To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reviews of British shipbuilding capabilities and capacity he is conducting; and if he will make a statement. [128770]

This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what his Department's plans are for the incremental acquisition of new equipment on to the Nimrod MRA4; and if he will make a statement; [128711](2) how the Active Search Sonobuoy System will be capable of discriminating real submarine targets from false acoustic alarms; and if he will make a statement; [128709](3) how long the procurement of the Active Search Sonobuoy System will take; and if he will make a statement. [128710]

This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personal weapons, and of which types, have been procured in each of the past five years; and how many are planned to be procured in the next five years. [128772]

This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the work for his Department being undertaken at the BNFL magnox facility at Berkeley Centre in Gloucestershire. [130418]

The work undertaken for the Department by BNFL Magnox, Berkeley Centre, has been very successful, but it did not commence until June 1999 and has taken longer than anticipated because of problems developing the experimental apparatus.

Performance indicator	Target (percentage)
Key target 1—Peacetime manning	92.75
The percentage of available trained personnel either filling established posts or on diversions for which there is an approved Manning and Training Margin
Key target 2—War, crisis and MOD authorised unestablished commitments	≥98
The percentage manning level of war, crisis and MOD authorised unestablished tasks
Key target 3—Career management	80
The percentage of PMA's customers who are either satisfied or not dissatisfied with the service provided by the PMA
Key target 4—Manpower planning	No greater than ±1
Percentage variation between actual trained strength and the authorised trained strength taken as an average over the financial year
Key target 5—Finance, efficiency and business practice	Cash allocation not exceeded
Containment of operating costs within resources allocated

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what Key Targets have been set for the RAF Training Group Defence Agency for the financial year 2000–01. [130367]

Key Targets set for the Chief Executive of the Training Group Defence Agency for the Financial Year 2000–01 are set out as follows.

Key Target 1—training output
The number of RAF trainees who graduate	Target
KT1a—quantity of output (ab initio flying training)
Fast Jet Pilots	59
Multi-Engine Pilots	56
Rotary Wing Pilots	33
Fast Jet Navigators	28
Multi-Engine Navigators	8
Rotary Wing Navigators	10
Airman Aircrew	97
KT1b—quantity of output (ab initio ground training)
Officer Initial Specialist Training	265
RAF Tradesman Training	2,014
RAF Regiment Induction	272

Key Target 2—training places
The number of training course places provided	Target
KT2a—training places (flying)
Flying Training1	824
Flying Training2	83

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what key targets have been set for the RAF Personnel Management Agency for the Financial Year 2000–01. [130366]

Key Targets set for the RAF Personnel Management Agency for the Financial Year 2000–01 are set out in the table.

Key Target 2—training places
The number of training course places provided	Target
Key Target 2b—training places (ground)
RAF Pre-Employment and Career Development Training	31,607
1RN, Army Central Flying School RAF Refresher
2Foreign and Commonwealth courses

Key Target 3—quality of output
KT3—quality of output	Target
Satisfaction with the quality of graduate trainees as measured by the Agency's customer satisfaction matrix	Satisfactory Rating

Key Target 4—cost management
KT4—cost management	Target
Output based management	Deliver restricted Prototype of a Financial Management and Accounting system

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to acquire a future naval airborne early warning capability; and if he will make a statement. [129228]

We plan to acquire a Future Organic Airborne Early Warning (FOAEW) system to replace the capability currently provided by Sea King airborne early warning helicopters. FOAEW will operate from the Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF) and complement the deployment of the Future Carrier Borne Aircraft (FCBA). It will mount powerful radar systems to provide wide sensor coverage against both air and surface threats, and command and control for operations by the carrier air group. Expressions of interest for participation in the programme were sought from industry in February 2000. The planned in-service date for FOAEW is 2012.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Sea King airborne early warning variants are in service; how old they are; and how many are operationally available. [129229]

