To ask the Prime Minister how much public money will be spent as a result of marking the 100 birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. [128809]

[holding answer 3 July 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence to my hon. Friend the Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) on 10 July 2000, Official Report, column 376W.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the occasions since May 1997 on which civil servants have been disciplined for failing to comply with the rules in sections 4.2 to 4.4 of the Civil Service Management Code. [129183]

The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 27 June 2000, Official Report, column 455W, on the G8 Summit, what representations he has received on the funding of the Russian plutonium fuel programme; and what response he has made, indicating the dates of (a) representations and (b) replies. [130022]

There has been discussion among officials over funding for the disposition and management of weapons-grade plutonium designated as no longer required for defence purposes.The issue will be on the agenda at the G8 Okinawa Summit.

To ask the Prime Minister what steps he takes to prevent the leaking of official documents from Government departments relating to the Government's policy on the euro; and if he will make a statement. [129444]

[holding answer 10 July 2000]: The "Ministerial Code" and the "Civil Service Code" set out the respective responsibilities of Ministers and civil servants in relation to their duties of confidentiality.

To ask the Prime Minister if Lord Levy has been entertained at public expense at Chequers since May 1997. [130282]

I have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals. As with previous Administrations it is not my practice to provide details of all such meetings.

To ask the Prime Minister if Ministers who receive severance payments following resignation or dismissal are required to repay such payments on being reappointed to ministerial office. [130397]

[holding answer 13 July 2000]: Under the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, all Ministers (except the Prime Minister and the Lord Chancellor as well as the Speaker) are entitled to receive a severance payment of a quarter of their ministerial salary when they leave office. However, Ministers who are appointed to another paid office within three weeks of leaving office are not eligible for severance pay. For this reason, no severance payment is made within three weeks of a Minister leaving office in these circumstances.

To ask the Prime Minister if he was consulted over the Eurofighter cannon deselection; and if that aircraft, in its original planning phase, had a secondary ground assault capability. [130785]

The decision to delete the 27 mm Mauser cannon from Eurofighter was taken by the Secretary of State for Defence on the advice of RAF and MOD officials. The minimal operational utility of the cannon on Eurofighter in any role is outweighed by its support, fatigue and training cost implications.The original 1985 European Staff Requirement included both air defence and offensive air support for Eurofighter, but with air defence as its priority. This position remains unchanged.

To ask the Prime Minister how often he has meetings with (a) his Press Secretary and (b) the senior civil servant who now briefs the Lobby daily. [130719]

Regularly.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the recent petition in support of the Govan shipyard signed by 80,000 people from Scotland and delivered to him. [130955]

I received the petition to which my hon. Friend refers on 5 July 2000. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has written to my hon. Friend confirming this.The Ministry of Defence received the revised offers from the bidding consortiums in its Strategic Sealift competition on 6 July and is currently assessing them.

To ask the Prime Minister what (a) discussions and (b) consultations took place between the Government and the board of trustees at Dorneywood before the recent refurbishment programme was agreed. [129706]

[holding answer 7 July 2000]: I have been asked to reply.None. The trustees act independently of the Government.

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee if he will make a progress report on the completion and occupation of Portcullis House. [130940]

I am pleased to advise my hon. Friend that the work will be substantially complete by the end of this month. Hon. Members and their staff will, therefore, be able to start to occupy the building during September, as planned.Most of the accommodation will be handed over this month. Already, the four office floors, with their furniture, have been handed back ahead of schedule; the remaining two floors should be complete by the end of the month, with the exception of the installation of specialist equipment in the committee rooms and the main entrance.My hon. Friend will wish to note that the conference and interview rooms will be available for use by hon. Members with effect from 18 September. The four Select Committee rooms and the two multi-purpose rooms will be available from 26 October. I am pleased to announce that my Committee has agreed that these latter rooms should be named after prominent Parliamentarians, rather than numbered; and that they are to be named "Boothroyd", "Attlee", "Grimond", "Macmillan", "Thatcher" and "Wilson".During the Summer Adjournment work will be carried out around the periphery of the building. This work will include the installation of the bridge link to the Norman Shaw South Building, restoration of the roads and pavements and the installation of the shop fronts.Work to repair and restore the subway under Bridge street is being carried out by London Underground and the project team. The intention is that it would be reopened at the beginning of September. This will then provide a direct route between the Palace and all the parliamentary outbuildings north of Bridge street and a covered route to the Underground Station.Negotiations are proceeding satisfactorily with prospective tenants for the three shop units, which it is intended will be open by the time the House returns. Based on responses from hon. Members to the type of shops they wished to see provided, there will be a small supermarket, a coffee bar and a dry cleaners.Finally, my hon. Friend will wish to note that the forecast final cost of Portcullis House is now £230 million.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what his policy is on quota trading; and if he will make a statement on his analysis of the impact of such trading on the United Kingdom fishing fleet. [130548]

The trade in quota has been initiated by fishermen themselves. Transfers of quota between groups with quota management responsibilities must be conducted in accordance with the rules on quota management drawn up by the Fisheries Departments in the UK. These rules are the subject of regular consultation with the fishing industry and those affecting the trade in quota are currently under review by a working group comprising representatives of industry and the Fisheries Departments. A report on possible modifications to the quota management rules, including arrangements for adjusting the fixed quota allocation units attached to fishing vessel licences to take account of transfers between fishermen, is expected shortly.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the costs of RSC administration of the organic farming and rural economy programmes in the current and next financial years. [131442]

