To ask the President of the Council if he will estimate the number of individuals in his (a) Department, (b) related agencies and (c) related non-departmental public bodies whose annual remuneration including benefits in kind exceeded (i) £100,000 and (ii) £200,000 in each of the last four years. [26317]

None.

To ask the President of the Council what assessment he has made of the reasons for the difference between the final voted departmental expenditure limit and provisional outturn for financial year 2000–01, as listed in the Treasury document, Public Expenditure 2000–01: Provisional Outturn, for Vote XIII, subsection 4 House of Commons: Members' Salaries; and if he will make a statement. [24117]

The figure included in "Public Expenditure 2000–01" was a misprint. Full details of outturn against 2000–01 provision will be published in the appropriation accounts to be presented to the House by 31 January.

To ask the President of the Council when the House of Lords Appointments Commission will invite applications for the second round of appointments of people's peers. [24381]

The decision rests with the Prime Minister. The membership of the House of Lords, including that of non-party political peers, is kept under on-going review.

To ask the President of the Council whether further applications from previously unsuccessful applicants for a people's peerage will be invited; and if he will make a statement. [24384]

I understand that all unsuccessful applicants were informed that they could renominate themselves, should they choose to do so. Their existing nomination is not carried forward, but there is nothing to stop someone reapplying.

To ask the President of the Council what recent steps the House of Lords Appointments Commission has taken to encourage more applications from under-represented groups. [24382]

I understand that the report which the House of Lords Appointments Commission published alongside its first list of names in April 2001 made clear that they wanted to encourage more high-quality nominations from women, and from other regions of the country outside of the south-east. The commission has also made clear that its wishes to continue receiving outstanding nominations from ethnic minorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward measures to increase the severity of sentences of people convicted of serious sexual crimes. [24131]

Under the broad review of sentencing that began in July 2001, we are looking at tougher determinate sentences for sex offenders that will ensure they stay in prison, up to the full term if necessary, so long as they continue to present a risk of harm to our communities and that they are subject to strict and extended supervision on release. We are also looking at a requirement that where a life sentence is an option judges should not shy away from using it if the professional evidence shows that there is a clear risk that the offender will commit further sex offences. We want greater clarity and transparency, with indeterminate sentences given to serious offenders where appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints have been reported in his Department under paragraph 11 of the civil service code since 13 May 1999, and how many of them related to special advisers. [25336]

[holding answer 9 January 2002]: In line with section 11 of the code, there are arrangements in place which allow civil servants in the main Home Office and its agencies to raise any matter of concern in confidence with their line managers, in the first instance, or thereafter with one of several nominated officials. It is not possible to provide a figure for the number of these complaints as there is no requirement for managers to report to the centre those which are resolved within the management line, nor is a central record kept of complaints raised direct with nominated officials.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will investigate possible connections between fraud and a north London mosque which has been identified to him; and if he will make a statement. [25184]

Any information provided to me or my Department on alleged criminal activity—including information passed to me by my hon. Friend—is shared with the police, who are continuing to investigate. I have corresponded with my hon. Friend on the issues raised.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the value of workplace drug testing for (a) alcohol, (b) cannabis, (c) heroin, (d) amphetamine and (e) cocaine among civil servants. [24997]

The Home Office Drug Strategy Directorate is currently developing, with partners, a strategy for tackling the issue of drug misuse in the workplace. One of the proposed outcomes is the production of definitive guidance to employers, in all sectors, of best practice in managing drug issues in workplace settings. The strategy will aim to include a balanced view on the comparative worth of drug testing as a tool for employers, and cover each of the drugs specified in the question. The current intention is to publish the guidance during the financial year 2002–03 and make it widely available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress he has made in appointing the chair of the service authorities for the National Criminal Intelligence Service and the National Crime Squad. [27346]

I have appointed Mr. David Lock to be the Chair of the Service Authorities from 1 April 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans her Department has for addressing the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe. [25991]

There are acute shortages of food and other basic supplies in Zimbabwe as a result of misgovernment. During the last six months DFID has provided £4 million in essential drug supplies, and £4 million for non-governmental supplementary feeding programmes—targeting vulnerable children in particular. The UN has now developed a humanitarian assistance programme to help an estimated one million people. I have agreed to provide a further £6 million for this programme, supporting World Food Programme feeding activities, and helping the World Health Organisation to maintain essential medical supplies. In all of these programmes, special consideration has been given to delivery mechanisms to ensure that those in need benefit regardless of their tribal or political affiliations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the annual cost of giving individual injections in place of the MMR vaccine; what the time interval required between such individual injections would be; and what estimate he has made of the vulnerability of children to particular diseases within the time gaps; [7109](2) how many representations he has received from