There are 13 Sea King Airborne Early Warning helicopters in service. Of these, nine are operationally available, with the remainder undergoing major maintenance programmes and a capability upgrade. Ten of the airframes were first delivered to the Royal Navy between 1969 and 1971 and converted to the Airborne Early Warning variant between 1982 and 1987. The other three airframes first entered Service as in between 1985 and 1986, being converted during 1997 and 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to withdraw the (a) Sea King airborne early warning and (b) Type 22 Batch II frigates from service. [129230]

There are currently no plans to withdraw the Sea King Airborne Early Warning (Mk 2/7) aircraft from service.Plans for the withdrawal from service of the Type 22 Batch 2 frigates currently in service are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of the Type 23 Frigates are due for refit in the next 12 months. [129231]

One Type 23 Frigate, HMS Iron Duke, is due to start refit at Rosyth Royal Dockyard in spring 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the Royal Air Force's total inventory of Tornado F3s; and how many are operationally available; [128708](2) what is the Royal Air Force's total inventory of

The information requested is detailed in the table:

Aircraft type	Total RAF inventory	Operating fleet1	Sustainment fleet2	Aircraft in storage
Tornado F3	3138	85	29	—
Tornado GR1	110	73	436	1
Tornado GR4	64	52	512	—
Jaguar GR1/GR3/GR3A	698	38	7	12
Harrier GR7	75	52	723	—
Nimrod MR2	822	18	4	—
1Aircraft available to operational commanders
2Aircraft needed to sustain operations through major maintenance and upgrades
324 Tornado F3 currently not required by the RAF are on loan to the Italian Air Force
420 of these GR1 currently in conversion to GR4
5Three of these GR4 aircraft are on loan to DERA for trials
641 Jaguar GR1 are used as Ground Instructional Aircraft and are not available to fly
7Four of these Harrier GR7 are on loan to DERA for trials
8The Nimrod MR2s will be replaced by 21 Nimrod MRA4. Six airframes are currently in conversion to MRA4

The degree of operational urgency and availability of resources would dictate the time it would take to restore Tornado and Jaguar airframes in storage to front-line duties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of military assistance to Belize was in each year since 1992. [129078]

The cost of military assistance provided by the Ministry of Defence to Belize has been as follows:

Financial Year	£000
1992–93	542
1993–94	793
1994–95	806
1995–96	835
1996–97	502
1997–98	272
1998–99	213
1999–2000	275

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the Successor SIFF programme, indicating when a final decision will be made. [129388]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 4 July 2000, Official Report column 127W, by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Armed Forces.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Polish contractors were invited to bid for work on a support centre at RAF Mildenhall; and what reasons underlay the decision to include these contractors in the bidding process. [129403]

[holding answer 6 July 2000]: Two Polish contractors, Exbud Joint Stock Company and Mostostal Zabrze Holding, were invited to tender for the contract to provide an Operations Support Centre at RAF Mildenhall.The reasons for including these firms in the bidding process stem from Poland's membership of NATO.The Support Centre at RAF Mildenhall has been identified as being eligible for NATO funding under NATO's Security Investment Programme (NSIP). The contract for this work has been opened to International Competitive Bidding (ICB).Under ICB arrangements, firms nominated by NATO member nations that contribute to the NSIP funding must be invited to tender for the work.The two firms in question were nominated by the Polish Embassy in London and invited to bid.During the tender period both Exbud and Mostostal Zabrze declined to tender.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost to the Meteorological Office of the recruitment campaign undertaken in late 1999 and January seeking extra observers, including the cost of press advertisements. [129453]

This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Meteorological Office. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. and learned Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the location and operational status is of each of the Royal Navy's (a) Trafalgar Class and (b) Swiftsure Class submarines. [129858]

(a) Of the Royal Navy's seven Trafalgar Class submarines, three are operationally available and four are in refit, extended maintenance or repair.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the proportion of cluster munitions dropped by the RAF in Kosovo that failed to explode. [129934]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Leyton and Wanstead (Mr. Cohen) on 24 January 2000, Official Report, column 59W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what money has been allocated to the clearance of unexploded ordnance, with particular reference to cluster munitions dropped by the RAF in Kosovo. [129936]