The costs of RSC administration of the organic farming and rural economy programmes are estimated to be:

£000
	2000–01	2001–02
Organic farming (RSC administration) CP:040	92	87
Rural economy (RSC administration) CP:050	765	732

Table 10.5 and Annex 5 of MAFF's Departmental Report 2000 included scheme costs against these programmes in error. A corrigendum to the report will be issued shortly.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the German authorities contacted the Government directly in regard to the Advanta rapeseed contamination incident. [126819]

[holding answer 19 June 2000]: No.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the reason for the time taken from when the Government first learned about the contamination of Advanta rapeseed with GM varieties to the date at which it first made a public announcement on this matter. [126857]

[holding answer 19 June 2000]: The co-ordination of Government policy in this area falls outside my ministerial responsibilities.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the Advisory Committee on Releases into the Environment first met to discuss the contamination of Advanta rapeseed with GM varieties. [126858]

[holding answer 19 June 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment on 19 June 2000, Official Report, columns 1–2W.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total value of organic food sales in the UK for each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what he estimates sales will be in each of the next five years. [127790]

There are no official estimates. However, estimates covering some of these years will be found in the Soil Association publication "The Organic Food and Farming Report 1999" (ISBN 0 905200 73 X).

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy that (a) 30 per cent. of agricultural land will be organic and (b) 20 per cent. of food consumed will be organic, by 2010; and if he will make a statement. [130485]

No. We do not believe that setting arbitrary targets for the area of land in organic farming or for the consumption of organic food is sensible. But we do wish to see organic farming succeed and we have made available considerable sums of money in support for farmers converting to organic farming through the Organic Farming Scheme. We will make a further £140 million available in support for organic conversion when the European Commission has approved the England Rural Development Programme later this year.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cattle were affected by BSE in each of the last two years for which figures are available; what the projected numbers are for the next five years; when he expects that BSE will be eradicated from the United Kingdom herd; and if he will make a statement. [127842]

BSE was confirmed in 3,178 animals first placed under restriction in 1998, and in 2,254 animals first placed under restriction in 1999. To the end of June 2000, 611 cases of BSE had been confirmed with 223 diagnoses outstanding (of which about 80 per cent. are expected to be confirmed). The latest (3 July) forecasts of the BSE epidemic produced by the VLA model are given in the following table:

Year	Estimated confirmed BSE cases	95 per cent. confidence levels
2000	1,115	890	1,340
2001	477	330	624
2002	171	84	258

It is not yet possible to give a precise date when the disease will be eradicated from the UK.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his Estate of Farms. [128305]

The Ministry owns a number of farms. Some of them are leased to ADAS Consulting Ltd. and some are leased to Horticulture Research International. Others are used by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency. Research commissioned by the Ministry is undertaken on the farms.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on grants paid by his Department to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. [128307]

Under the terms of the National Heritage Act 1983 and the Ministry's responsibilities for sponsorship of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, my Department pays a grant in aid towards the body's staff, running costs and for certain capital works.In recent years, annual grant in aid averaging some £18 million has been paid representing about half of their annual income. The grant allocated for the current financial year is £15.735 million.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the recorded incidences of rabbit haemorrhagic disease in the United Kingdom in each of the list five years, indicating if the rabbits concerned were (a) domestic and (b) wild. [128308]

Viral haemorrhagic disease of rabbits (RVHD) was a notifiable disease from 1991 until 21 October 1996 in Great Britain, and until 21 August 1997 in Northern Ireland.The number of outbreaks notified in 1995 and 1996 in the United Kingdom were:

	1995	19961
Wild rabbits	35	23
Domestic/Farmed	479	249
Total	514	272
1 to October for Great Britain

In Northern Ireland in the period 1 January to 21 August 1997, two outbreaks of RVHD in domestic rabbits were notified.The disease is now endemic in wild and domestic rabbits in the United Kingdom. Therefore the number of outbreaks are no longer recorded.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many primates were transported (a) into and (b) out of Dover during (i) May and (ii) June. [129192]

According to our records, 188 primates were imported through Dover in May and 164 primates were imported through Dover in June. Records of primate exports from Great Britain are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the (a) cost and (b) impact on the environment of disposing of over-30-months scheme cattle carcases by (i) rendering, (ii) burning and (iii) other methods. [129650]

Four companies have contracts to render OTMS carcase material at an average gate fee of £80 per tonne (equivalent to approximately £40 per animal). The Intervention Board has concluded contracts with three companies for the large scale incineration of meat and bone meal derived from the rendering process at an average gate fee equivalent to approximately £10 per animal. Five companies have contracts to incinerate OTMS carcase material from approved abattoirs at an average gate fee of £88 per animal, and 16 companies have contracts to incinerate casualty OTMS animals at an average gate fee of £80 per animal.All rendering plants and incinerators handling animal waste must be authorised under Part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the cost to the UK in terms of lost compensation from the EU if the target for the disposal of over-30-months scheme cattle is not met. [129651]

Compensation from the EU is not dependent upon disposal targets being met. It is dependant upon the remains of all purchased cattle being destroyed by incineration. Where such cattle have initially been disposed of by rendering, 80 per cent. of the available compensation is claimed at that point. Once an equivalent amount of the resultant meat, bonemeal and tallow produced from the rendering process has been incinerated, the balance of the compensation can be claimed.

