 House of Commons |
Session 1997-98 Publications on the internet The Order Book |
| Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on Monday 26 October 1998
Here you can browse the Written Questions for answer on Monday 26 October of which previous notice has been given in the Notices of Questions paper. They are arranged in alphabetical order of answering Department. For other Written Questions for answer on Monday 26 October, of which no previous notice has been given, see the Order of Business. For Written and Oral Questions for answer from Tuesday 27 October, see Part 2 of this Paper. |
| Notes: * Indicates a Question for Oral Answer. + Indicates a Question not included in the random selection process but accepted because the quota for that day had not been filled. [N] Indicates a Question for Written Answer on a named day, i.e. the Member has indicated under S.O. No. 22(4) the day on which he wishes the Question to be answered. [R] Indicates that a relevant interest has been declared. |
| |
| 1 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to the Answer to the honourable Member for Montgomery of 2nd April, Official Report, column 655, what progress has been made in identifying the implications for organic farmers of cross contamination with pollen from genetically modified crops. |
| (56357) | |
| 2 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what assessment he has made of the volume of produce wasted annually as a result of rejection by supermarkets solely on grounds of appearance; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56350) | |
| 3 | Jackie Ballard (Taunton): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what funding his Department made available for agri-environmental schemes in each of the last three years; and what amounts he expects to be available over the next three years. |
| (56516) | |
| 4 | Jackie Ballard (Taunton): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what is the maximum amount of money the UK is entitled to reclaim from EU funds under the Stewardship Scheme for 1998-99. |
| (56487) | |
| 5 | Jackie Ballard (Taunton): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, how many claims for funding the UK has made under Objective 5A for modernisation in agriculture, in each of the last three financial years. |
| (56485) | |
| 6 | Jackie Ballard (Taunton): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, how much money the UK has received from the EU under the Stewardship Scheme for each of the last three years. |
| (56486) | |
| 7 | Mr Christopher Gill (Ludlow): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what procedure he will follow to achieve the United Kingdom's priorities of (a) retaining relative stability and (b) the maintenance of six and 12 mile fisheries limits. |
| (56633) | |
| 8 | Mr Christopher Gill (Ludlow): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what response he has made to fishermens federations' proposals for coastal or zonal state management. |
| (56634) | |
| 9 | Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the use, in horses, of sedatives prior to general anaesthesia in preventing perioperative death. |
| (56755) | |
| 10 | Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, which pre-operative sedatives used in the UK for horses do not currently have a submitted maximum residual level; how many he expects to have a MRL by 1st January 1999; and how many presently have a submitted MRL. |
| (56752) | |
| 11 | Ms Sally Keeble (Northampton North): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, if farmers can have their subsidy payment made by credit transfer as well as by cheque. |
| (56710) | |
| 12 | Ms Sally Keeble (Northampton North): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, if farmers will be able to have their CAP subsidy paid in euros. |
| (56709) | |
| 13 | Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury and Atcham): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, when he estimates the European Union beef ban will be lifted. |
| (56458) | |
| 14 | Mr Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what measures he has taken to provide assistance for the pig rearing industry during the last three months; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56923) | |
| 15 | Mr Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what estimates his Department has made of the average level of farm incomes on pig farms over the next six months; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56924) | |
| 16 | Mr Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what is the current size of the national pig herd; what estimate he has made of the likely size of the pig herd over the next five years; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56925) | |
| 17 | Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what measures he will take to restore the Iron Age village near Fritham damaged by Forestry Commission contractors; and what measures he will put in place to prevent a recurrence. |
| (56503) | |
| 18 | Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, when he will bring forward new measures to regulate fur farming; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56499) | |
| 19 | Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, if he will make a statement about the number of broadleaf trees currently being felled in the New Forest. |
| (56501) | |
| 20 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his private office, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56798) | |
| 21 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, if he will publish the names of those people he has appointed to public bodies since 1st May 1997, indicating the positions to which they have been appointed and whether they receive remuneration. |
| (56797) | |
| 22 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his Department, by grade, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56796) | |
| 23 N | Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, on which day he wrote to the Ministry of Defence to ask them to look at the sources from which they buy pork and other pig meat products. |
| (56364) | |
| 24 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask Mr Attorney General, if he will make a statement on the use of nolle prosequi in the case of Judge Richard Gee. |
| (56324) | |
| 25 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask Mr Attorney General, if he will abolish the legal power of nolle prosequi. |
| (56325) | |
| 26 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he intends to establish the ministerial group on biotechnology and genetic modification; what will be the membership; what the terms of reference will be; whether the agendas and minutes will be published; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56654) | |
| 27 | Paul Flynn (Newport West): To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proposals he has for random testing in the workplace for (a) alcohol and (b) drugs; and in respect of which workplaces. |
| (56498) | |
| 28 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his private office, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56822) | |
| 29 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his Department, by grade, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56820) | |
| 30 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the names of those people he has appointed to public bodies since 1st May 1997, indicating the positions to which they have been appointed and whether they receive remuneration. |
| (56821) | |