While British forces continue to play a part—particularly in the clearance of unexploded ordnance—clear-up and reconstruction after a conflict are matters for civil agencies within the international community rather than specifically for the Ministry of Defence.The Department for International Development provided more than £7 million during the 1999–2000 financial year for the clearance of mines and unexploded ordnance in Kosovo. So far, a further £6.6 million has been committed in the current financial year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Army reservists in total have served in Kosovo, Macedonia and Albania since the beginning of the conflict there last year. [129935]

Since December 1998, we have mobilised 555 members of the Territorial Army and 253 Regular Reservists for service in Kosovo, Macedonia and Albania, making a total of 808 reservists.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the benefits of (a) Trooping the Colour and (b) Beating the Retreat in formulating his policy on each ceremony. [128808]

[holding answer 3 July 2000]: The Trooping of the Colour is a birthday parade laid on by the Household Division for Her Majesty the Queen as their Sovereign and Colonel in Chief. Beating the Retreat raises funds for service charities. Both events are a traditional display of pageantry and the excellent skills of our service personnel and increase the standing and esteem of the armed forces in the eyes of the public.These are important factors in our current planning for armed forces events to be held in London annually from 2001 onwards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 26 June 2000, Official Report, column 408W, on departmental vehicles, if he will list the number of (a) cars and (b) commercial vehicles by make and model. [129075]

I have arranged for a list showing the number of vehicles by make to be placed in the Library of the House. A further breakdown of the 23,000 vehicles by model could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reasons have been given by Heckler and Koch for the SA80 refit to be carried out in Germany. [129665]

[holding answer 7 July 2000]: Royal Ordnance submitted a bid to the Ministry of Defence on the basis that the bulk of the modification programme should be carried out at Heckler and Koch's Obendorf facility where the original modifications were designed and implemented. The company has indicated that to carry out the modification work elsewhere would require it to invest in the acquisition of new specialist tooling equipment and the transfer of technical expertise from Obendorf, and maintains that conducting the modification work there represents the lowest risk to the timescale and cost of the programme. Equally, early indications are that work on stripping and refurbishment of weapons prior to modification could most sensibly be done in the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current timescale is for phasing out the use of the General Purpose Machine Gun. [129667]

[holding answer 7 July 2000]: The General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) in the Light Role is due to be withdrawn from service in 2015; those variants that are mounted onto vehicles or helicopters will be withdrawn in line with the relevant out of service date for the platform.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the facilities (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) elsewhere which (i)manufacture the general purpose machine gun barrel and (ii) are capable of manufacturing the general purpose machine gun barrel. [129668]

[holding answer 7 July 2000]: In the UK, the Nottingham Small Arms Factory, which trades as H&K UK Ltd. located within RO Nottingham, is capable of manufacturing the general purpose machine gun (GPMG) barrel. Elsewhere, the Heckler and Koch (H&K) facility at Oberndorf, Germany and the Fabrique Nationale (FN) facility at Herstal, Belgium also have the capability to manufacture the GPMG barrel.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many general purpose machine guns (a) are in service and (b) were received into service in each of the last five years. [129666]

[holding answer 7 July 2000]: There are currently some 11,300 general purpose machine guns (GPMG) in service. No purchases of the GPMG have been made in any of the last five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what facilities in the United Kingdom are capable of high volume production of small arms at short notice; and of these, which have test and range facilities. [129664]

[holding answer 7 July 2000]: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in relation to the 1994 Chinook crash, (1) what assessment he has made of the state of health of Flight Lieutenant Tapper (a) five minutes, (b) four minutes, (c) three minutes, (d) two minutes and (e) one minute before the crash; [129288](2) what assessment he has made of the state of health of Flight Lieutenant Cook

The RAF Board of Inquiry determined that Flight Lieutenants Tapper and Cook were free from emotional stress, and were well rested and physically fit prior to commencing duty on 2 June 1994. A complete medical examination of their bodies was carried out after the crash by a team headed by a consultant forensic pathologist. This showed that both were in good health and had taken neither alcohol nor drugs. Nothing was found to suggest that an explosion or any noxious agent played any part in the accident. The Board of Inquiry concluded that the mental and physical state of Flight Lieutenants Tapper and Cook was most unlikely to have been a factor in the accident.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what advice to local education authorities and to schools his Department has given on the use of the organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos in proprietary products. [129992]