Year	Total women appointed	Number women appointed to paid posts	Percentage of women in paid posts	Number women appointed to unpaid posts	Percentage of women in unpaid posts
19971	15	9	12.16	6	12
1998	21	17	20.99	4	20
1999	31	29	21.37	2	25
1 May to 31 December

The Government are committed to increasing the representation of women in public life. In support of this, the Department has drawn up an action plan for increasing the number of women and ethnic minorities holding public appointments. The latest plans, together with the Government's overall plan, were published on 24 May 2000 in "Quangos: Opening up Public Appointments 2000–2003", copies of which are in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what costs have been incurred, in each of the most recent three years for which figures are available, by his Department in approving and supervising the use of

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his plans for an outgoers' scheme for pig farmers. [129401]

[holding answer 6 July 2000]: As part of the "Action Plan for Farming", agreed at the Prime Minister's 30 March meeting with industry leaders, the Government decided to introduce a Pig Industry Restructuring Scheme (FIRS). £26 million was made available to the scheme in its first year and bids have been made for funding in subsequent years. Under state aid rules, the European Commission must approve the scheme before it can be introduced. To begin that process, the scheme was formally notified to the Commission on 30 March. The Commission has since carried out its studies of the scheme and raised a number of questions which have been addressed. The outgoers element of the scheme has just ended its consultation period and will be introduced as soon as possible following Commission clearance. This part of the scheme will operate in order to reduce UK pig production capacity by 16 per cent. from 1 June 1998 total, using a sealed bid system.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many and what percentage of the (a) paid and (b) unpaid appointments which he has made to non-departmental public bodies since 1 May 1997 were women. [129849]

[holding answer 12 July 2000]: The numbers and percentages of women appointed between 1 May 1997 and 31 December 1999 to paid and unpaid posts in Non-Departmental Public Bodies sponsored by my Department are given in the following table:organophosphate sheep dips; and what is his estimate of the cost of training, certification and protective clothing to sheep farmers during the same periods. [130399]

[holding answer 13 July 2000]: No new organophosphorus sheep dip has been authorised in the period 1997 to 1999. There has been one variation of a marketing authorisation for an OP sheep dip during this period, at a cost to the marketing authorisation holder of £155. The use of veterinary medicines, including sheep dips, is not supervised by the Ministry.From the inception of the Certificate of Competence Scheme in 1995 to 7 July 2000, 16,188 certificates have been issued. The cost of the test for the certificate is either £30 or £60 depending on whether an applicant wishes to be assessed for Part 1 only or Parts 1 and 2. Training for the certificate is not compulsory but is available from agricultural colleges or training establishments or instructors registered with Lantra National Training Organisation. Figures for the cost of training are not held centrally but training costs could be expected to average about £100 per day. The cost of personal protective equipment will vary depending on a number of factors, including supply and demand, and durability and suitability of a sheep farmer's existing equipment. At current prices, the cost of a full set of PPE for someone handling the concentrate would be likely to be in the region of £45.

To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, what remuneration Ruth Day receives; and what her official duties are. [130405]

I take it that the questioner is referring to Mrs. Rachel (not Ruth) Day, the Steward at Old Palace, Canterbury. She was appointed in 1991, on terms in line with those applicable to comparable posts. The Steward at Old Palace is provided with tied accommodation. Since then her remuneration has been increased in line with increases paid to other episcopal staff generally. The Steward is responsible for the general management of Old Palace.The Commissioners do not disclose the salaries of individuals employed by themselves or by bishops.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what key targets have been set for the Ministry of Defence Police Agency for the financial year 2000–01. [131150]

The following Key Targets have been set for the Ministry of Defence Police Agency:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will provide a schedule of dates when orders for new warships for the Royal Navy will be placed; [126192](2) what assessment he has made of the effect upon warship building yards of no new orders having been placed in the past three years; [126190](3) what was the most recent date on which a new warship was ordered for the Royal Navy. [126191]

I refer the hon. Member to the statement my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence made on 11 July 2000, Official Report, columns 701–12.On 19 June 2000, it was announced that the prime contract for the procurement of two new Multi-Role Hydrographic and Oceanographic Survey Vessels had been awarded to Vosper Thornycroft (UK) Ltd. The contract includes the provision of 25 years' contractor support for the vessels and is worth some £130 million in total over the life of the ships. The ships will be built under sub-contract at Appledore Shipbuilders in North Devon and are due to enter service in 2002 and 2003.As for the schedule for future warship orders, the Strategic Defence Review set out our plans for a forward RN shipbuilding programme which included plans for Type 45 Destroyers, two future Aircraft Carriers and up to 20 Future Surface Combatants, as well as a range of other vessels over the next 15 to 20 years.We keep the position of UK warshipbuilding yards under careful review; our assessment is that they possess adequate capacity to build vessels in accordance with our forward RN shipbuilding programme and to win such orders through competition with each other. Under Smart Procurement, we continue to consult closely with the shipbuilding industry across a range of individual programmes to ensure effective communication and planning between us.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to (a) issue invitations to tender in respect of and (b) place the order for, the production of the first Type 45 destroyer; and if he will make a statement. [124915]

I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 11 July 2000, Official Report, columns 701–12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what plans he has to change the practices under which his Department procures naval vessels; [129013](2) what plans he has to spread work between UK yards when