Separate measles, mumps and rubella vaccines in place of MMR have never been recommended by the Government's independent expert advisory committees on immunisation. As a result, no estimates have been made of the cost of giving separate vaccines. Cost is not an issue in decisions over MMR immunisation.We are not aware of any studies that have looked at the relative merits of possible time gaps between separate measles, mumps and rubella vaccines. The researcher who first put this suggestion forward has stated that a gap of "at least a year" should be left between each vaccine. However, there is no scientific evidence to support this suggestion.The risk to an individual child of contracting one or more of the diseases MMR protects against as a result of having separate vaccines rather than MMR will vary in different parts of the country. The risk will increase the longer a child is left unprotected. The unborn child of a pregnant women who is not immune to rubella will also be at increased risk from disease should the pregnant woman come into contact with an unimmunised individual.There have been several hundred representations from members of the public about MMR. It is not possible to say how many are from the medical profession. The British Medical Association and the Royal Colleges who represent members of medical positions support our policy on MMR.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the gross costs of the regulatory impact assessment for (a) the Restriction on Pithing Regulations 2001, (b) the Feeding Stuffs (Sampling and Analysis) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2001, (c) the Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) (Charges) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2001 and (d) the Gelatine (Intra-Community Trade) (England) Regulations 2001. [17700]

These costs are shown in the published regulatory impact assessments which are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Haemophilia Society; and what action he plans to take in respect of people who have contracted HIV and Hepatitis C from contaminated blood products. [21975]

Officials met with the Haemophilia Society on 30 November 2001. Issues discussed included the Society's 'Carpet of Lilies' campaign, the CJD Incident Panel's consultation document "Management of possible exposure to CJD through medical procedures" (issued on 10 October 2001) and the role of primary care trusts in commissioning haemophilia services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many UK-resident patients over the age of 16 are being treated with rcFVIII. [22325]

The latest information from the United Kingdom Haemophilia Centre Doctors Organisation shows that 43 per cent. of patients aged 20 and over in the United Kingdom are receiving recombinant clotting factors.All health authorities and national health service trusts in England have been asked to provide recombinant (synthetic) clotting factors for new haemophilia patients and children under 16. We are giving careful consideration to the case for providing recombinant clotting factors for all haemophilia patients in England.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) total costs and (b) design and printing costs were involved in producing the annual report of the Chief Medical Officer for the Department of Health 2001. [26148]

The total cost for producing the Chief Medical Officer's annual report for 2001 was £74,506. Of this cost £17,863 was spent on printing and £56,643 was spent on the design, development and production of the report.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what are the latest estimated levels of uncollected (a) income tax and (b) other taxes (i) in cash terms, (ii) current values and (iii) as a percentage for each year since 1997–98;(2) how much tax remained uncollected at the end of each fiscal year since 1978–79. [25302]

Figures for amounts of assessed and collectible tax as at the end of each accounting year (31 October) are available in the Inland Revenue's annual reports for years up to October 1998, in Table 1 of Appendix 1.The figures for uncollected tax represent net tax charged but not paid as at the accounting date, and are a snapshot of the position at the date of the account. Most of the tax uncollected at the balance of each account is subsequently collected, and most of the amount outstanding attracts an interest charge.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the performance of Government departments against their Public Service Agreement targets. [26130]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave in response to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 10 July 2001, Official report, column 502.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give for the years 1997–98 to 2003–04 a detailed reconciliation between the public expenditure planning total and general Government expenditure. [26286]

The information sought can be found in tables 1.1 and 1.13 of Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) 2001–02, HM Treasury Cm 5101, April 2001. Those tables give spending details for the years 1998–99 to 2003–04. Data for 1997–98 are not available on the same basis because of switch to resource accounting and budgeting. The tables show the reconciliation between total departmental expenditure limits, and total managed expenditure.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the planned social security expenditure as a percentage of GDP in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03, (c) 2003–04, (d) 2004–05 and (e)2005–06.

The planned total social security expenditure, excluding tax credits, as a percentage of GDP is:

(a) 2001–02: 11.1 per cent.

(b) 2002–03: 11.0 per cent.

(c) 2003–04: 11.0 per cent.

The Government have not yet published social security spending figures beyond 2003–04.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the tax burden as a percentage of gross domestic product, using total taxes and social security contributions on an individual accounts accruals basis for each tax year from 2001–02 to 2006–07. [26333]

The available estimates of net taxes and social security contributions as a percentage of GDP are shown in Table B9, p. 175, of the November 2001 pre-Budget report.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the Comprehensive Spending Review and its impact on levels of public infrastructure investment. [26142]

Treasury Ministers receive a wide range of representations about public spending issues. These will be considered as part of the 2002 Spending Review.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will announce the capital receipts initiative for the next three years. [26100]

Capital receipts released from the disposal of surplus assets can be invested back into public services. Table B 18 in the pre-Budget report 2001 sets out annual projections for sales of fixed assets up to 2003–04.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the percentage of gross domestic product which will be accounted for by non-North Sea taxes and national insurance contributions in each of the next five years. [26331]

Estimates of non-North Sea taxes and national insurance contributions as a percentage of GDP can be derived from Table B9, p. 175, of the November 2001 pre-Budget report.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the planned education expenditure as a percentage of GDP in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03 and (c) 2003–04. [26102]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on 20 July 2001, Official report, column 776W.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if expenditure on hospital repairs is classified by his Department as current or capital expenditure. [26138]

Expenditure on hospital repairs is classified as current expenditure in national accounts, and as resource expenditure in departmental budgets.A major enhancement to a hospital that extended its working life or added new facilities would be classified as capital expenditure. Decisions on the classification of activities on the borderline between repairs and major enhancements would be made by a hospital's accountants and subsequently audited in terms of Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (GAAP) applied by the accountancy profession. The decision of the accountants would follow through into national accounts and departmental budgets.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the financial performance of Government trading funds in each of the last four years. [26105]