[holding answer 10 July 2000]: Proprietary insecticides whose active ingredient is Chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate, continue to be available for use within schools and in school grounds. However, the HSE/DETR, MAFF and the Advisory Committee on Pesticides are currently looking at the implications for the use of these products in the UK, following the recent American restrictions on their use.The precautionary procedures for dealing with risks from pesticides do not depend on special instructions being issued to schools. They rely on: approved uses for products; instructions for use, on the product and the packaging; and the design of suitable containers for the products.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many 16 and 17-year-old parents (a) have taken and (b) are taking part in the education maintenance allowance pilots following the publication of the Social Exclusion Unit report, "Teenage Pregnancy", in June 1999. [129254]

[holding answer 10 July 2000]: This information is not available at the present time. There is no special treatment of teenage parents in the main EMA pilots, but the evaluation should provide an indication of the numbers involved and will provide an assessment of any factors which are particularly relevant to teenage parents. The first results from this evaluation should be available towards the end of this year. Also, from September, two of the 15 original EMA pilot areas (Stoke-on-Trent and Cornwall) will test out additional flexibilities intended to help teenage parents participate in education, while still maintaining the 'something for something' principle.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment with what frequency residential care homes are subject to Ofsted inspections; and what the Chief Inspector's assessment is of the educational standards of residential care establishments. [129771]

Ofsted inspects and reports upon residential independent schools catering for pupils with special educational needs, which are registered as schools and children's homes, at least once in a six-year period. At the request of the Social Services Inspectorate, Ofsted participates in inspections of Secure Units, which take place at intervals of approximately three years. Ofsted does not inspect the education provided in other types of residential care establishments for young people. HM Chief Inspector's annual report for 1998–99 contains sections about residential special schools (page 59) and the education of young people in secure accommodation (pages 64–65).

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what guidance he issues to schools regarding the use of Ritalin; [129957](2) what recent representations he has received on the use of Ritalin. [129958]

My Department and the Department of Health have jointly issued a good practice guide, "Supporting Pupils with Medical Needs", which includes general advice for schools on dealing with medicines safely. It also provides guidance on drawing up individual health care plans for pupils with medical needs, which could include the use of Ritalin if appropriate. My Department has not issued other specific guidance to schools on the use of Ritalin, and we have not received any representations recently on this issue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what recent steps he has taken to improve standards in inner-city schools. [129439]

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 3 July 2000, Official Report, columns 75–76W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans the Women's Unit has to commission research into the effect of bladder problems on the quality of life of women affected by the condition. [129125]

[holding answer 6 July 2000]: The Women's Unit has no plans to commission research into the effect of bladder problems on the quality of life of women affected by the condition.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what evidence he has received concerning the number of women over the age of 35 who experience bladder problems; and if he will make a statement. [129124]

[holding answer 6 July 2000]: I have not, in my capacity as Minister responsible for Women, received any evidence concerning the number of women over the age of 35 who experience bladder problems. However, the Department of Health statistics show that 68,410 women aged 35 and over with bladder problems were admitted to NHS hospitals in England during the period 1998–99.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which parliamentary constituencies fall within which local education authorities. [129459]

The information requested is shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the drop-out rate was for students on courses of further education in the most recent academic year for which figures are available. [129704]

Published figures are in terms of the median college in-year retention rate, which in 1997–98 was 87 per cent. for full-time students and 84 per cent. for part-time students.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how he will ensure that education authorities which have a below average Standard Spending Assessment per pupil are able to take full advantage of the money offered through the Standards Fund. [129696]