There are no plans to change the practices under which we procure naval vessels. It remains our policy that where possible orders are placed following competitive tendering (either direct by the Ministry of Defence or by the Prime Contractor), and that warships and major naval auxiliary ships are built in the United Kingdom. For other vessels, where we are bound by EC treaty obligations and World Trade Organisation rules which will not permit discrimination in favour of United Kingdom industry, every effort is made to ensure that United Kingdom yards have the opportunity to tender for the build of such vessels on an equal basis.The Department has no policy to spread future shipbuilding work between specific shipyards. Such a policy would not deliver value for money or an efficient, effective industrial base. We seek, nevertheless, to ensure that our forward shipbuilding programme is capable of sustaining a competitive industrial base. For example we have required the T45 Prime Contractor to involve both Vosper Thornycroft and BAE Systems Marine in the design and construction of the initial contract for three T45 destroyers, announced on 11 July, to ensure a more effective competition for subsequent follow-on vessels.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what plans he has to put the operation of the airbridge between the UK and the Falkland Islands out to commercial tender; [129653](2) what plans he has to change the type of aircraft used to maintain the airbridge between the UK and the Falkland Islands; [129655](3) if he intends to use the Private Finance Initiative to support the airbridge between the UK and the Falkland Islands. [129654]

The airbridge service to and from the Falkland Islands is provided by TriStars. Previous consideration of whether we should contract out the airbridge, in response to unsolicited proposals, has concluded that, taking into account the operational requirement to retain the Royal Air Force TriStars, the use of military aircraft was the most cost-effective solution.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much plutonium released from dedicated military-end use under the Strategic Defence Review has been placed under safeguards; what quantities remain to be so placed; and if he will list the current locations of the plutonium re-designated as non-military. [129965]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence gave him on 14 March 2000, Official Report, columns 104–05W. Since then, a further 39 kgs of weapon grade plutonium stored at AWE Aldermaston has been transferred to Sellafield and into safeguards, making the total transferred to date 112 kgs. The remaining MOD stocks designated as no longer required for Defence purposes are currently stored at Aldermaston and will be transferred as soon as is practical.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Wirral, South (Mr. Chapman) of 10 July 2000, Official Report, columns 377–78W, he will set out the (a) duties of and (b) responsibilities undertaken in his Department by (a) Professor Sir David Davies, (b) Sir Charles Masefield and (c) Mr. M. J. V. Bell in the 10 years prior to the private sector appointments listed. [130804]

Professor Sir David Davies joined the Ministry of Defence on a fixed-term appointment in October 1993 as the Chief Scientific Adviser. His duties were to provide high level advice on current and future issues having a scientific content and technical implications. He chaired both the Equipment Approvals Committee, which evaluated all major defence equipment procurement, and the Defence Research Committee that had oversight of the Ministry of Defence's Research Policy and Programme. His appointment terminated on 30 March 1999.Sir Charles Masefield was seconded to the Ministry of Defence from British Aerospace in September 1994 to fill the appointment of Head of Defence Export Services. In this role, he was responsible for supporting British defence companies in their export activities.Mr. Michael Bell joined the Ministry of Defence in 1965. Between 1988 and 1992, he was Deputy Under-Secretary (Finance), the Ministry of Defence's Principal Finance Officer. He then became Deputy Under-Secretary (Defence Procurement)—later retitled Deputy Chief of Defence Procurement (Support)—where he managed the Procurement Executive's support functions including personnel, finance, contracts and procurement policy. He held this appointment until he was seconded to British Aerospace in 1996 as their Project Director European Consolidation, a member of the company's team responsible for the development and implementation of strategy for European consolidation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what Government support was provided for British companies to attend the DSA exhibition in Malaysia in April. [128279]

Consistent with the Government's policy to encourage and promote the legitimate sales of defence equipment overseas, the Ministry of Defence's Export Services Organisation carried out its usual role in support of the exhibition and marketing of UK defence industry products at DSA 2000. This included assisting the Defence Manufacturers' Association to co-ordinate the UK industrial presence and providing advice to UK firms on export markets in line with the Government's responsible policy for arms exports.In addition to the support provided by my own Department, a number of UK Companies exhibiting at the show were in receipt of grants under the Support for Exhibitions and Seminars Abroad scheme run by British Trade International, which is aimed at assisting companies with promotional activities at exhibitions and seminars abroad.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many flights undertaken by (a) the Queen, (b) the Prince of Wales and (c) other members of the Royal family in aircraft of the Royal Squadron in each year since 1997 were unconnected with their royal duties; and if he will make a statement. [129808]

The total number of flights undertaken in aircraft of 32 (Royal) Squadron RAF not connected with royal duties is shown in the following table.All these flights were reimbursed and full details are in the "Grant-In-Aid for Royal Travel" Annual Reports, copies of which are in the House Library.