| 31 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will provide a breakdown in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin, as at 1st October 1997, of civil servants at each grade. |
| (56843) | |
| 32 N | Mr Tim Collins (Westmorland and Lonsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Independent Television Commission concerning the proposed provision of the digital ITV and ITV2 services on the digital services of British Sky Broadcasting; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56419) | |
| 33 N | Mr Tim Collins (Westmorland and Lonsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has made to the Board of Governors of the BBC concerning scheduling revisions at Radio 4 and the ratings of that channel; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56420) | |
| 34 N | Mr Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the Arts Council report Fitness for Purpose by Edward Birk on the provision of dance and drama training; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56413) | |
| 35 | Mr Ian Stewart (Eccles): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many hospices have applied for National Lottery funding; and how many applications have been successful. |
| (56687) | |
| 36 | Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Minister of Agriculture regarding the Ministers Mandate and the Forestry Commission's management of the New Forest in respect of his policy to give the New Forest recognition as a world heritage site. |
| (56502) | |
| 37 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish the names of those people he has appointed to public bodies since 1st May 1997, indicating the positions to which they have been appointed and whether they receive remuneration. |
| (56786) | |
| 38 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his private office, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56784) | |
| 39 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his Department, by grade, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56785) | |
| 40 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what stockpiles are held of the chemical Dibenz-1:4-Oxazepine; on which sites; and for what purpose. |
| (56354) | |
| 41 | Jackie Ballard (Taunton): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on the purchase of British beef and lamb in (a) 1996-97, (b) 1997-98 and (c) 1998-99 to date. |
| (56488) | |
| 42 N | Mr Tim Collins (Westmorland and Lonsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department (a) has counted, (b) currently counts and (c) plans to count Rolls Royce sales of aero-engines to Boeing as a legitimate offset purchase for the purposes of offset agreements between his Department and US weapons manufacturers; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56475) | |
| 43 N | Mr Tim Collins (Westmorland and Lonsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the strategic and procurement implications of a merger between British Aerospace and DASA; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56421) | |
| 44 | Maria Eagle (Liverpool, Garston): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he will take to retain the Territorial Auxiliary and Volunteer Reserve Association in the implementation of the Strategic Defence Review. |
| (56833) | |
| 45 | Maria Eagle (Liverpool, Garston): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the impact of the reduction of the TA establishment on the closure of local TA centres in Liverpool. |
| (56827) | |
| 46 | Maria Eagle (Liverpool, Garston): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the impact of a reduction in TA strength on related cadet forces where TA centres are closed. |
| (56834) | |
| 47 | Maria Eagle (Liverpool, Garston): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the role of Territorial Army units in aiding civil authorities in their own areas in times of disaster. |
| (56831) | |
| 48 | Maria Eagle (Liverpool, Garston): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of TAVRAs in providing the TA with value for money in property management and utility provision. |
| (56832) | |
| 49 | Maria Eagle (Liverpool, Garston): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he will take to ensure that the establishment of medical units and field hospitals in the Territorial Army is up to strength and has the appropriate mix of skilled doctors and nurses. |
| (56826) | |
| 50 | Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many RNAS personnel are currently undergoing training to become pilots. |
| (56751) | |
| 51 | Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many RAF pilots have completed training in each of the last five years. |
| (56754) | |
| 52 | Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many fully trained pilots have requested to leave the RNAS in each of the last five years. |
| (56753) | |
| 53 | Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Royal Navy Air Service units currently have a shortage of trained pilots; and what is the total extent of the shortfalls. |
| (56750) | |
| 54 | Mr David Lock (Wyre Forest): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what was the cost of operating the Defence Export Services Organisation in each of the last three financial years. |
| (56738) | |
| 55 N | Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to close the TA unit in Winchester. |
| (56507) | |
| 56 | Mr Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the possible threat to defence satellites presented by the Leonid meteorite shower; what steps it has taken; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56926) | |
| 57 | Bob Russell (Colchester): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what arrangements exist to assist (a) public museums, (b) private museums and (c) private collectors in the acquisition of surplus or redundant military equipment. |
| (56437) | |
| 58 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his private office, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56801) | |
| 59 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the names of those people he has appointed to public bodies since 1st May 1997, indicating the positions to which they have been appointed and whether they receive remuneration. |
| (56800) | |
| 60 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his Department, by grade, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56799) | |
| 61 | Mr Bob Blizzard (Waveney): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what assessment he has made of the factors underlying recent trends in the level of unemployment in Lowestoft. |
| (56760) | |
| 62 | Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what studies his Department has (a) conducted and (b) evaluated into the effects on children of special educational units being taught in (i) main-stream schools and (ii) special schools. |
| (56722) | |
| 63 | Mr Christopher Gill (Ludlow): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what has been the total cost to public funds to date in connection with the EU children's comic entitled The Raspberry Ice Cream War. |
| (56764) | |
| 64 N | Mr Damian Green (Ashford): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, how many of those who moved from the New Deal for 18 to 24 year-olds to unsubsidised employment between April and September 1998 are no longer in work. |
| (56044) | |
| 65 N | Mr Damian Green (Ashford): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, how much had been spent from public funds on the New Deal for 18 to 24 year-olds by 30th September. |
| (56045) | |
| 66 | Mr Eric Illsley (Barnsley Central): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, if it is his policy to allow college staff to remain as clerks to governing bodies. |