For 2000–01, local education authorities have now accepted over 98 per cent. of the allocations offered to them through the Standards Fund. Most authorities accepted their allocations in full, including authorities that have below average standard spending assessments per pupil. The requirement for authorities to contribute to the Standards Fund was allowed for in the 5.4 per cent. increase in education Standard Spending Assessment. In addition, schools have received a share of the £290 million funding increase announced in the budget to further drive up standards, and benefit from their share of the £50 million extra in grant for general support of school budgets announced in November. Since 1997, spending per pupil has increased £300 in real terms.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what monitoring is undertaken of Private Finance Initiative contracts for (a) schools, (b) further education colleges and (c) higher education institutions; and if he will make a statement. [129203]

Responsibility for monitoring PH projects lies with the relevant procuring body. For schools, monitoring is the responsibility of local education authorities or other procuring bodies. The Department informs the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions about services and payments arising from new projects, so that the overall level of revenue commitments can be monitored.The Further Education Funding Council supports colleges in developing projects and monitors educational achievement, financial returns and the efficient use of property. The Higher Education Funding Council for England monitors progress by requiring higher education institutions to submit progress reports on PFI contracts as part of their annual financial forecasts.The Department works closely with LEAs and the Funding Councils to ensure that procedures are in place to monitor progress and value for money effectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when the hon. Member for Broxbourne will receive a reply to her letters to him of 14 April, 11 May, 8 June and 6 July, relating to her constituent, the Secretary of the East Hertfordshire Branch of the National Union of Teachers. [130117]

A reply will be issued today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many home-domiciled applicants aged under 21 there were to (a) full-time and (b) sandwich undergraduate courses in each of the last three years; and how many acceptances there were onto such courses, indicating (i)the proportion of the age group in each socio-economic group this represents and (ii) the proportion of acceptances that were (A)to former polytechnics and (B)accepted in an institution in the locality of the applicant's home address. [127724]

The available information is shown in the table.

Applicants and acceptances to full-time and sandwich undergraduate courses in the UK via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)
Home domiciled students aged under 21
	1997	1998	1999
Applicants	300,926	303,729	306,809
Acceptances	237,519	239,663	245,626
Percentage of acceptances to former polytechnics	35.2	35.5	35.1
Percentage of acceptances to institutions in the applicant's home region1	42.2	42.3	43.5
Participation rates by social class2
Non-manual household head4	48	45	345–46
Manual household head5	18	17	317–18
1Based on Standard Statistical Regions in 1997 and Government office Regions in 1998 and 1999. Data at a more disaggregated geographical level are not available centrally.
2Derived from the number of initial entrants to full-time undergraduate courses and population data from the 1991 census.
3Provisional estimates.
4Social Classes, I, II, IIIN (Professional, Intermediate, Skilled non-manual).
5Classes IIIM, IV, V (Skilled manual, Partly skilled, Unskilled).

The social class mix of the underlying population is taken directly from the 1991 Census. Over time this approach becomes less reliable, particularly at a disagreggated level and the social class groupings have therefore been aggregated.Over the period shown, participation rates of young people by social class have fluctuated in line with overall participation. These overall trends in part reflect a large increase in the size of the age-group and the decision by some students to pull forward their year of entry to higher education from 1998 to 1997 in advance of the introduction of fees. Over the same period the proportion of young students who come from the lower social classes (HIM, IV, V) has remained constant at around 27 per cent. and the proportion who come from the higher social classes (I, II, IIIN) has remained at around 73 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health which (a) NHS trusts and (b) health authorities fall within which parliamentary constituencies. [129460]

A copy of the information available has been placed in the Library. The information refers only to England and does not contain a direct mapping of constituency to trust, only health authority to trust and health authority to constituency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many press releases his Department has issued in the first six months of the present year. [130188]

The Department has issued 395 press releases in the first six months of the present year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what arrangements will be made to support students (a) financially and (b) otherwise in obtaining a professionally recognised osteopathy qualification who are currently students at the John Wernham College of Classical Osteopathy; [130017](2) how many students will be affected by the decision of the General Osteopathic Council to refuse accreditation to

