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Arts Funding (South-west)

Mr. Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans she has to increase the level of funding for the arts in the south-west. [11956]

Mr. Sproat: The Government are committed to helping support a lively and accessible artistic tradition by continued public subsidy for the arts. We have continued to offer substantial support for the arts despite overall pressures on public expenditure. In November, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced funding of

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£186 million for the Arts Council of England in 1997-98, an increase of £3.2 million over the baseline on which the Arts Council was asked to plan.

It is for the Arts Council of England to determine the allocation of grant in aid to the 10 regional arts boards, including South West Arts. It takes such decisions independently of Ministers, and in the light of relative needs and priorities. In addition, the south-west continues to benefit from the proceeds of the national lottery. So far, the lottery has provided £27,000,000 towards improving and increasing the availability and quality of the arts in the region.

National Lottery

Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the total amount allocated from the proceeds of the national lottery to the small grants programme set up by the National Lottery Charities Board; and what proportion of such grants have been made to charities whose main or primary purpose is to assist people affected by flooding, fires or other disasters. [11722]

Mr. Sproat [holding answer 22 January 1997]: The National Lottery Charities Board has so far made grants in Wales under its small grants programme worth a total of £511,000. I understand that, under the programme so far, no charities have applied whose main or primary purpose is to assist people affected by disasters such as flooding or fires, so no such grants have been made.

Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list the awards made from the proceeds of the national lottery to organisations involved in relieving the effects of national disasters, giving in each case (a) the name of the organisation and (b) the amount awarded. [11721]

Mr. Sproat [holding answer 22 January 1997]: No lottery awards have been made to organisations involved in relieving the effects of national disasters.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Organic Farming

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farmers farm organically; and what percentage this constitutes of the total number of farmers in the most recent year for which figures are available. [12092]

Mr. Boswell: The number of farmers in the UK--principal farmers and partners, whole time and part time--as at June 1995 was 219,000. At the same date, there were 784 registered organic holding--0.36 per cent. of the number of farmers. These figures are, however, prepared on different bases and are not strictly comparable.

Storm Surges

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his letter of 1 November 1996, reference 101871, what study he has made of Dixon and Tawn's findings on storm surges; and what action he proposes. [10825]

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Mr. Boswell: Dixon and Tawn undertook a theoretical statistical analysis.

Further study using actual data gathered from the national network of tide gauges has confirmed that non-random events, such as astronomic tides, influence water level estimates. Their range, between an overestimate of 250 mm and an underestimate of 100 mm, falls within the current allowance for water level estimates used for the design of sea defences.

New Zealand Flatworm

Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the potential impact on United Kingdom exports of plants to Sweden of the New Zealand flatworm. [12422]

Mr. Boswell: Sweden has listed the New Zealand flatworm as an indirect plant pest in its national legislation. We understand that this measure was adopted in order that the Swedish authorities could take action against any consignments which were found to be infested with the New Zealand flatworm. The UK Agriculture Departments, in consultation with the horticulture industry, have drawn up a code of practice to ensure that exported plants are free from the flatworm. The Government are also funding research into the biology of non-indigenous flatworms and methods of controlling their spread.

HEALTH

Mefloquine

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies have been (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned by his Department into the side effects of the use of mefloquine as an anti-malarial drug. [10896]

Mr. Malone: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health has not undertaken or commissioned any formal studies into the side effects of melfloquine. Following grant of marketing authorisation, based on rigorous evaluation of quality, safety and efficacy by the Licensing Authority and its expert advisory bodies, the Medicines Control Agency has continued to monitor the safety of mefloquine. Data became available from spontaneous adverse reaction reports, published literature and ongoing studies in patients. However, the MCA continue to monitor the safety of mefloquine to ensure that its benefits in treating and preventing malaria outweigh the risk of adverse reactions.

Residential Care Costs

Mr. Thurnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the savings which would accrue to public funds if local authority residential homes were run at the same cost as equivalent private sector homes. [11533]

Mr. Burns: We have made no such estimate. Published statistics show the different costs to local authorities of care in homes for the elderly in different sectors, but these homes may not be equivalent. We believe that purchasing care from the independent sector would be more cost

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effective for local authorities. To achieve these savings, local authorities need to see their role as commissioners rather than providers of services.

Personal Social Services

Mr. Thurnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the real terms percentage increase in funding for personal social services, indicating the figures on which the calculations are based, for each year since 1979, together with projections for such future years as are available to him. [11534]

Mr. Burns: The amount and annual increases in funding for personal social services since 1981-82 are set out in the table; figures prior to 1981-82 are not held by the Department:

	Funding for social services	Percentage increase in real terms
	£ million
1981-82	1,642.561	--
1982-83	1,943.401	10.4
1983-84	2,084.598	2.5
1984-85	2,204.800	0.7
1985-86	2,366.400	1.8
1986-87	2,552.900	4.7
1987-88	2,756.500	2.5
1988-89	2,912.800	-1.0
1989-90	3,269.300	4.9
1990-91	3,648.000	n/a
1991-92	4,503.000	16.0
1992-93	4,850.000	3.4
1993-94	5,585.400	11.9
1994-95	6,403.200	12.6
1995-96	6,965.900	6.1
1996-97	7,511.000	5.2
1997-98	7,846.030	2.4

Figures for years prior to 1990-91 relate to the previous local government finance system and are not comparable with figures for subsequent years. In particular, amounts provided through special and specific grants are excluded prior to 1990-91. The figures above should not be seen as expenditure targets. They are one component of the funding provided for local government services and local authorities may in the event spend more or less than the amounts above.

Drug Abuse (South Yorkshire)

Sir Irvine Patnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has held with South Yorkshire local health authorities regarding drug abuse; and if he will list the funding that is allocated for this purpose by each authority. [11663]

Mr. Horam: The Department has held no discussions with health authorities in South Yorkshire about drug misuse. Information on the total funding allocated by health authorities for combating drug misuse is not available centrally. Funds allocated by the Department to health authorities for this purpose are shown in the tables.

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The table shows the funding for services for drug misusers allocated to each of the health authorities in South Yorkshire for 1996-97 and 1997-98:

Drug misuse treatment services

		Thousands
Health authority	Allocation 1996-97	Allocation 1997-98
Barnsley	144	163
Doncaster	184	205
Rotherham	232	253
Sheffield	392	442

In addition, the table shows central funding made available to develop drug action teams and drug reference groups.

Drug action team and drug reference group development funding

		Thousands
Health authority	Allocation 1996-97	Allocation 1997-98
Barnsley	33	34
Doncaster	34	34
Rotherham	33	34
Sheffield	34	34

Drugs challenge fund Sheffield health authority has also won drugs challenge funding for four projects. The total challenge fund allocation to Sheffield is £27,600.

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