| (56700) | |
| 67 | Mr Eric Illsley (Barnsley Central): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, when he expects to announce a decision on the Government's proposals for education maintenance allowances for 16 to 19 year olds. |
| (56699) | |
| 68 | Mr Eric Illsley (Barnsley Central): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what plans he has to restrict off site collaborative provision between colleges, universities and business. |
| (56698) | |
| 69 N | Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what measures his Department is taking to ensure that LEAs make appropriate provision for individual children with autism. |
| (56639) | |
| 70 N | Mr Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, if he will make it his policy, in reaching conclusions on the future funding arrangements for dance and drama training, to ensure that centres of excellence are maintained both in London and in the regions of the United Kingdom. |
| (56415) | |
| 71 N | Mr Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, when he expects to reach conclusions on the future funding of dance and drama training; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56416) | |
| 72 N | Mr Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what assessment he has made of the Arts Council report Fitness for Purpose by Edward Birk on the provision of dance and drama training; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56414) | |
| 73 | Mrs Theresa May (Maidenhead): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, how many of the extra teachers which his Department reported had been recruited as part of the programme to reduce infant class sizes were recruited (a) on completion of teacher training courses, (b) from previous teaching posts in primary schools, (c) from posts in infant schools in local education authorities who were not provided with grants for recruitment and (d) from other sources. |
| (56663) | |
| 74 | Mrs Theresa May (Maidenhead): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, how many teachers of infant classes were in post in September (a) 1997 and (b) 1998. |
| (56664) | |
| 75 | Mrs Theresa May (Maidenhead): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, how many additional full-time qualified teachers have been identified by local education authorities in their plans for reducing infant class sizes as being required to implement (a) the required reduction in infant class sizes in the school years 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 and (b) measures required under paragraph 10 of the Schedule to the Education (Plans for Reducing Infant Class Sizes) (England) Regulations 1998. |
| (56901) | |
| 76 N | Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, if he will publish the 1997 budget for the access to work scheme, indicating how much of the budget was used in that year. |
| (56287) | |
| 77 | Ms Debra Shipley (Stourbridge): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, if the £56 million for funding of an early intervention programme includes funding for a specific training module for special educational needs for new teachers at teacher training college. |
| (56900) | |
| 78 | Jacqui Smith (Redditch): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, how many middle schools in three-tier systems have (a) less than 300, (b) 300 to 400, (c) 400 to 500, (d) 500 to 600, (e) 600 to 700 and (f) more than 700 pupils. |
| (56739) | |
| 79 | Jacqui Smith (Redditch): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, how many first schools in three-tier systems have (a) fewer than 100 pupils, (b) between 100 and 200, (c) between 200 and 300, (d) between 300 and 400, (e) between 400 and 500 and (f) more than 500 pupils. |
| (56740) | |
| 80 | Mr Gerry Steinberg (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, if he will list the real rates of increase in each educational psychologist's pay award since 1990. |
| (56450) | |
| 81 N | Mr Gerry Sutcliffe (Bradford South): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what assistance he will give to improving school transport and encouraging local authorities to extend the school bus pass system. |
| (56214) | |
| 82 | Dr Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what arrangements he has made to ensure that travellers' children receive education. |
| (56708) | |
| 83 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, if he will provide a breakdown in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his private office, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56745) | |
| 84 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, if he will publish the names of those people he has appointed to public bodies since 1st May 1997, indicating the positions to which they have been appointed, and whether they receive remuneration. |
| (56744) | |
| 85 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his Department, by grade, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56743) | |
| 86 | Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what plans he has to improve provision for 16 and 17 year olds who are no longer able to remain in the the parental home and who are not in paid employment. |
| (56454) | |
| 87 | Mr Shaun Woodward (Witney): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, how many children in Oxfordshire at (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools were in classes with 31 or more children at the latest available time; and what are the corresponding figures for 12 months ago. |
| (56906) | |
| 88 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, how many HSE inspectors inspect facilities registered under the regulations covering the contained use of genetically modified organisms. |
| (56327) | |
| 89 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, by what methods the Environment Agency record facilities which use genetically modified organisms in industrial processes and which may release these organisms in waste streams; what is the location of the facilities; and what genetically modified substances are produced. |
| (56332) | |
| 90 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his Department's press release of 21st October in respect of genetically modified crops, (a) when the first commercial planting will take place, (b) what specific measures are to accompany any such release to prevent possible cross-contamination and (c) for what length of time the long-term monitoring arrangement for each individual release is planned to continue. |
| (56653) | |
| 91 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what is the total number of facilities registered as using genetically modified organisms in classes IA, IB, IIB including those registered (a) before and (b) after the introduction of the contained use regulations in 1992. |
| (56329) | |
| 92 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what assessment he has made of the numbers of nuclear fuel flasks originating in (a) France, (b) Germany and (c) Switzerland, which have been allowed into the United Kingdom and have levels of loose contamination in excess of levels normally found on flasks of United Kingdom origin. |
| (56352) | |
| 93 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what assessment he has made of recent tests in Germany on genetically-modified maize in respect of cross-pollination with natural maize; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56509) | |