I have had no discussions with the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) on these matters. Under the Osteopaths Act 1993, the GOsC may formally recognise osteopathic qualifications for the purposes of statutory registration with the approval of the Privy Council. However, the Act does not require the GOsC to seek the approval of the Privy Council for any decision it makes not to recognise a qualification. I understand that the John Wernham College of Classical Osteopathy has been given leave to apply for a judicial review of GOsC's decision in its case.The Department has been informed that some 75 students at the John Wernham College are likely to be affected by the GOsC's decision not to recognise its qualification. The college, and its validating body the North East Surrey College of Technology, are responsible for advising and assisting those students. The GOsC has no statutory duty to assist students in these circumstances but has requested that all schools of osteopathy applying to have their qualifications recognised prepare a contingency plan in the event that their applications are unsuccessful. It is now trying to assist the John Wernham College to activate its contingency plan.

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what percentage of lightbulbs used in the House are low energy. [129379]

Some 75 per cent. of lightbulbs on the parliamentary estate are of the low energy type. More light fittings will be adapted for low energy lightbulbs during the Summer Adjournment as part of a continuing exercise.

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee in what location in the House waste paper for recycling is sorted from other waste. [129383]

Under the present waste disposal contract, Vote Office waste paper is recycled and other waste paper is incinerated to generate electricity for the national grid; competitive tendering showed that it would cost an additional £250,000 to separate more waste paper for recycling. The Accommodation and Works Committee has, however, resolved that the issue should be considered again when the contracts are next retendered.

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what plans there are to introduce facilities for the recycling of (a) plastics, (b) aluminium and steel and (c) glass in the House. [129377]

The House has a contract with London Waste Ltd. for waste disposal. As part of the disposal process, the company recovers ferrous and non-ferrous metals for recycling; glass is also recycled separately. General kitchen waste and packaging are incinerated, generating electricity for the national grid.

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what percentage of electricity used in the House is supplied from renewable sources. [129378]

At present none of the energy used in the House is from renewable sources. Power for the House is purchased in the competitive market on the basis of lowest price, and energy from renewable sources has proved more expensive in the past. It is the intention to obtain prices for renewable energy as part of the exercise to renew contracts for electricity supplies later this year.

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee how many annunciators there are in the House. [129380]

There are 900 annunciators in the Palace of Westminster, and 1,718 on the Parliamentary estate as a whole.

To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee (1) what was the volume of paper provided by the House in each of the last three years; [129381](2) what percentage of paper provided by the House in the last 12 months was made from recycled paper. [129382]

This is a matter for the Serjeant at Arms; I have asked him to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee what percentage of food and drink served in the House is organic. [129376]

The House of Commons Refreshment Department does not compile any statistics on the quantity of organic food and drink purchased or sold through its catering operations. The Department is a member of the Soil Association and recognises the significant demand for organic produce. Last year the Department introduced, on a trial basis, an organic menu in the Members' Dining Room. While indisputably popular with its customers, the menu was reluctantly discontinued as a consequence of the inconsistent availability and quality of supply, and the high cost of such produce. The Department now pursues a policy of purchasing organic produce or ingredients wherever consistent availability and quality can be guaranteed by suppliers, and where it is judged that the price to be passed on to the Department's customers is affordable.

To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what (a) measures and (b) targets have been established relating to the use by the House of Commons' of resources and the Government's targets for environmental performance. [129317]

The Parliamentary Works Directorate is preparing to operate an environmental management system under ISO 14001. Using the Property Advisers to the Civil Estate (PACE) methodology, which was recently promulgated, measurements are being made of the percentage of our total office waste which is recovered. Targets for improvement are then to be set. Energy usage is closely monitored and significant savings will be achieved when Portcullis House is occupied and other buildings are vacated.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of correctly presented bills were paid by her Department in (a) 1998–99 and (b) 1999–2000 within 30 days of receipt of (i)goods and services, (ii) a valid invoice and (iii) other agreed payment terms. [130037]

In line with Treasury guidance my Department's standard payment terms commit us to paying bills within 30 days of receipt of the goods or services or the presentation of a valid invoice, whichever is the later. The percentage of invoices settled within the 30 day period during the last financial year was 96.8 per cent. The comparable figure for 1998–99 was 96.3 per cent. We do not generally enter into different payment terms.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if Bangladesh qualifies for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative. [129595]