Information on the financial performance of Government trading funds can be found in the annual reports and accounts prepared and published by each trading fund.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to conduct a thorough needs assessment in order to determine the appropriate level of central Government support for public expenditure in Scotland. [26116]

The Government's policy on devolved funding, including the Barnett formula, is set out in the Statement of Funding Policy, published by the Treasury in July 2000.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide a breakdown by Department of the estimated capital expenditure under the Private Finance Initiative in 2001–02. [26269]

Detailed figures setting out estimates of capital investment by the private sector in support of PFI deals (both signed and those at preferred bidder) and estimated payments made by Government under PFI contracts are published in the Financial Statement and Budget Report each year. Tables C16 and C17 of Budget 2001 include the latest projections of capital expenditure by the private sector under the Private Finance Initiative, broken down by Department, for 2001–02. In line with past practice, I expect to update these figures shortly.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the 2002 departmental reports to be published. [26115]

The 2002 departmental reports are expected to be published in April 2002.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effective annualised increase in public sector pay for those workers covered by the pay review bodies in each of the last four years. [26334]

I estimate the average cost of the annual pay settlements, from 1 April each year, as follows:

	Percentage
1998	3.9
1999	4.1
2000	3.7
2001	4.0

The figure for 1998 is the full year cost. The first year cost was 2.7 per cent., reflecting the staged implementation of the recommendations of the pay review bodies that year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list central Government disposals from the National Asset Register in each of the last four years specifying the value of each disposal. [26141]

The National Asset Register provides details of all significant disposals of central Government assets by Department for each of the financial years 1997–98 to 1999–2000

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the amount in 2001–02 prices accounted for by general Government expenditure on services from 1979–80 to 2001–02 was, broken down by the current classification of sponsor Department. [26132]

Information about total managed expenditure on services by broad activity of spending, from 1984–85 to 2000–01, is published in table 3.3 of Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) 2001–02 (Cm 5101) and is presented in 1999–2000 prices.Information about spending broken down by Department is published in tables 1.7, 1.8 and 1.9 of PESA 2001–02A breakdown of spending from 1979–80 to 2001–02 in 2001–02 prices, by current classification of sponsor Department, is not readily available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the local authority, central Government and public corporation components of sales of public sector land and buildings in each of the last five years. [26339]

Information about the sale of central and local government land and buildings, from 1995–96 to 2000–01, is published in table 3.8 of Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2001–02 (Cm 5101). Equivalent information for public corporations is not readily available

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what goods and services provided by the access to work scheme are considered to be a taxable benefit; whether the receipt of digital hearing aids funded through the Department of Work and Pensions access to work scheme can be considered a taxable benefit; and if he will make a statement. [25367]

Goods and services of whatever nature provided to an employee by reason of the employment are exempt from charge if supplied in order to carry out the duties of the employment and any private use is not significant.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the staff report on the implementation of the HIPC debt initiatives referred to on page 5 of his joint statement of 16 November 2001 with the Secretary of State for International Development at the Ottawa meeting of the World bank and IMF. [26499]

The report of the World bank and IMF Development Committee on the status of the implementation of the HIPC Initiative is available on the World bank website at http: //www.worldbank.org/hipc/Status_of_Implem_english.pdf.

To ask the Prime Minister when he expects to receive the report on charities and the voluntary sector commissioned from the Performance and Innovation Unit. [26500]

The Performance and Innovation Unit's review on charities and the voluntary sector is expected to be completed by the spring.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his visits to Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. [26498]

I visited Bangladesh, India and Pakistan from 3–7 January. I had discussions with the leaders of all three countries, and a series of other meetings aimed at further strengthening our bilateral relations. The visit also provided an opportunity for me to discuss key regional issues

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 10 December 2001, Official report, column 650W, on sub-post offices, if she will list (a) the initiatives that received payments from the sub-post office start-up capital scheme in 2001–02, with the funding received in each case and (b) those that applied but did not receive funding.

To date, there have been over 500 requests for further information about the sub-post office start-up subsidy scheme and 118 of these have generated requests for application forms of which 18 have so far been returned. Five applications for support under the scheme have now been approved and other applications are under consideration. One payment of £13,200 has been made in respect of an initiative at Capel-le-Ferne in Kent. No applications have been rejected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on Consignia's proposed job cuts. [24621]

Consignia's intention to make the cost savings it has announced is an operational issue for the company which is consulting with the unions on the matter. The company has not informed the Government of specific plans of how it intends to achieve these savings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) employees and (b) managers there are in each business unit of Consignia, broken down by (i) gender and (ii) ethnic origin. [24452]

Consignia is responsible for the number and location of its employees. I am advised by the company that the information sought is not available in the format requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her latest estimate is of (a) the annual value of Benefits Agency business to Consignia which will be lost as a result of the introduction of automated credit transfer and (b) the expected revenue to be gained by Consignia through the operation of the Universal bank. [25370]