| 94 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if the HSE undertakes regular monitoring of the adequacy of containment in each class of genetically modified organisms; and if the findings are publicly available. |
| (56331) | |
| 95 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, when he proposes to create a strategic rail authority. |
| (56323) | |
| 96 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, how many person hours per year HSE inspectors spend on (a) inspection of facilities registered under the regulations covering the contained use of genetically modified organisms and (b) other duties. |
| (56328) | |
| 97 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, when he intends to establish the environmental stakeholders forum; what will be the membership; what the terms of reference will be; whether the agendas and minutes will be published; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56655) | |
| 98 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his Answer to the honourable Member for Leicester East of 19th October, Official Report, column 906, if he raised the issue of the environmental impact of the Chinese government's activities in Tibet during his recent visit to China. |
| (56351) | |
| 99 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what steps he intends to take to increase the minimum train frequencies for rural lines where he deems that franchise agreements specify these at too low a level. |
| (56322) | |
| 100 | Mr Bob Blizzard (Waveney): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what assessment he has made of the effect on car usage arising from the fuel tax escalator. |
| (56728) | |
| 101 | Mr Bob Blizzard (Waveney): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what measures he is taking to prepare for the introduction of fuel cell powered vehicles. |
| (56730) | |
| 102 | Mr Bob Blizzard (Waveney): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what percentages of total carbon dioxide emissions in the United Kingdom arise from (a) power generation, (b) industrial production and (c) transport. |
| (56828) | |
| 103 | Mr Bob Blizzard (Waveney): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will make a statement in his policy regarding the need for bypasses of villages and small market towns. |
| (56727) | |
| 104 | Mr Bob Blizzard (Waveney): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will list the comparative levels of investment in (a) roads and (b) railways in each member state of the European Union in the last year for which figures are available. |
| (56759) | |
| 105 | Mr Bob Blizzard (Waveney): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will list the number of miles of dual carriageway road per unit area for each county. |
| (56742) | |
| 106 | Mr Bob Blizzard (Waveney): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what assessment he has made of the future capacity of electronic communication to reduce transport need. |
| (56731) | |
| 107 | Mr James Clappison (Hertsmere): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what contribution the area cost adjustment made to the amount of standard spending assessment which Hertfordshire received in respect of (a) all services, (b) education, (c) police and (d) personal social services in (i) 1996-97 and (ii) 1997-98. |
| (56836) | |
| 108 N | Mr Tim Collins (Westmorland and Lonsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if the Mayor of London will be given (a) a specific responsibility and (b) a specific budget for the signposting of London's roads and streets. |
| (56425) | |
| 109 N | Mr Tim Collins (Westmorland and Lonsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he proposes to call in the planning consent granted by South Lakeland District Council to Booth's Ltd to build a supermarket at Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria. |
| (56468) | |
| 110 N | Mr Tim Collins (Westmorland and Lonsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will list the engine capacity of each vehicle used on official duties by Ministers in his Department. |
| (56546) | |
| 111 | Tom Cox (Tooting): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will introduce a winter campaign to encourage cyclists to wear reflective strips on their clothing; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56720) | |
| 112 | Paul Flynn (Newport West): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what proportions of drivers were found to have used (a) heroin, (b) cannabis and (c) alcohol to the breathalyser limit in the tests undertaken on drug driving in the last 12 months for which figures are available. |
| (56505) | |
| 113 N | Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what representations he has received concerning the EC bus directive from bus operating companies; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56301) | |
| 114 N | Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what assessment he has made of the Soap and Detergent Industry Association's new Code of Good Environmental Practice; and if it will receive Government support. |
| (56299) | |
| 115 N | Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards proposals in the EC Commission to make the manufacture of double-decker buses uneconomic or illegal. |
| (56300) | |
| 116 N | Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will list the start date for each of the road schemes given approval in the Roads White Paper. |
| (56303) | |
| 117 | Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will assess the advantages of introducing a global levy on aviation fuels for investment in sustainable development. |
| (56514) | |
| 118 | Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what discussions he has held with his US counterpart on the likely date for US ratification of the Kyoto agreement. |
| (56511) | |
| 119 | Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will make a statement on the current trend in UK emissions of greenhouse gases; and what estimate he has made of the level of such emissions in 2010 relative to those in 1990. |
| (56513) | |
| 120 | Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will list the actions taken by the Government since the Kyoto agreement to ensure that the UK meets its emissions reductions targets; and what assessment he has made of the actions taken by the US Government to reduce its country's CO2 emissions. |
| (56512) | |
| 121 | Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he expects to implement the de-trunking of the A40 through Cheltenham before improvements are made to the alternative A436 route; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56405) | |
| 122 | Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what assessment he has made of the impact of the proposals in the trunk roads review on the number of vehicles entering Cheltenham on the A40 from (a) the east and (b) the west; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56404) | |
| 123 N | Mr Paul Keetch (Hereford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what plans he has over the next four years to include the cancelled Hereford By-pass in the roads programme; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56451) | |
| 124 | Mr David Kidney (Stafford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what discussions he has had with housing groups concerning the levels of repossession cases for (a) mortgage arrears and (b) rent arrears. |
| (56703) | |
| 125 | Mr David Kidney (Stafford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, when his Department intends to publish proposals for changes to the law relating to compulsory purchase; and if his proposals will include a wider power for local authorities to purchase empty homes. |
