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Groundwater Levels

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on current levels of groundwater in the United Kingdom; and what assessment he has made of the possibility of water shortages in summer 1997. [17273]

Mr. Clappison [holding answer 24 February 1997]: The main aquifers are in England and north Wales. January 1997 levels in the sandstone were commonly the lowest on record. Levels in the chalk were also very depressed. Levels in the small aquifers of Scotland and Northern Ireland are within normal variation.

My Department receives weekly reports from the Environment Agency on the water resources position in England and Wales. In view of the predominantly dry weather during much of the winter, we have commissioned from the Environment Agency a report on the prospects for public water supplies this year, to be based on the water resources position at 28 February. We expect to receive this in mid-March.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Mr. Wicks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what new proposals he has for improving the home energy efficiency scheme. [17430]

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Mr. Clappison [holding answer 24 February 1997]: My hon. Friend the Minister for Construction, Planning and Energy Efficiency announced last December that this popular grant scheme, which has already improved more than 2 million homes occupied by the most vulnerable families, is to be upgraded. The changes, due to take effect in July this year, will make the scheme more flexible and capable of delivering even greater social and environmental benefits. The key feature of the new scheme will be the ability of eligible householders to select a package of work best suited to their own homes from a wider range of energy-efficiency measures.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Government Contracts

Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list Government contracts and commitments which are (a) contractually and (b) non-contractually linked to the retail prices index. [17359]

Mr. Freeman: The information requested is not held centrally, and may be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Prince's Trust

Mr. Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he is taking to increase the participation of civil servants in Prince's Trust volunteers schemes. [18077]

Mr. Freeman: The Government are committed to increasing the civil service contribution to the Prince's Trust target of 25,000 volunteers annually by the year 2000. To this end, I have set a civil service-wide benchmark of 3 per cent. of civil servants aged 16 to 25 participating in PTV schemes by the same year. This compares to current participation running at a little under 1 per cent.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

New Parliamentary Building

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee, pursuant to his answer to the right hon. Member for Jarrow (Mr. Dixon) of 3 February, Official Report, columns 458-59, on the new parliamentary building, what estimate he has made of the additional costs arising from the delay. [17197]

Sir Raymond Powell: There are too many imponderables at this stage to be able to give a reliable forecast of the costs.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Parliamentary Answers

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many questions were tabled for reply by his Department in each Session since 1979-80; in how many instances in each year the reply

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has been that providing the information involved disproportionate cost; and in how many instances in each year questions have been given the reply that the information was not available centrally. [16797]

Sir Nicholas Bonsor: A list of the number of written and oral parliamentary questions answered by this Department in the Sessions 1982-83 to 1995-96, as supplied by the parliamentary on-line information service unit, has been placed in the House Library. Figures for 1979-80 to 1981-82 are not available.

The rest of the information requested could be provided only at disproportional cost.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Mr. Stern: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will pursue again with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees the question of a further tranche of funding for the programme for national persecutees by the German Government referred to in the answer of 30 June 1993, Official Report, column 497. [17143]

Sir Nicholas Bonsor: The UNHCR wound up its indemnification hardship fund for national socialist persecutees in 1993. We do not intend to pursue the question of further funding with the UNHCR or the German Government.

UK Students (Foreign Residence Restrictions)

Mr. Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what restrictions apply to the length of time United Kingdom students may reside in (a) Australia, (b) Canada, (c) New Zealand and (d) South Africa; and what permits are required. [17354]

Mr. Hanley: Visa and immigration policy is a matter for the Governments of the countries concerned. I recommend that questions on entry clearance matters should be addressed to the appropriate high commission.

Albania

Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many projects in Albania and at what cost have been supported by the Westminster Foundation on application from the Conservative party. [17285]

Sir Nicholas Bonsor: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 February, Official Report, column 579-80.

Internal Market Advisory Committee

Sir Cranley Onslow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the specific complaints his Department has raised at the Internal Market Advisory Committee since May 1995.[17111]

Mr. Nelson: I have been asked to reply.

My Department's action single market--formerly the single market compliance unit--has arranged for 22 new cases to be raised at the Internal Market Advisory Committee since May 1995. These have covered:


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Sir Cranley Onslow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the outcome of the single market complaints raised by his Department's single market compliance unit raised by his Department's single market compliance unit with the Internal Market Advisory Committee. [17112]

Mr. Nelson: I have been asked to reply.

Of the 36 cases raised by action single market--formerly the single market compliance unit--at the Internal Market Advisory Committee, 12 have been resolved. The resolved cases are those concerned with:













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Action single market is continuing to press for the successful resolution of the other cases which it has raised at the Internal Market Advisory Committee.

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