The current value of Benefits Agency business to Consignia is some £400 million a year. The migration of benefit payments to ACT is scheduled to begin in 2003. How that migration affects the revenue of Consignia and the post office network will depend on a number of factors, not least how benefit recipients and other post office customers respond to change.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria are used by Consignia to determine whether a post office is facing unavoidable closure; and if she will make a statement. [25369]

Consignia define an unavoidable closure of a post office as one where no one suitable is prepared to take over from the departing sub-postmaster, where no suitable premises remain available or can be identified or where an associated retail business is no longer commercially viable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she intends to introduce legislation on improving access to broadband telecommunications networks in rural and semi-rural areas; and if she will make a statement. [24742]

The Government's strategy was outlined in a written answer to the hon. Member for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale (Mr. Duncan) on 11 December 2001, Official report, column 757W, and I refer the hon. Member to that response.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the (a) availability and (b) take-up of broadband services by (i) individuals and (ii) businesses in the constituency of Congleton. [24741]

A map showing availability of broadband services in the UK was contained in "UK Online: the Broadband Future" and has been placed in the Libraries of the House, though there have not been any assessments made of coverage by constituency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the roles of (a) her Department, (b) the Food Standards Agency, (c) local authorities, (d) port health authorities and (e) other relevant public agencies, in the control of food imports. [18362]

[holding answer 23 November 2001]: The Department is the central competent authority for animal health policy as it affects veterinary checks on the import of products of animal origin from third countries. The Food Standards Agency is responsible for public health policy and food enforcement activity by all local authorities including port health authorities. Local authorities and port health authorities (where one exists) are responsible for the enforcement of controls at point of import. Local authorities also have responsibility for health controls at all subsequent points in the human food chain. Her Majesty's Customs and Excise Department are responsible for ensuring that any product of animal origin presented for import is not released until the health controls at point of import have been completed satisfactorily.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Treasury on how to improve co-ordination of controls on food imports. [20813]

[holding answer 6 December 2001]: Departmental officials are leading an inter-departmental review aimed at co-ordinating action across government to ensure that rules on imports of products of animal origin are enforced effectively and efficiently. In carrying out this task they meet regularly with colleagues in the Treasury, other Government Departments and responsible enforcement authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what controls the Government have to prevent (a) unsafe and (b) inferior food imports; and what plans she has to tighten those controls. [20812]

[holding answer 6 December 2001]: All consignments of products of animal origin imported into the UK from other EU member states must have been produced in accordance with the harmonised Community rules laid down in various Council directives. Imports from third countries must have been produced to standards at least equivalent to those in this legislation. Among other things, this legislation sets out the licensing, structural and veterinary supervision requirements to be applied in meat, fish and milk processing plants.All products of animal origin imported into the UK from third countries must enter at designated UK Border Inspection Posts (BIPs). All consignments are subject to documentary and identity checks and a proportion are subject to physical checks. The level of physical checks is laid down in Community legislation and depends on a number of risk factors. These ensure import conditions are met and that the products remain in satisfactory condition during transport. In line with Community rules, random spot checks at destination may be carried out on consignments of animal products imported from other EU member states.The Government take very seriously the need to have effective controls on imports of animal products and we in DEFRA are co-ordinating action across government to ensure that the rules are enforced as effectively as possible.Controls on the importation of food products for human use which are not of animal origin, such as fruit, vegetables and cereals, from countries outside the EU are not harmonised at EU level. Imports of such food must meet the food hygiene requirements in Great Britain's Imported Food Regulations 1997 and their equivalent in Northern Ireland for which the Food Standards Agency is responsible. These Regulations require that imported food meets the same food safety standards as apply to food produced in the UK. The UK's local food authorities, who undertake day-to-day enforcement at air and sea ports, can refuse entry to or arrange destruction of foods that do not meet the UK's requirements. Such food imported from both third countries and other EU member states may be inspected at retail level to ensure that it satisfies requirements under the Food Safety Act 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Government will consult on the exercise of slaughter powers and other provisions of the Animal Health Bill. [27347]

I am pleased to announce that the Government are today issuing a paper for public consultation. This proposes criteria that will govern the use in England and Wales of the new slaughter powers contained in the Animal Health Bill, together with arrangements for operating the adjusted compensation scheme for infected premises.This document has been sent to around 200 organisations, although any interested parties are welcome to access it on DEFRA's website http: //www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/current. htm and respond. Copies have also been placed in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many organic farmers are registered in the constituency of Buckingham. [23741]

This information is currently unavailable but a database is currently being developed which will allow interrogation of statistics to county level.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what strategy her Department is adopting to provide support and encouragement to parish and town councils to maximise their effectiveness. [26487]

The Government believe strongly in the role and potential of town and parish councils to act as community leaders in their area.Our strategy to help parish and town councils develop a new role and give communities the opportunity to shape their future is set out in the Rural White Paper, published in November 2000. We have made considerable progress in putting in place measures to help local councils develop their potential to lead and invigorate their communities, including (over three years): £15 million for Community Service Grants to help projects to maintain or introduce services which are local priorities; £15 million for Parish Transport Grants scheme for small scale projects to meet local needs; a further £5 million to help up to 1,000 parishes draw up their own town or village plans to set out local needs and aspirations. The Countryside Agency and the National Association of Local Councils have published a national training and support strategy for parish and town councils, towards which we have allocated £2 million. In November we published a consultation paper on putting the Quality Parish and Town Council concept into practice. This sets out our detailed proposals for enhancing the role of local councils, giving their communities a better deal on local services and a stronger voice in the decisions that affect peoples lives.The National Association of Local Councils is now represented on the Rural Affairs Forum for England, which I chair, and which met for the first time on Wednesday 9 January.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the recent Countryside Agency publication which denoted parish and town councils according to their level of activity. [26486]