| (56701) | |
| 126 N | Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what is the average time for processing called-in planning inspector appeals between receipt of the inspector's findings and publication by the Minister's Department. |
| (56638) | |
| 127 N | Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, which United Kingdom freight hauliers have informed him of their intention to register their fleets outside the United Kingdom. |
| (56646) | |
| 128 N | Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what are his Department's estimates of the number of continental European road freight vehicles carrying United Kingdom loads to United Kingdom destinations as a proportion of total road freight. |
| (56648) | |
| 129 N | Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what estimate his Department has made of the increase in continental European HGVs on United Kingdom roads since the abolition of cabotage rules on 1st July. |
| (56649) | |
| 130 N | Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what estimate his Department has made for the costs for a 40-tonne truck and trailer operating in each EU country represented by (a) VED rates, (b) fuel duty and (c) other operating charges. |
| (56645) | |
| 131 N | Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs lost in the United Kingdom road freight haulage business since May 1997. |
| (56647) | |
| 132 N | Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what is his Department's estimate of the increase in the cost to United Kingdom HGV operators of each class of vehicle in respect of (a) fuel duty, (b) vehicle licence duty and (c) other environmental charges since the Budget. |
| (56651) | |
| 133 N | Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what is the current status of the findings of the Inspector's inquiry into a planning application for the development of the Northbrook College site in Broadwater, Worthing, where the appeal was heard in January. |
| (56637) | |
| 134 N | Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of United Kingdom road freight travelling exclusively on United Kingdom roads which is being commissioned by United Kingdom companies using foreign HGV operators. |
| (56650) | |
| 135 | Mr Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he has reached a conclusion on the most appropriate method of enabling local planning authorities to control the impact of Leylandii and other fast growing conifers. |
| (56417) | |
| 136 | Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury and Atcham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what plans he has to make the wearing of seat belts by passengers compulsory on all buses. |
| (56457) | |
| 137 | Mr Eric Martlew (Carlisle): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, after what period of time he takes action to obtain essential information which he has judged to be missing from planning applications which he has called in for determination. |
| (56438) | |
| 138 | Mr Eric Martlew (Carlisle): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, when he expects to reach a decision on the planning application made by Michael Knighton and Carlisle AFC for a mixed leisure and recreational development, which was called in on 8th January 1997. |
| (56439) | |
| 139 | Mr Chris Mullin (Sunderland South): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, when he expects to give formal approval for the extension of the Tyneside metro to Sunderland; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56902) | |
| 140 N | Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what plans he has to order a full public inquiry in relation to the application for a MOX plant at Sellafield. |
| (56286) | |
| 141 | Mr Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential for increasing the level of freight on the Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth line; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56920) | |
| 142 | Mr Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will make a statement on progress with transport provision for visitors to the Millennium Dome. |
| (56921) | |
| 143 | Mr Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what has been the level of freight traffic on the Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth line during each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56919) | |
| 144 | Mr Ian Pearson (Dudley South): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what plans he has to consult interested individuals and organisations regarding the future role and status of British Waterways. |
| (56434) | |
| 145 | Mr Ian Pearson (Dudley South): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what representations he has received regarding British Waterways becoming a trust; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56433) | |
| 146 | Mr Ian Pearson (Dudley South): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what action the Government is taking to encourage more freight to be transported on United Kingdom inland waterways. |
| (56429) | |
| 147 | Mr Ian Pearson (Dudley South): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will list the Government's planned contribution to British Waterways in (i) 1997-98, (ii) 1998-99 and (iii) 1999-2000. |
| (56432) | |
| 148 | Mr Ian Pearson (Dudley South): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what plans he has for the future status of the British Waterways Board; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56431) | |
| 149 | Mr Ian Pearson (Dudley South): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what action the Government is taking to encourage more leisure and tourism activities on United Kingdom inland waterways. |
| (56430) | |
| 150 | Mr Chris Pond (Gravesham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what amount of the cost of repairing the damage to the Thames Barrier following the incident involving the 'Sand Kite' was met from public funds. |
| (56737) | |
| 151 | Mr Chris Pond (Gravesham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will authorise an investigation into the incident involving the dredger 'Arco Arris'; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56734) | |
| 152 | Mr Chris Pond (Gravesham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if the dredger 'Arco Arris' which recently ran aground in the Thames had a qualified river pilot on board at the time. |
| (56735) | |
| 153 | Mr Chris Pond (Gravesham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what amount of the cost of the salvage operation involving the 'Arco Arris' will be met from public funds. |
| (56736) | |
| 154 | Mr Chris Pond (Gravesham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will urge the Port of London Authority to review PLA Pilotage Directive No. 5 following the incident involving the 'Arco Arris' dredger. |
| (56733) | |
| 155 | Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what estimate he has made of the potential change in level of take up of freight facilities grant if the contract period were reduced to a period of (a) five and (b) three years. |
| (56631) | |
| 156 | Bob Russell (Colchester): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what percentage of waste from the London boroughs of (a) Edmonton and (b) Lewisham is recycled. |
| (56749) | |
| 157 | Bob Russell (Colchester): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will publish a breakdown of the content of unauthorised emissions from United Kingdom incinerators since January 1996. |
| (56746) | |