	Private flights undertaken by
	The Queen	HRH The Prince of Wales	Other members of the Royal Family
1997–98	0	2	1
1998–99	1	3	1
1999–2000	2	1	2

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 20 June 2000, Official Report, column 134W, if, under his proposals, the land and buildings occupied by DERA West Freugh will transfer to the new DERA company. [130174]

Under our current proposals, we envisage that the capabilities provided by West Freugh will form part of the NewDERA company. We are currently analysing the views and comments received during consultation on our proposals and this analysis will inform the final decision on the way ahead for DERA, which we hope to be in a position to announce shortly. In principle there would be an appropriate split of land and buildings between both NewDERA and RetainedDERA in order to ensure both organisations are able to carry out the role and capabilities required of them. In transferring any assets to the private sector, our aim would be to ensure maximum return from the transaction to reflect the level of taxpayers' investment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the dates since 1974 on which soldiers of the Ulster Defence Regiment and Royal Irish Regiment have died during training exercises, indicating (a) where the death took place, (b) barracks in which those soldiers were stationed in Northern Ireland, (c) whether the soldiers had, during their military career, been seconded for special duties or on assignment to other regiments and (d) in each case who was responsible for the investigation of the cause of death and what their findings were. [130420]

One soldier (of the Royal Irish Regiment) has died during a training exercise since 1974. The death occurred in Wainwright, Canada on 13 June 2000. The soldier was stationed in Drumadd Barracks, Armagh and was on attachment to 1^st Battalion Grenadier Guards for the duration of the exercise. The incident is currently the subject of a Board of Inquiry and the findings will not be known for some time. A small number of deaths arising from natural causes while soldiers have been on annual camp exercise with their own units have not been included.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of complaints to the Army Board and Her Majesty the Queen were upheld in the last five years for which figures are available. [130746]

A central database has been in use only since April 1997, and since that time 24 per cent. of cases to the Army Board have been upheld in whole or in part. None has been upheld by Her Majesty The Queen.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints to the Army Board and Her Majesty the Queen are being processed. [130744]

The Army Board is currently processing 18 cases. There are at present no petitions being considered by Her Majesty The Queen but there are 10 petitions in preparation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of complaints rejected by the Army Board and Her Majesty the Queen were pursued in the civil courts in the last five years for which figures are available; and what percentage of the complaints so pursued were (a) successfully defended by his Department, (b) settled out of court, (c) won by the complainant and (d) dropped. [130747]

This information is not held centrally. I will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are (a) the roles for which the Typhoon is specified, and (b) aircraft types which it will be replacing in the RAF. [129318]

[holding answer 13 July 2000]: Typhoon is the name given by industry to the export version of Eurofighter; it is not the name for RAF aircraft. Eurofighter will, on achieving full capability, have air defence and offensive support roles. It will replace the Tornado F3 and Jaguar aircraft respectively in these roles.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons HMS Orkney has been towed to Devonport from Portsmouth; and which organisation or department paid for the towing. [130442]

[holding answer 13 July 2000]: HMS Orkney has been towed to Devonport to enable a Docking and Hull Survey to be undertaken. This is a prerequisite for the sale of HMS Orkney to the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) who will have representatives in attendance during the survey exercise.The Ships Support Agency, part of the Defence Logistics Organisation, has met the cost of towing the vessel and the survey exercise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which training exercises in the past 12 months within British waters have involved foreign submarines. [130446]

[holding answer 13 July 2000]: During the past 12 months, foreign submarines have been involved in two Joint Maritime Courses (JMC), Exercise Northern Light 99, as well as weekly exercises in the South Coast Areas, in support of Operational Sea Training.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which vessels have been sold by his Department since 1 May 1997; and to which countries. [130449]

[holding answer 13 July 2000]: The Ministry of Defence has made no actual sales of surplus Royal Navy vessels since 1 May 1997. However, the following transfers, not strictly sales, have been arranged in the period:

Vessels	Country	Terms of transfer
Four Upholder Class Conventional Submarines: HMS Upholder, Unseen, Unicorn, Ursula	Canada	Lease with option to buy by 2007
Two Hunt Class Mine Counter Measure Vessels: HMS Bicester and Berkeley	Greece	Sold through Vosper Thornycroft

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 10 July 2000, Official Report, column 381W, on military aircraft accidents, if he will disaggregate the number of gross, culpable and serious negligence findings for the 486 accidents between 1 January 1980 and 31 December 1999. [131075]

I will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list for (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99 and (c) 1999–2000 the funds budgeted for by his Department that were not spent, the budget head any underspends came from, the reason for any underspend and if underspends were carried forward into the next year's budget; and if he will make a statement. [130659]

The overall underspend in 1997–98 was some £225 million and in 1998–99 it was some £74 million. I can confirm that the provisional outturn for 1999–2000 indicates an overall underspend of some £318 million. The underspends for 1997–98 and 1998–99 were carried forward into the subsequent financial year. I am confident that the same procedure will be followed for 1999–2000. The final amount carried forward will be reduced by the amount of underspend on Kosovo and Bosnia, for which my Department was given access to the Reserve.I will write to the hon. Member concerning the detail of the years in question and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what key targets have been set for the Army Training and Recruitment Agency for the financial year 2000–01. [125578]

[pursuant to his reply, 14 July 2000, Official Report, c. 643–44W]: The Key Targets set out for the Army Training and Recruiting Agency were for the previous financial year 1999–2000 and therefore incorrect.The following Key Targets have been set for the financial year 2000–01:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many times Ministers in his Department have sought the advice of the Permanent Secretary under the circumstances envisaged in Paragraphs 118,121 and 123 of the Ministerial Code; and on which occasions such advice was sought; [129172](2) on how many occasions since May 1997 Ministers in his Department have made a declaration of interest to their colleagues under circumstances envisaged in Paragraph 110 of the Ministerial Code. [129158]