The publication to which my hon. Friend refers is a Countryside Agency working document made available in the Library of the House pursuant to my answer of 28 November 2001, Official report, column 1018W, on rural parishes. It is part of the agency's work to monitor over time the state of the countryside and was the source of summary figures on "community vibrancy" that the agency published last April to form a baseline for reporting in future years. "Community vibrancy" is one of 15 Headline Rural Indicators identified to monitor progress in achieving the objectives we set in the Rural White Paper. Our aim is to see the indicator move in the right direction over time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the state of the fox population following the cessation of hunting as part of foot and mouth eradication. [26488]

There is no information which could provide the basis for an answer to this question.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment. Food and Rural Affairs how many farms were subject to contingency culls undertaken in each county area during the foot and mouth disease epidemic; and what percentage these culls represent of all culls. [26025]

During the foot and mouth outbreak in Great Britain, animals from 2,026 infected premises, 7,494 dangerous contacts premises (of which 3,329 were contiguous premises) and 257 slaughter on suspicion premises, have been slaughtered. No other farms have been designated for culling.A breakdown of the animals slaughtered by county, by species and by premises type is available on the DEFRA website www.defra.gov.uk

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will inform hon. Members when the independent inquiry into the lessons to be learned from the foot and mouth epidemic has begun its work. [22337]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Monmouth (Mr. Edwards) on 8 January 2002, Official report, column 735W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of (a) the number and (b) the process of selection of (i) former Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food officials and (ii) former Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions officials now working in her Department; and if she will make a statement. [25774]

When DEFRA was created on 8 June 2001, all staff working in MAFF and the staff working on environmental protection and wildlife and countryside in DETR transferred to the new Department. As at 1 November 2001, there were 8,157 staff in core DEFRA and 5,952 staff in DEFRA agencies, making a total of 14,109 staff. Of the 8,157 staff in core DEFRA, 635 came from DETR and 7,522 came from former MAFF or joined DEFRA as new employees since 8 June.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what are the conditions with which (a) hunt organisers and (b) hunt followers must comply following approval of recommencement of hunting in England; and what is the purpose of each condition. [26646]

This answer should be read against the background to the arrangements which I set out fully in an answer to the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Luff) on 10 January 2002, Official report, column 905W, for allowing the controlled resumption of hunting.A permit for hunting with dogs in foot and mouth disease free counties is issued to the hunt organisers and contains the following conditions which they must observe:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list by county the amounts paid to farmers in England and Wales for the last five years for each of the (a) CAP and (b) UK schemes for which she is responsible. [17652]

[holding answer 27 November 2001]: The information requested is not currently held in this format.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of agricultural producer support in (a) the EU, (b) the UK and (c) England is met by (i) direct subsidy, (ii) price support, (iii) import charges, (iv) export refunds and (v) intervention. [26648]

The OECD produces annual estimates of agricultural producer support in OECD countries, called Producer Support Estimate (PSE). Their most recent provisional estimate for the EU shows that in 2000 about 40 per cent. of agricultural producer support is derived from direct subsidies. The remainder of the producer support is a result of market support measures (import charges, export refunds and intervention) and it is not possible to estimate the effect of these measures separately.My latest estimates for the UK for 2000 indicate that about 45 per cent. of UK agricultural producer support is a result of direct subsidies, with the remainder resulting from CAP market support measures. The estimates for England are similar to the UK figure.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will respond to the written questions of the hon. Member for Vale of York tabled on 29 November, Refs. 20777, 20778, 20779 and 20780. [22055]

I refer the hon. Member to the replies given on 11 December 2001, Official report, columns 850–51W, and 8 January 2002, Official report, columns 738–39W

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Northavon of (a) 3 April, her reference 153878, (b) 3 May, her reference 155624, (c) 14 June, her reference 156587, (d) 8 May on the 20 day standstill for livestock movements, our ref GWY/LH, (e) 4 May on behalf of Mrs. Thomas, (f) 4 May on behalf of Mr. Barton, (g) 26 June on behalf of Mr. Weaver and (h) 23 July on behalf of Mrs. Summers. [8485]

[holding answer 18 October 2001]: All of the above letters have been responded to with the exception of the letter of 23 July of which we unfortunately have no record.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the European Commission's directive on the definition of meat and meat foodstuffs; and if she will make a statement. [20137]

I have been asked to reply.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to improve surveillance measures on imports of Belgian beef in order to ensure the prevention of specified risk material entering the UK. [23058]