From the latest information available, Bangladesh's debt sustainability ratios are below the minimum thresholds used by the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, which means that it would not qualify for debt relief.For a country to receive HIPC debt relief, it requires not only unsustainable levels of debt, but also a commitment to poverty reduction and reform. In the case of Bangladesh, any consideration of debt relief would be likely to require further progress in areas such as public expenditure allocations on essential services for poor people, measures to improve the quality of public services, improving revenue administration, and a serious start on structural measures such as financial sector and public enterprise reform.Our substantial aid programme to Bangladesh—£65 million in 1999–2000—focuses on promoting the reduction of poverty both directly and by addressing constraints on faster pro-poor growth and improved governance.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many of her Department's telephone lines used by the general public are responded to by touch tone telephone steering systems. [129615]

My Department has no telephone lines used by the general public that are responded to by touch tone telephone steering systems.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many agencies of her Department use touch tone telephone steering systems when dealing with telephone inquiries from the general public. [129632]

This Department does not have any agencies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary concerning the prospects for inward investment to Wales; and if he will make a statement. [129499]

I have regular discussions with the First Secretary about a range of topics including the prospects for inward investment to Wales.Wales continues to do well in attracting inward investment, but cannot afford to be complacent in the face of increasingly severe competition. Every effort is being made to raise awareness of Wales and to improve the potential for investment. The National Assembly, Welsh Development Agency and others will continue to keep existing measures under review. I believe that this will place Wales in a good position to exploit all opportunities for securing future investment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the PFI contracts entered into by the Welsh Office prior to July 1999, indicating (a) their dates of commencement, (b) their value, (c) if they have been subject to refinancing and (d) if his Office has a claw-back entitlement to share in savings arising from refinancing. [129060]

The information requested is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the policy since 1989 on writing annually to those of his Department's staff who are paying reduced rates of National Insurance contributions, reminding them of the rules governing the payment of reduced rates, as recommended in the Inland Revenue guidance note on reduced rate National Insurance contributions for married women. [129477]

From 1989 to 1 July 1999 it was not the policy of the Welsh Office to write annually to members of staff who pay reduced rate National Insurance contributions.The Wales Office does not currently have any staff who pay such a reduced rate, but it is intended that an office notice will be issued annually, to remind any member of staff who may be paying reduced rates of the necessity of informing Personnel of any change in circumstances.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of correctly presented bills were paid by his Department in (a) 1998–99 and (b) 1999–2000 within 30 days of receipt of (i)goods and services, (ii) a valid invoice and (iii) other agreed payment terms. [130044]

The percentage of currently presented bills paid by my Department within 30 days of receipt of the valid invoice or the satisfactory receipt of goods/services, whichever was the later, or the agreed contractual terms if otherwise specified, was (a) 97 per cent. for 1989–99 and (b) 97 per cent. for 1999–2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the oil trade component in the A1 Yamamah agreements with Saudi Arabia; and what assessment he has made of the impact of oil price changes on those arrangements with Saudi Arabia since 1985. [129362]

I have been asked to reply.

Research Council Public Understanding Spend
£million
	1994–95	1995–96	1996–97	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000
BBSRC	0.28	0.32	0.40	0.40	0.60	0.80
EPSRC	0.55	0.93	0.93	0.93	0.93	0.93
ESRC	—	—	0.53	0.59	0.54	0.75
MRC	0.10	0.30	0.20	0.33	0.66	0.51
NERC	0.16	0.16	0.14	0.23	0.15	0.15
PPARC	0.20	0.20	0.32	0.33	0.44	0.53
Total	1.29	1.91	2.52	2.81	3.32	3.67