| 158 | Bob Russell (Colchester): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will publish a breakdown of the content of unauthorised emissions from United Kingdom commercial aerobic/anaerobic digesters since January 1996. |
| (56747) | |
| 159 | Bob Russell (Colchester): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will publish a breakdown of emissions from (a) the Edmonton and (b) the Lewisham incinerators since January 1996. |
| (56748) | |
| 160 N | Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will list the income from car driving tests for each of the last five years for which figures are available. |
| (56411) | |
| 161 | Mr Alan Simpson (Nottingham South): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what proposals his Department has to ensure a more efficient processing of PFI projects. |
| (56931) | |
| 162 | Mr Alan Simpson (Nottingham South): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, which directorships the head of the Construction Export Promotion and Materials Sponsorship Division holds. |
| (56922) | |
| 163 | Mr Alan Simpson (Nottingham South): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will list the countries the Construction Minister has led trade missions to since 1st May 1997; which representatives of British industry accompanied him; and what business has been secured as a result. |
| (56930) | |
| 164 | Mr Alan Simpson (Nottingham South): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, which British companies the Construction Export Promotion and Materials Sponsorship Division has been able to assist with securing orders abroad since 1st May 1997; and if he will list the materials which have been exported as a result. |
| (56932) | |
| 165 | Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what discussions he has had with the Minister of Agriculture regarding the number of broadleaf trees currently being felled in the New Forest; and if he will publish his Department's correspondence with the Ministry of Agriculture regarding the revision of the Ministers Mandate. |
| (56504) | |
| 166 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his Department, by grade, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56808) | |
| 167 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will publish the names of those people he has appointed to public bodies since 1st May 1997, indicating the positions to which they have been appointed and whether they receive remuneration. |
| (56809) | |
| 168 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his private office, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56810) | |
| 169 N | Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon and East Chelmsford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, when he expects the improvement scheme for the junction to the A12 at Hatfield Peverel to be carried out. |
| (56441) | |
| 170 N | Mrs Ann Winterton (Congleton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his oral Answer of 20th October, Official Report, column 1067, concerning housing development, when he last met members of the housebuilding industry to discuss future housing developments; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56518) | |
| 171 N | Mrs Ann Winterton (Congleton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his oral Answer of 20th October, Official Report, column 1067, concerning housing development, if he will list the organisations which were present at the meeting on 19th October, to which he referred; where the meeting was held; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56519) | |
| 172 N | Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, when he will place in the Library the complete set of responses to his consultation document on the Right to Roam. |
| (56363) | |
| 173 | Mr Crispin Blunt (Reigate): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many abortions were performed in England and Wales on women resident in Northern Ireland by weeks gestation in the last five years for which figures are available. |
| (56936) | |
| 174 | Mr Crispin Blunt (Reigate): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the total number of abortions carried out on residents of Northern Ireland in England and Wales since 1970. |
| (56938) | |
| 175 | Mr Crispin Blunt (Reigate): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many abortions were performed in England and Wales for each of the statutory grounds of the Abortion Act 1967 as amended on women resident in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years for which figures are available. |
| (56937) | |
| 176 N | Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Paymaster General will make a statement on the payment of tax on dividend income by low income pensioners. |
| (56219) | |
| 177 | Mr William Cash (Stone): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make a statement on Britain's debt owed to the US Treasury in respect of loans made during World War One; and what plans he has for repayment. |
| (56940) | |
| 178 N | Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend eligibility for fuel duty rebate to buses and coaches on private hire engaged in transporting children to and from school; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56366) | |
| 179 N | Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what amount of vehicle excise duty will be payable from 1st January 1999 for (a) a 40 tonne vehicle on five axles and (b) a 41 tonne vehicle on six axles; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56365) | |
| 180 N | Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what measures the Government plans to introduce to combat tax evasion. |
| (55978) | |
| 181 | Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what changes have been made to the (a) definition and (b) objectives of the public sector borrowing requirement since its inception; and what are the current objectives. |
| (56659) | |
| 182 N | Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that national savings products comply with the CAT standard mark being applied to certain ISA products. |
| (56635) | |
| 183 N | Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if it is his policy to abide by the sustainable debt rule over the current planning period. |
| (56077) | |
| 184 N | Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what are his current operating rules for fiscal policy. |
| (56081) | |
| 185 N | Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is his Department's current forecast for (a) net public sector debt and (b) general government gross debt, in (i) 1999-2000, (ii) 2000-01 and (iii) 2001-02. |
| (56083) | |
| 186 N | Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what are his Department's current forecasts for (a) income tax receipts, (b) excise duties and (c) social security contributions, in (i) 1999-2000, (ii) 2000-01 and (iii) 2001-02. |
| (56088) | |
| 187 N | Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list his Department's current estimates for public sector net wealth for (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01 and (c) 2001-02. |
| (56091) | |
| 188 N | Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is his Department's current revised forecast for (a) output growth, (b) the GDP deflator and (c) money GDP for each of the years (i) 1998, (ii) 1999, (iii) 2000 and (iv) 2001. |
| (56079) | |
| 189 N | Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is his Department's current forecast for the savings ratio arising from his revised growth forecast. |
| (56092) | |
| 190 N | Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what are his Department's current forecasts for (a) current receipts, (b) current expenditure and (c) the current surplus or deficit in (a) 1999-2000, (ii) 2001-01 and (iii) 2001-02. |