I have been asked to reply.Specified risk material, in the form of spinal cord, has been found in carcase beef imported from Belgium on two occasions, both during November 2001. The beef came from two different Belgian plants, and in each case only a small proportion of the total consignment of carcase beef was involved. The Food Standards Agency (FSA), which is responsible for food safety matters in the United Kingdom, informed the Belgian authorities promptly about these incidents, asking them to investigate and to notify the FSA of the action being taken to prevent a recurrence. On each occasion the FSA also notified the European Commission.As meat is part of the single European market, beef from another European Union member state is not subject to border inspection controls. But it is subject to checks at the meat plant of destination within the United Kingdom. In April 2001, the FSA instructed the Meat Hygiene Service to check every consignment of imported carcase beef arriving at licensed meat plants in Great Britain. Similar advice was given to local authorities, and in Northern Ireland. This policy remains current practice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list by country the sources of beef found to have traces of specified risk material in consignments of beef imported into the UK in the past 12 months. [23059]

I have been asked to reply.In the past 12 months, traces of specified risk material have been found in consignments of beef imported into the United Kingdom from Germany (8 times), the Netherlands (5 times), Ireland (4 times), Belgium (twice), Spain (twice), Italy (once) and Denmark (once).The sources of the beef are shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what financial support will be provided to the people of South Tyneside after the loss of jobs in Viasystems. [9107]

Redundancies can have a devastating effect on local economies, especially where they occur in an area of high unemployment or the local economy is largely dependent on one industry. We are introducing the rapid response service so as to reduce the impact of large-scale redundancy on the whole community. The service offers a coherent response tailored to need and will help those affected by redundancy to make the transition to sustainable new jobs offering opportunities for progression.The service is already helping people who have lost their jobs at Viasystems. Following the announcement of redundancies, rapid response funding of £202,000 was secured to provide help with training and resettlement. In the light of the company being placed in receivership additional measures were introduced to provide support for the redundant workers, including a telephone helpline for information on jobs, training and benefits. Additional staff from Employment Service. South Tyneside metropolitan borough council, Learning and Skills Council, North Tyneside council and local colleges ran sessions aimed at providing advice and counselling for redundant employees. Advice sessions have been held at local community centres which were attended by over 100 people. A further event with training providers and employers was held at Jarrow jobcentre on 20 October and attended by over 70 people and redundant workers were also invited to an employment fair at the South Shields families day on 23 October.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the cost of the internet Learning and Work Bank. [14092]

The Learning and Work Bank was launched as Worktrain in March 2001. Worktrain is an internet portal bringing together. for the first time, information on job vacancies, learning opportunities, occupational profiles and child care providers. The aim of the service is to make it simpler for people to look for jobs and learning opportunities, and to provide other useful information to help them make work and career decisions.Worktrain is a joint initiative of this Department with the Department for Education and Skills. Estimated costs for the financial year 2001–02 are £3 million

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions his Department has had with other Government Departments to encourage employment of new deal participants. [18057]

Since new deal started, the Employment Service Large Organisation Unit have worked continuously with Government Departments and agencies on the recruitment of new dealers. They have also developed a close working relationship with the Cabinet Office to encourage employment of new dealers within Government Departments. This has resulted in:

1. An event in March 2000 for representatives from all Government Departments to discuss ways to encourage further new deal recruitment within the civil service.

2. The New Deal Civil Service Development Forum was established in June 2000. Thirty Departments were represented in this forum. The aim of the forum is to share best practice in new deal recruitment and to discuss any issues and concerns Departments may have.

3. A Civil Service Gateway training provision, developed in February 2001, to address recruitment issues and further increase new deal take up within Departments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to encourage greater participation in the labour market by Muslim women. [23812]

Muslim women can benefit from the range of new deals and other welfare-to-work initiatives that we have introduced to help people overcome the barriers to employment and to make work pay, such as working families tax credit, the national minimum wage, and the national child care strategy. From later this year, we will also invest in a new service in five areas of the country, to reach out to minority ethnic people who are at a disadvantage in the labour market.Measures are also being introduced in the current Employment Bill that will help working mothers to remain within the work force through better balancing of their work and home commitments. This is good for parents, children and business.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the full cost of the ONE Programme will be, broken down into different stages, as it is rolled out. [24229]

The ONE pilots look at a new way of delivering services, bringing together the Employment Service, Benefits Agency and local authorities into a single point of contact for clients, while putting work and helping people overcome the obstacles to work at the heart of the benefit system. The 12 pilots are all fully operational and are due to run until 2002ߝ03Expenditure on ONE for 1999–2000 and 2000–01 was £68 million, including development, implementation and live running costs. Forecast expenditure for 2001–02 is £39 million. £25 million funding has been provisionally allocated for 2002–03The lessons learned from the ONE pilots are being fed into the development of the Jobcentre Plus Service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the employment status of foster carers. [24566]

People who provide fostering services are not treated as being in full-time work for benefit purposes and are able to claim income support and jobseeker's allowance in the normal way. Payments received from the local authority in respect of fostering are fully disregarded in calculating entitlement to these benefits. Nor are such payments taxable if they just cover the basic cost of looking after the child. These arrangements are intended to act as incentives for people to provide this type of service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the level of unemployment was of (a) white and (b) non-white people in Bradford in 2001. [25031]

The information is in the table:

	ILO unemployment	Working age aILO unemployment(percentage)
Overall	18,626	8.3
Non-white	7,753	22.4
White	10,873	5.7