In the case of MRC and ESRC these figures also include some public relations activity not accounted for separately.These figures do not include public understanding work undertaken by Research Council grant holders as a condition of their grant, as figures on this activity are generally not available. However, as an example, BBSRC estimates that the value of such activity undertaken by its own grant holders totals at least £3 million per annum. The figures also exclude the significant amount of activity undertaken by Research Council funded institutes/centres, figures for which are not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what (a) steps he has taken and (b) funding has been allocated to promote (i)science engineering and (ii) other science activities to (A)children and (B)the public in each year since 1994. [128277]

There is a great deal of activity led by industrial interests and charities to which the Government's efforts are complementary. The Government support a range of activities to promote science and engineering to children and the general public. We also consider that it is important to do more than promote science and engineering, and takes steps to involve the public over major scientific issues and to increase the opportunities for dialogue. Except for some very specific activities, it is

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money each research council allocated to the public understanding of science in each year since 1994. [128278]

Research Council expenditure on public understanding of science activities in the years 1994–95 to 1999–2000 was as follows:not practicable to provide accurate total costings of promotional activities or to provide a breakdown for the cost of activities aimed at children.My Department's largest investment is through the Science Budget grant-aided activities of the Research Councils, who all have science promotion as one of their responsibilities. Estimates of expenditure by the Research Councils are given in answer to the preceding question. The Royal Society also undertakes activities in this area some of which are grant-aided from the Science Budget at about £1 million per annum, and supports among other things the activities of COPUS.The Department also administers two main programmes. A general programme administered by the Office of Science and Technology (OST), provides core funding to the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and funds the BA's co-ordination of National Science Week. It also provides additional support for the COPUS grants scheme, including its projects aimed specifically at promoting SET for women and ethnic minorities, and funds innovative projects aimed at bringing science to a wider audience through, for example, drama, art, and the Internet. In order to gain a better understanding of the public's attitudes to science, the OST also funded last year's 'Public Consultation on Developments in the Biosciences', and this year, in partnership with the Wellcome Trust, has undertaken a survey looking at public attitudes to science in the UK. The OST's budget for these activities in 1994–95 was £1.0 million, and has since risen to an average of £1.25 million per annum.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what "Made in Britain" emblems are available from his Department to British companies to mark the country of origin of their products. [125677]

[holding answer 12 June 2000]: None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the disruption to post for businesses as a result of recent industrial action at Royal Mail offices in North London; and if he will make a statement. [130187]

This is an operational matter for the Post Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received regarding Royal Mail's decision to cease the use of private motor vehicles for delivery; and what assessment he has made of its impact upon service in rural areas. [129983]

[holding answer 10 July 2000]: I have received no representations on this matter. Such decisions are an operational matter for the Post Office. I understand that Royal Mail does not plan any deliveries on the basis of the use of private cars and that all deliveries have a designated mode of official transport. However, some employees have preferred to use their own private vehicles to travel to and from their deliveries. I understand that a pilot scheme to discontinue the use of private motor vehicles on delivery has had no impact on service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what evidence underlay the statement in his Department's recent memorandum to the Trade and Industry Committee concerning the total amount of inward investment in the UK planned by Japanese automotive companies. [130047]

The total amount of inward investment in the UK referred to in the memorandum represents commitments made by Japanese automotive companies in manufacturing facilities in the UK, some of which has yet to be spent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what evidence underlay the statement in his Department's recent memorandum to the Trade and Industry Committee on the competitive environment for vehicle manufacturing in the UK. [130046]

The recent problems at BMW and Ford are not indicative of the general state of the UK vehicle manufacturing industry. The evidence points to a robust UK vehicle manufacturing industry: in 1999 car exports at 1.1 million were the highest ever; UK sales were the 4^th highest on record and UK car production at its highest level since 1972¹.Significant new investment continues, with c£2.0 billion worth of capital expenditure and c8,000 new jobs announced since 1997. This year alone (2000) GM/ Vauxhall has announced a £189 million investment plan for its three UK plants and Honda £130 million for the modernisation of its manufacturing line at Swindon.We consider that this demonstrates that a positive environment exists in the UK in which to do business.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 29 November 1999, Official Report, column 22W, to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Corbett) how many post offices there are in each constituency; and how many of them are operating unprofitably in each constituency. [130050]