 24/12/96 Granted—5/2/97
45/774	Sugar Beet	15/1/97	Hilleshog AB., Sweden	96/R21/4 (NOVARTIS)—Application 24/12/96 Granted—5/2/97
45/749	Sugar Beet	7/1/97	Kleinwanzlebe ner Saatzucht AG., Germany	97/R19/13 (AGREVO)—Application 20/1/97 Granted—17/3/97
51/833	Maize	16/1/98	Van Der Have, Netherlands	96/R13/6 (SHARPES)—Application 23/2/96 Granted—2/4/96
35/959	Spring Oilseed Rape	14/12/95	Plant Genetic Systems, Belgium	95/R15/15—Application 20/11/95 Granted—3/1/96
35/960	Spring Oilseed Rape	14/12/95	Plant Genetic Systems, Belgium	95/R15/15—Application 20/11/95 Granted—3/1/96
35/1016	Winter Oilseed Rape	13/8/96	Deutsche Saatveredelung GmbH., Germany	96/R27/1 (PERRYFIELDS)—Application 19/6/96 Granted—6/8/96
35/1174	Winter Oilseed Rape	28/8/97	Plant Genetic Systems, Belgium	97/R15/20—Application 9/6/97 Granted—1/8/97
35/1175	Winter Oilseed Rape	28/8/97	Plant Genetic Systems, Belgium	97/R15/20—Application 9/6/97 Granted—1/8/97
35/1184	Winter Oilseed Rape	11/8/97	Monsanto Crop Protection, UK	96/R22/6—Application 20/6/96 Granted—6/8/96
35/1185	Winter Oilseed Rape	11/8/97	Monsanto Crop Protection, UK	96/R22/6—Application 20/6/96 Granted—6/8/96
35/1205	Spring Oilseed Rape	12/12/97	Calgene Inc., USA	97/R28/2 (KINGS)—Application 21/10/97 Granted—19/3/98
35/1206	Spring Oilseed Rape	12/12/97	Calgene Inc., USA	97/R28/2 (KINGS)—Application 21/10/97 Granted—19/3/98
35/1210	Spring Oilseed Rape	12/1/98	Plant Genetic Systems, Belgium	97/R15/23—Application 8/12/97 Granted—19/3/98
35/1211	Spring Oilseed Rape	12/1/98	Plant Genetic Systems, Belgium	97/R15/23—Application 8/12/97 Granted—19/3/98
35/1222	Spring Oilseed Rape	16/12/97	Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., USA	97/R24/2—Application 5/1/98 Granted—1/4/98
35/1316	Winter Oilseed Rape	11/8/98	Plant Genetic Systems, Belgium	98/R15/24—Application 16/2/98 Granted—10/7/98
35/1318	Winter Oilseed Rape	11/8/98	Plant Genetic Systems, Belgium	98/R15/24—Application 16/2/98 Granted—10/7/98

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list, in respect of any tests and trails which are being of have been conducted in respect of each of the national seed list application,

Application number	Species	Earliest sowing dates of DUS tests and VCU trials	Responsible organisation for tests and trials
45/798	Sugar Beet	17/3/98	NIAB-DUS NIAB and BSBSPA-VCU
45/822	Sugar Beet	17/3/98	NIAB-DUS NIAB and BSBSPA-VCU
45/813	Sugar Beet	17/3/98	NIAB-DUS NIAB and BSBSPA-VCU
45/774	Sugar Beet	17/3/97	NIAB-DUS NIAB and BSBSPA-VCU
45/749	Sugar Beet	17/3/97	NIAB-DUS NIAB and BSBSPA-VCU
51/833	Maize	3/5/98	DUS Tested by French Authorities NIAB and BSPB-VCU
35/959	Spring Oilseed Rape	27/3/96	NIAB-DUS NIAB and SAC-VCU(*)
35/960	Spring Oilseed Rape	27/3/96	NIAB-DUS NIAB and SAC-VCU(*)
35/1016	Winter Oilseed Rape	26/8/96	NIAB-DUS NIAB and BSPB-VCU
35/1174	Winter Oilseed Rape	29/8/97	NIAB-DUS NIAB and BSPB-VCU
35/1175	Winter Oilseed Rape	29/8/97	NIAB-DUS NIAB and BSPB-VCU
35/1184	Winter Oilseed Rape	29/8/97	NIAB-DUS NIAB and BSPB-VCU
35/1185	Winter Oilseed Rape	29/8/97	NIAB-DUS NIAB and BSPB-VCU
35/1205	Spring Oilseed Rape	24/3/98	NIAB-DUS NIAB and SAC-VCU
35/1206	Spring Oilseed Rape	24/3/98	NIAB-DUS NIAB and SAC-VCU
35/1210	Spring Oilseed Rape	24/3/98	NIAB-DUS NIAB and SAC-VCU
35/1211	Spring Oilseed Rape	24/3/98	NIAB-DUS NIAB and SAC-VCU

The information requested is as follows.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have received an application for the use of glufosinate ammonium on genetically engineered crop varieties as a broad spectrum herbicide on the growing crop; and, if so, which company made the application and for which crop varieties; and when the decision will be announced. [HL3396]

To date the Ministry's Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) has received seven applications for approval for the use of glufosinate ammonium on genetically engineered crops. For commercial confidentiality reasons, details of any application for the approval of a pesticide are not made publicly available. However, in line with PSD's normal procedures, should an approval be given for such a use, details of it will be published in the Stationery Office publication The Pesticides Register.