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer of 23 November 2001, Official Report, column 538W, on Expenditure (Initiatives), if he will specify the table number and the page number in the Department for Education and Employment departmental report 2001–02 to 2003–04 which contain details of the amount budgeted in each financial year for the planned lifetime of each initiative. [25787]

The information requested is contained in table 4.2, on pages 28–29 of the report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will establish a national sports museum; and if she will make a statement. [26095]

The Government have no plans to establish or fund a national museum of sport. My Department has previously received representations from organisations seeking to establish privately funded sport museums. The establishment and funding of such museums is a matter for those organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with the Chairman of English Heritage about his organisation's role in the regeneration of small towns; and if she will make a statement. [25405]

Ministers have regular discussion with the Chairman of English Heritage about the work of his organisation. The Government's recent statement "The Historic Environment: A Force for Our Future" confirmed regeneration activity as an important part of English Heritage's remit, particularly through its Conservation Area Partnerships and Heritage Economic Regeneration Schemes. Some 60 per cent. of the £35 million offered by English Heritage each year for conservation work is targeted at regeneration schemes, and many of these are in smaller towns. Of the 188 HERS schemes currently running, around 50 per cent. are in smaller towns.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how many competitive grant schemes administered by his Department and its agencies were open in each of the last 10 years to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion; [22436](2) what estimate has been made of the administrative cost to the

[holding answer 12 December 2001]: The Home Office has lead policy responsibility for the Government's relationship with the voluntary and community sector. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Wallasey (Angela Eagle), on 19 December 2001 Official Report, column 482.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what assessment she has made of the merits of the process by which proposals for a new national stadium will be considered; [23333](2) what representations the Football Association has made with regard to the review of the national stadium proposals; and what account has been taken of them; [23334](3) if the Coventry bid for the national stadium remains part of the Task Force Review. [23335]

[holding answer 19 December 2001]: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 19 December 2001, Official Report, columns 291–93. Copies of Patrick Carter's English National Stadium Review Interim Report were laid before the House on the same date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions which rail investment projects of over £10 million have been (a) agreed and (b) contracted since Railtrack went into administration. [22123]

[holding answer 10 December 2001]: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 22 November 2001, Official Report, column 389W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the total funding is drawn down by the Railtrack administrator under section 2.1 of the commercial loan agreement. [26302]

The total is £847,746,792.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much of the working capital facility in section 2.2 of the Railtrack commercial loan agreement has been drawn down. [26303]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when (a) the Chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority, (b) the CEO of the Strategic Rail Authority, (c) the Chairman of Railtrack and (d) the Rail Regulator were appointed. [25241]

The Chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) was appointed on 1 December 2001. In accordance with the Transport Act 2000 the Franchising Director (who was appointed on 1 May 1999) was appointed as the Chief Executive of the SRA on 1 February 2001. He left the post on 17 December 2001. The Rail Regulator was appointed on 5 July 1999. The appointment of a Chairman of Railtrack is a matter for the company.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much, in cash and real terms, was invested in (a) track and signalling capital projects and (b) other capital projects in the railway industry each year from 1998–99; and of each, how much was met from public funds. [26661]

Investment in the rail industry between 1998–99 and 2000–01 is shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's answer of 12 December 2001, Official Report, column 889W, on capital assets, if he will place in the Library information on the accounting treatment of the public private partnership projects relating to (a) British Dartford Thurrock Crossing, (b) Second Severn Crossing, (c) Birmingham North Relief Road, (d) Midland Metro, (e) Northern Line Trains, (f) A69, (g) A50, (h)A19,(i) A417/419, (j) M40, (k) A30/35, (l) A1(M),(m) Manchester Metrolink, (n) Docklands Light Railway Extensions, (o) Croydon Tramlink and (p) M1/A1 Link Road; and if he will make a statement. [24176]

The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he has drawn up contingency plans for the company limited by guarantee if it fails to achieve a credit rating of A/A2; and if he will make a statement. [24179]

It is for the administrator to put a proposal for a transfer scheme before my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, based on any propositions he receives. The administrator and all potential bidders will need to take account of the guidelines issued in response to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Vernon Coaker) on 31 October 2001, Official Report, columns 669–71W. The guidelines specify, among other things, that potential bidders should be able to demonstrate that their proposed successor company will have a sufficiently high investment grade credit rating to raise the necessary finance for its activities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the likely rent levels for local authority tenants in each Greater London borough following the proposed rent re-structuring. [25232]

Individual local authorities retain responsibility for rent setting. Rents following restructuring will depend, among other things, on the outcome of future spending reviews.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what guidance he issues on who is given priority for council housing; and what priority is given to the homeless when they apply. [26631]

Section 167(2) of the Housing Act 1996 requires that, in framing its allocation scheme, an authority shall ensure that reasonable preference is given to certain categories of persons. These are:

(a) People occupying insanitary or overcrowded housing or otherwise living in unsatisfactory housing conditions

(b) People occupying housing accommodation which is temporary of occupied on insecure terms

(c) Families with dependent children

(d) Households consisting of or including someone who is expecting a child

(e) Households consisting of or including someone with a particular need for settled accommodation on medical or welfare grounds

(f) Households whose social or economic circumstances are such that they have difficulty in securing settled accommodation; and

(g) Households who are, or have been, owed a main homelessness duty (ie people found to be unintentionally homeless and in priority need).