Information relating to internal advice and consultation is not disclosed under Exemption II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications for extradition of persons from (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Great Britain for (i) terrorist-related offences and (ii) non-terrorist related offences, from the Irish Republic made in each of the years (1) 1997, (2) 1998, (3) 1999 and (4) 2000 to the latest available date are outstanding; and how many persons are being sought by the United Kingdom police forces under these extradition requests. [128824]

Extradition requests made by the Republic of Ireland authorities for persons in England and Wales are dealt with on a police to police basis and figures are not collated centrally.For Scotland figures were not collated centrally prior to 1998. In the year April 1998–99, four applications were made and in respect of which three individuals were returned to the Republic of Ireland. In the year 1999–2000, two applications have been made, both of which are still pending. All applications were in respect of non-terrorist offences.For Northern Ireland all the cases are non-terrorist related. The figures are as follows:

	Number of requests made still outstanding	Number of persons still sought
1997	0	0
1998	0	0
1999	2	1
2000	2	1

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 28 June 2000, Official Report, column 495–96W, if he will list for each of the previous three years and in the current year the number of applications for extradition to (a) Great Britain and (b) Northern Ireland which were for (i) terrorist offences and (ii) non terrorist offences; and for each category of offences in each of these years how many persons were extradited. [128859]

The table provides details of the extraditions sought from the Republic of Ireland by UK police forces in the years 1997 to date. It should be noted that the figures for England and Wales are not necessarily complete, as figures are not collated centrally, and the 1997 figures for Scotland are not available.

Numbers of persons for which requests were made for extradition
	Sought for terrorist offences	Number Extradited	Sought for non-terrorist Offences	Number extradited
(a) From Republic of Ireland to Great Britain
1997	1	0	21	10
1998	0	0	28	15
1999	0	0	17	11
2000	0	0	4	1
(b) From Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland
1997	3	0	5	3
1998	2	0	4	6
1999	0	0	6	3
2000	0	0	1	1

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many agencies of his Department use touch tone telephone steering systems when dealing with telephone inquiries from the general public. [129630]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what the total cost was up to 30 June of the Saville inquiry into the events in Londonderry on 30 January 1972; [129131](2) what sums were spent from 1 May until 30 June, on the Saville inquiry into the events in Londonderry on 30 January 1972, broken down by

The figures are not yet available in the form requested. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as they are ready.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons he has proposed that members of Opus Dei should declare their membership on wishing to be recruited into the proposed Police Service of Northern Ireland; and whether existing members of the RUC who are members of Opus Dei will be called upon to reveal their membership. [130501]

The organisations listed in the Police (Northern Ireland) Bill are those about which there is public concern about police membership—including Opus Dei.Serving members of the RUC who are members of Opus Dei will be required to register their membership when the provision in the Bill is brought into force.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 4 February, Official Report, column 778W, on banisters, if he will (a) make a statement on correspondence with the Lord Chancellor and (b) place copies in the Library. [124105]

During the relevant period there were two items of correspondence. The first was a letter of 25 May 1998 in which the Lord Chancellor set out proposals for having the responsibility for the appointments of Queen's Counsel in his office. The second was a response of 30 May from the then Secretary of State in which she agreed to the Lord Chancellor's proposals. However, both letters contained personal opinions on particular policy issues and copies have not been placed in the Library, in accordance with Part II, Section 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the UN Secretary-General regarding the recent UN Assessment Team's visit to Sierra Leone. [127653]

We understand that the Assessment Team visited Sierra Leone between 2–8 June. We continue to support all efforts by the UN Secretary-General to improve UNAMSIL's efficiency and are currently engaged in seeking agreement on how to proceed with fellow members of the Security Council and UN officials.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the UNAMSIL's authorised maximum strength is; how many UN troops (a) are and (b) were deployed prior to 8 May to Sierra Leone. [127654]

UNSCR 1299 of 11 May 2000 increased UNAMSIL's authorised strength to 13,100. The present strength is very slightly below this but we expect it to be reached shortly. Prior to 8 May UNAMSIL's ceiling was 11,360.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the work of his Department to counter the drugs trade. [130025]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office lead in co-ordinating and prioritising the UK's international activities to reduce the availability of illicit drugs in the UK in close co-operation with the UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator, Keith Hellawell. The UK plays an active role in international forums dealing with the threat posed by illicit drugs, including in the UN, G8 and EU. Last year the Foreign and Commonwealth Office spent over £6.5 million on international counter-drugs activities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the countries on which his Department gives travel advice to the general public. [130525]

At present we issue notices for 163 countries. A list of these countries showing the date on which the notice came into effect is shown in the table. The full notices can be seen on the FCO website at: www.fco.gov.uk