| (56085) | |
| 191 N | Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if it is his policy to abide by the golden rule over the current planning period. |
| (56078) | |
| 192 N | Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list his current estimates for general government gross debt in cash terms for each month from April 1997 to the current date. |
| (56090) | |
| 193 N | Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish a revised Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report to take account of the latest revisions to growth forecasts. |
| (56084) | |
| 194 N | Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is his Department's current forecast for (a) output growth, (b) the GDP deflator and (c) money GDP for each of the financial years (i) 1998-99, (ii) 1999-2000, (iii) 2000-01 and (iv) 2001-02. |
| (56089) | |
| 195 N | Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is his Department's current forecast for central government gross debt interest in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01 and (c) 2001-02. |
| (56086) | |
| 196 N | Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the differences between the Treasury forecast for growth and recent published forecasts of independent forecasters. |
| (56093) | |
| 197 N | Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is his Department's current forecast for (a) public sector net borrowing and (b) the Maastricht deficit measure, in (i) 1999-2000, (ii) 2000-01 and (iii) 2001-02. |
| (56076) | |
| 198 N | Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what are his current estimates of the cyclically-adjusted budget balances in respect of the (a) current budget and (b) public sector net borrowing. |
| (56080) | |
| 199 N | Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is his current estimate of the financing requirement for 1998-99. |
| (56082) | |
| 200 N | Mr Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he has received notice from DGVII of the European Commission regarding infraction proceedings being instituted against the United Kingdom over the current system of air passenger duty; what plans he has to reform the current system of air passenger duty to conform with European law; and if he will rule out extending air passenger duty to cover both the outward and inward legs of return domestic flights. |
| (56026) | |
| 201 | Bob Russell (Colchester): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to raise the financial threshold for service industry businesses to register for value-added tax. |
| (56435) | |
| 202 N | Sir John Stanley (Tonbridge and Malling): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects to publish his proposals arising from his review of the taxation of charities. |
| (56309) | |
| 203 | Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the interest foregone on that part of the UK's reserves that are notionally allocated to the IMF. |
| (56523) | |
| 204 | Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on (a) a revaluation and (b) the sale of the IMF's gold reserves. |
| (56524) | |
| 205 | Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will request the IMF to commission an independent study of the way they operate in respect of systemic risk in the global financial system. |
| (56521) | |
| 206 | Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the UK's total exposure in public expenditure terms to the ESAF programme. |
| (56522) | |
| 207 N | Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to improve the transparency of IMF accounting practices. |
| (56527) | |
| 208 | Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will make all future UK quota increases to the IMF subject to parliamentary approval on the floor of the House. |
| (56525) | |
| 209 N | Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that recipient countries of loans satisfy more stringent disclosure requirements as a condition for further lending; and what are the current disclosure requirements. |
| (56531) | |
| 210 N | Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the Report on the Mexican debt crisis written internally within the IMF by Alan Whittome. |
| (56532) | |
| 211 N | Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure that the IMF's accounts make provision for debts in the same manner as private sector institutions. |
| (56529) | |
| 212 N | Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if the Government will propose that the IMF be remitted to engage in market borrowing. |
| (56530) | |
| 213 N | Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if the Government will press the IMF for (a) the publication of all Article IV reports and (b) greater transparency of the IMF's accounts. |
| (56528) | |
| 214 N | Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure greater transparency in respect of the disclosure requirements for countries in receipt of IMF loans. |
| (56533) | |
| 215 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his Department, by grade, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56756) | |
| 216 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will provide a breakdown in numerical and percentage terms of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his private office as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56758) | |
| 217 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the names of those people he has appointed to public bodies since 1st May 1997, indicating the positions to which they have been appointed, and whether they receive remuneration. |
| (56757) | |
| 218 N | Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to use all of the proceeds from taxing child benefit at the higher rate for increases in child benefit. |
| (56452) | |
| 219 N | Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his Answer of 19th October, Official Report, column 928, by what means honourable Members may obtain tabulations of data from the British Household Panel Survey which they themselves have specified. |
| (56443) | |
| 220 N | Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if expenditure on registered childcare by a non-employed taxpayer will be eligible for a tax credit under the proposed working families tax credit. |
| (56455) | |
| 221 N | Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon and East Chelmsford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what rate of VAT is levied on the supply of sporting facilities by non-profit making organisations in each member state of the European Union. |
| (56470) | |
| 222 N | Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon and East Chelmsford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many additional small businesses would become liable for VAT if the (a) registration threshold and (b) registration threshold for businesses in the service sector were set at (i) 0, (ii) £10,000, (iii) £20,000, (iv) £30,000 and (v) £40,000; and how much extra revenue would be raised as a result in each case. |
| (56461) | |
| 223 N | Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon and East Chelmsford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the loss of revenue from avoidance of VAT by those supplying sporting facilities. |
| (56471) | |
| 224 N | Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon and East Chelmsford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he intends to publish the outcome of the review of the VAT registration threshold; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56466) | |