Section 167 also requires that additional preference be given to households consisting of or including someone with a particular need for settled accommodation on medical or welfare grounds who cannot reasonably be expected to find settled accommodation for themselves in the foreseeable future.The Code of Guidance on Allocations and Homelessness, issued in 1996, gives guidance on how local authorities should discharge their functions under Parts 6 (allocations) and 7 (homelessness) of the Housing Act 1996. The code makes clear that it is for each authority to consider how to reflect the categories set out in s.167(2) in their allocations scheme, although generally they should ensure that greater preference is given to the more severe cases of need.The Homelessness Bill will amend the reasonable preference categories. However, households who are owed a main homelessness duty will continue to be given priority for housing under the new provisions. We will be issuing a revised Code of Guidance to accompany the changes to the legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many complaints have been reported in his Department under paragraph 11 of the Civil Service Code since 13 May 1999; and how many of them related to special advisers. [25338]

[holding answer 9 January 2002]: The procedures for making complaints under the Civil Service Code are set out in the Department's staff handbook. Civil servants are encouraged, in the first instance, to raise complaints made under paragraph 11 of the Civil Service Code with their line manager. If, for any reason, this is not felt to be possible, perhaps because the line manager is part of the complaint, individuals may take their complaint to a nominated official. It is not possible to provide a comprehensive figure for the number of complaints made within this Department under paragraph 11 of the Civil Service Code as there is no requirement for managers to report to the centre details of complaints made under the Civil Service Code which are resolved within the management line.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the legal status is of offer documents sent to council tenants prior to a ballot on stock transfer; and if plans within such documents are binding on new landlords. [25257]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave her on 9 January 2002, Official Report, columns 848–49W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Strategic Rail Authority and (b) Scottish Ministers regarding the re-opening of the Waverley rail route from Edinburgh to Carlisle. [25916]

There have been no recent discussions. Last year Scottish Borders council announced that a detailed application for formal consent to construct the railway is likely to be lodged with the Scottish Parliament by March 2003. If work goes to schedule and plans are approved the railway could be re-opened in 2008.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what progress has been made in the conduct of a rail capacity study for East-Central Scotland, with particular reference to services to and from England. [25915]

There are currently two reviews in progress. One study has been commissioned by the Scottish Executive to aid them in deciding upon their strategic priorities. The study consist of two phases, the first part of which reported in September last year and the main second phase which is due to report in May 2002. The Strategic Rail Authority has also commissioned Railtrack to undertake a study, also in two phases. The first part has recently been completed, the second phase has yet to commence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much has been received in tolls on the Second Severn Crossing in each year of its existence. [26064]

The Second Severn Crossing opened in 1996. However, the concession for the crossing was granted in 1992, at which time the Concessionaire (Severn River Crossing plc) were able to use revenue from the existing crossing to partly finance the construction of the new crossing.Listed is the toll revenue received since 1992. Up to 1996 the figure is for the first Crossing only, after that date the figure is for the two bridges combined. Separate figures for the two bridges is not immediately available.

	£
1992	21,990,895
1993	34,365,696
1994	39,196,924
1995	43,773,796
1996	47,154,568
1997	51,112,112
1998	55,240,910
1999	59,831,779
2000	60,995,760

The final figure for toll revenue for 2001 is not currently available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions which major (a)bridge, (b) tunnel and c)trunk road tolls (i) can and (ii) cannot be paid by credit or debit card. [26079]

Of the major tolled bridges and tunnels (there are currently no major tolled trunk roads open) only the Tyne Tunnel accepts payment by credit or debit card. All of the undertakings (Dartford Crossings, Humber Bridge, Mersey Tunnels, Severn Crossings, Tamar Bridge and Tyne Tunnel) have a system for pre-payment for which payment by credit or debit card is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what provision exists for tolls for the Second Severn Crossing to be paid in euro. [26078]

The Concessionaire (Severn River Crossing plc) is already prepared to accept payment for tolls in euros.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to allow drivers on the Severn Crossing to pay tolls with credit and debit cards. [26066]

There are no plans at present to allow credit card payments due to the fact that finance companies levy about a 3 per cent. surcharge for such transactions. Neither the Concessionaire (Severn River Crossing plc) nor the Government are currently prepared to fund this surcharge. However, the Concessionaire and the Government will continue to review this position.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the outstanding debt is on the Second Severn Crossing; and if it will be repaid. [26065]

The outstanding debt on the crossing stands at £469,606,000 as at 2000 accounts. It is intended that the whole of this debt will be paid by the end of the concession period, likely to be about mid 2014.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what progress his Department's review of Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations has made. [26082]

The Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions intends to carry out a public consultation shortly on proposals to update the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 to relax certain provisions and to align others with requirements already in force under European Community law.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many appeals affecting listed buildings have been (a) upheld and (b) dismissed in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [25966]

The provision of information on planning appeals is the responsibility of the Planning Inspectorate. I have asked the Inspectorate's Chief Executive, Mr. Chris Shepley, to write to the hon. Member.