Country	Date of issue during 2000
Afghanistan	4 July
Albania	12 June
Algeria	5 May
Angola	31 May
Anguilla	29 June
Argentina	3 July
Armenia	19 May
Australia	9 June
Austria	19 June
Azerbaijan	25 May
Bahamas	13 June
Bahrain	13 June
Bangledesh	16 June
Belarus	20 April
Belgium	28 June
Belize	10 May
Benin	24 January
Bhutan	23 May
Bolivia	2 May
Bosnia and Herzegovina	28 March
Botswana	3 March
Brazil	31 May
Brunei	13 June
Bulgaria	3 March
Burkina Faso	28 June
Burma	25 May
Burundi	17 May
Cambodia	15 May
Cameroon	7 June
Central African Republic	7 June
Chad	7 June
Chile	28 June
China	20 April
Colombia	27 June
Comoros	5 July
The Republic of the Congo	22 March
The Democratic Republic of the Congo	30 June
Costa Rica	3 April
Cote d'Ivoire	6 July
Croatia	3 April
Cuba	7 July
Czech Republic	8 June
Djibouti	23 June
Dominica Republic	8 June
East Timor	9 March
Ecuador	10 April
Egypt	18 May
E1 Salvador	28 June
Equatorial Guinea	8 June
Eritrea	23 June
Estonia	23 March
Ethiopia	23 June
Fiji	7 July
France	5 July
Gabon	7 June
The Gambia	6 June
Georgia	25 May
Ghana	2 June
Greece	8 June

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will estimate the cost savings for (a) his Department as a whole and (b) embassies and high commissions, of the use of IT, including e-mail, in the past year. [130123]

[holding answer 13 July 2000]: In the past year the benefit to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office resulting from prior investment in IT is estimated at (a) £20 million for whole Department, of which (b) over £11 million was overseas.These figures include new cost savings last year of £0.5 million in the UK messenger service, resulting in part from the use of e-mail. They do not include savings which will accrue once our new Information and Communications Technology infrastructure is in place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British nationals were in prison overseas on 1 July; and if he will list the country and the offence committed in each case. [130526]

As of 1 July, we were aware of 2,750 British nationals in prison overseas. Around 40 per cent. of these prisoners were convicted of drugs related offences.To list the countries and offences for which each prisoner was convicted would incur disproportionate costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to increase the Government grant to the British Council. [131058]

The British Council has a good case for increased funding. In the current Spending Review my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has been pressing for a significant increase in funding for the Council, as for the BBC World Service and the FCO as a whole.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the Government grant-in-aid was to the British Council in Greece in (a) 1995–96 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available, together with the percentage change in the grant-in-aid to the British Council in Greece in real terms over the same period. [131055]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provides the British Council with grant-in-aid funding for its activities world-wide; the Council decides on its distribution, in consultation with this Department. In 1995–96 the Council allocated £1.9 million of the grant-in-aid to Greece; in 1999–2000 the figure is £1.4 million. This represents a decrease in real terms of 37 per cent. The total British Council budget in Greece in recent years has been boosted by substantial revenue-earning activity, chiefly in administering examinations and teaching English.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the contribution made towards his Department's objectives by the British Council in Greece. [131056]

The primary focus of the British Council's work in Greece is on co-operation in education and promoting the United Kingdom as a dynamic, modern partner. This is fully in line with the FCO's objectives.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list HM missions overseas that maintain a (a) Rolls-Royce, (b) Daimler and (c) Bentley motor car. [131057]

There are currently 11 Rolls-Royce cars and four Daimlers in use in Her Majesty's missions overseas.They are detailed as listed:

Post	Make	Location
Dhaka	Daimler	At Post
Gibraltar	Daimler	At Post
Islamabad	Daimler	At Post
Kuala Lumpur	Daimler	At Post
Berlin	Rolls-Royce	At Post
Brussels	Rolls-Royce	At Post
Cairo	Rolls-Royce	At Post
Hong Kong	Rolls-Royce	At Post
New Delhi	Rolls-Royce	At Post
New York	Rolls-Royce	At Post
Peking	Rolls-Royce	At Post
Riyadh	Rolls-Royce	At Post
Singapore	Rolls-Royce	At Post
Tokyo	Rolls-Royce	At Post
Washington	Rolls-Royce	At Post

To ask the President of the Council what has been the policy since 1989 on writing annually to those of her 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. [129481]

My Department currently has no members of staff paying reduced rates of National Insurance contributions, and has had no such staff since 1989. The policy would be to follow the Inland Revenue guidance note if such circumstances were to arise.

To ask the President of the Council what definition of ethnicity the Appointments Commission will use in taking forward the proposals by the Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords to make the House of Lords more representative of the United Kingdom population. [130630]

The present Appointments Commission was appointed in accordance with the Government's proposals in "Modernising Parliament: Reforming the House of Lords" (Cm 4183, January 1999) and is unconnected with the Royal Commission's proposals. It will publish the details of how it intends to fulfil its remit in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action he is taking to (a) monitor and (b) improve working conditions and health and safety standards for call centre industry employees. [130200]

I have been asked to replyThe responsibility for monitoring and ensuring appropriate health and safety standards in the call centre industry rests with local authorities. Local authorities enforce the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and other relevant statutory provisions made under it, in call centre premises.HSE has commissioned the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) to conduct further detailed study of call centre working conditions. This will be reporting in spring 2001 and will result in further guidance to local authorities on the enforcement of health and safety law in these premises.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from industry in the last three months concerning the regulation of the Internet. [130939]

The Department of Trade and Industry receives regular representations on various aspects of internet regulation. In the last three months, the main topics have been domain names and the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill.The Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport invited comments by 23 June from industry and others on the Communications White Paper, which will consider the issue of offensive and illegal content on the internet.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the level is of each import tariff imposed on British exports to the United States of America. [130849]

The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.However, some data are available on average tariffs applicable to imports of industrial products from all Most Favoured Nation trading partners following the Uruguay Round negotiations which took place during 1986–93. The simple average of all US industrial tariff rates (excluding petroleum products) after the Uruguay Round Agreement was 3.9 per cent.In the case of agricultural products, tariffs are not the main means of protecting domestic producers from overseas competition, and any available tariff data are likely to give a misleading indication of the openness of the market in question.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons Mr. Onllwyn Glyndwr Williams, a constituent, is not yet in receipt of his compensation from British Coal; and if he will make a statement. [130295]

Mr. Williams underwent spirometry testing, the first stage of the assessment process, at home on 1 December last year. In light of the results the Department made Mr. Williams an expedited offer, in full and final settlement of his claim, which he chose to reject and he has since elected to proceed through the medical testing, the second stage of the assessment process. IRISC, the Department's claim handling agents, subsequently forwarded the necessary forms to Mr. Williams' solicitor. The forms have been returned and once Mr. Williams' medical records have been collected an appointment will be made for a respiratory specialist to attend his home to carry out the assessment.As with most claimants who choose to reject an expedited offer Mr. Williams received a further interim payment of compensation in addition to that which he had originally received in June 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been paid from 1970 to date to members of the legal and medical professions in connection with the miners' compensation claims against British Coal; and if he will make a statement. [130294]

Prior to 1996 British Coal Corporation did not make a provision in their annual reports for personal injury and health claims. In their last report before the Department assumed responsibility for the health liabilities the Corporation made a provision of £34 million, as they considered there was considerable uncertainty with regard to both the Corporation's liability and the potential damages.Since assuming the liabilities in January 1998 some £12.5 million has been incurred by the Department in relation principally to Counsel, external solicitors, medical experts and medical assessments. In addition some £23.3 million has paid in legal fees and trial costs to solicitors acting on behalf of claimants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been made available to higher education through the Joint Infrastructure Fund; what proportion of bids have been successful to date; and what estimate he has made of the overall cost of preparing bids on the part of the institutions involved. [130088]

[holding answer 12 July 2000]: The Joint Infrastructure Fund (JIF) has made 109 awards worth just under £600 million to 39 universities. The final two rounds of awards, with a total value of £150 million, will be decided in November 2000 and March 2001.So far, in Rounds 1 to 3 of JIF, the Wellcome Trust and the Research Councils have received around 550 applications totalling approximately £3.2 billion. The success rate is in the region of 20 per cent. by number of bids and amount bid for.I have not made an estimate of the overall cost of preparing bids on the part of the institutions involved. This information can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what grants the coal industry has received as a result of the measures announced in his oral statement of 17 April 2000, Official Report, columns 697–99. [130307]

[holding answer 13 July 2000]: The statement made it clear that the support was linked to the lifting of the stricter gas consents policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which companies manufacturing cars in the United Kingdom have received regional selective assistance since May 1998. [130308]

[holding answer 13 July 2000]: Since May 1998, the following companies in Great Britain have received payments of Regional Selective Assistance:

• Rover Group
• Jaguar Cars
• Peugeot Motor Co
• Vauxhall Motors Ltd.
• Ford Motor Co Ltd.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) which companies manufacturing cars in the United Kingdom have received (a) offers and (b) indicative offers of Regional Selective Assistance since May 1997; [130309](2) what was the amount of

[holding answer 13 July 2000]: Since 1 May 1997, 10 companies in Great Britain have been offered Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) totalling £245.7 million. This includes £129 million offered to the Rover Group. One offer was conditional on the approval of the new Assisted Areas Map by the EC. However, for reasons of commercial confidentiality details of individual offers cannot be given until the first payment of grant has been made. Three companies have received some payment of grant and are shown in the table with the amount of RSA offered:

£ million
	RSA offered
Rover Group	22.5
Jaguar Cars	40
Peugeot Motor Co	2.0

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what help he is giving to the shipbuilding industry. [130760]

My Department's strategy is to assist the industry to improve its competitiveness. In July 1998 my Department established the Shipbuilding Forum whose membership comprises representatives of the shipbuilding and ship repair industry, trades unions, equipment suppliers and customers, both private and public sector. Also involved are the National Training Organisation for the marine sector and relevant Government Departments. The Forum's terms of reference are to consider the current situation of the shipbuilding and ship repair industry and how to improve its competitiveness so as to increase its share of the European market, leading to increased output, profitability and employment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Leeds, North-East (Mr. Hamilton) on 4 July 2000, Official Report, columns 137–38W, concerning tests to assess the medical benefits of cannabis, from what source the cannabis extracts will be obtained. [130689]

The source of cannabis extracts are plants legally grown in Switzerland for scientific purposes by a not-for-profit organisation. From there the plants are taken to Germany for extraction and encapsulation of the cannabinoid. Importation of the extract requires a Home Office licence and this has been applied for by the trial co-ordinator.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many firms operating in the Greater London area have a labour force of fewer than (a) 50 people and (b) 25 people. [130522]

There were 219,800 firms with fewer than 50 employees registered in the Greater London area at the start of 1998, the latest year for which figures are available. Of these 215,000 had fewer than 25 employees.In addition, there are an estimated 343,000 businesses without employees in the Greater London area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his policy is regarding attendance of Competition Commissioners at party political fund-raising functions. [130698]

The Competition Commission is an independent body and its commissioners are not civil servants.