| 225 N | Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon and East Chelmsford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many representations have been received in response to the consultation document Review of VAT Registration Threshold; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56469) | |
| 226 N | Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon and East Chelmsford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the revenue which would be raised if the supply of sporting facilities by non-profit making organisations were made subject to VAT at the standard rate. |
| (56472) | |
| 227 N | Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon and East Chelmsford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he intends to reintroduce the VAT (Sports, Sports Competitions and Physical Education) Order 1998; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56459) | |
| 228 | Mr Nicholas Winterton (Macclesfield): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent representations he has received concerning the impact of the strength of the pound on manufacturing industry. |
| (56845) | |
| 229 N | John Austin (Erith and Thamesmead): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what efforts SFOR have made to apprehend and arrest (a) Ratko Miladic« and (b) Radovan Karadz±ic« to face trial before the International Criminal Tribunal. |
| (56481) | |
| 230 N | John Austin (Erith and Thamesmead): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to reopen the British Embassy in Sudan; and if he will make a statement. |
| (55972) | |
| 231 N | John Austin (Erith and Thamesmead): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps have been taken to ensure that the International Criminal Tribunal is able to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Kosova. |
| (56482) | |
| 232 N | John Austin (Erith and Thamesmead): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he (a) has made and (b) intends to make following the passing of a Bill in the Argentine Senate threatening fines to fishing boats in Falkland Islands waters; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56483) | |
| 233 N | John Austin (Erith and Thamesmead): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Falklands Islands Government has the sole right to issue licences for fishing in Falkland Islands territorial waters; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56484) | |
| 234 N | Mr Robin Corbett (Birmingham, Erdington): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of human rights abuses in the Gambia; and what impact this will have on the UK's current aid and assistance. |
| (56334) | |
| 235 N | Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the properties (a) owned and (b) rented or leased by his Department in Togo, the purposes for which they are designated and the annual running costs for each property; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56215) | |
| 236 N | Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the properties (a) owned and (b) rented or leased by his Department in Nicaragua, the purposes for which they are designated and the annual running costs for each property; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56216) | |
| 237 N | Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the properties (a) owned and (b) rented or leased by his Department in Syria, the purposes for which they are designated and the annual running costs for each property; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56217) | |
| 238 N | Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the properties (a) owned and (b) rented or leased by his Department in Slovenia, the purposes for which they are designated and the annual running costs for each property; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56218) | |
| 239 | Maria Fyfe (Glasgow, Maryhill): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the government of Iran about (a) the continuation of the execution order against Salman Rushdie, and (b) the continuing violations of human rights with particular reference to executions. |
| (56707) | |
| 240 N | Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what consultation took place between his Department and the Spanish Government prior to the issuing of the international warrant for the arrest of General Pinochet. |
| (56280) | |
| 241 N | Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what consultation took place between his Department and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry concerning General Pinochet prior to 18th October. |
| (56283) | |
| 242 N | Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has received from the Chilean Government since 1st May 1997 concerning General Pinochet. |
| (56282) | |
| 243 N | Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what consultations took place between his Department and other departments prior to the issuing of the international warrant for the arrest of General Pinochet. |
| (56281) | |
| 244 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what is the basis of the statement in Sir Thomas Legg's report at paragraph 4.2 that Sandline International is a company registered in the Bahamas. |
| (56008) | |
| 245 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on what occasions the British High Commission has visited the British passport holders under sentence of death in Sierra Leone for offences arising from, or relating to, the military coup. |
| (55976) | |
| 246 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations have been made by Her Majesty's Government in respect of those sentenced to death in Sierra Leone for offences arising from, or relating to, the military coup; and if he will make a statement. |
| (55977) | |
| 247 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if Mr Peter Penfold, during his meeting with the Foreign Secretary's Special Representative on Sierra Leone on 30th December 1996, shared his knowledge of the Blackstone deal for EO/Sandline to provide military equipment and training to the Kabbah Government. |
| (56362) | |
| 248 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to paragraph 4.8 of the Legg Report who advised Mr Peter Penfold to meet Branch Energy prior to him taking up his appointment as High Commissioner in Sierra Leone. |
| (56361) | |
| 249 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment has been made of the charges, evidence and conduct of the trial of the British national, Hilton Fyld, sentenced to death in Sierra Leone. |
| (56275) | |
| 250 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if it is Her Majesty's Government policy that there shall be no alteration to the constitutional status of Gibraltar without the consent of the people of Gibraltar. |
| (55985) | |
| 251 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on what occasions Mr Peter Penfold met (a) Mr Tim Spicer and (b) representatives of Sandline International or its subsidary companies during (i) his period of duties in the Caribbean and (ii) as Governor of the British Virgin Islands. |
| (56360) | |
| 252 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports his Department has received as to the identities and professions of those individuals executed by firing squad following the coup in Sierra Leone. |
| (56372) | |
| 253 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on what day he was notified of (a) the holding of courts martial of officers implicated in the Sierra Leone coup, (b) the verdicts on the officers and (c) the award of death sentences. |
| (56276) | |
| 254 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on what date Sandline International was entered on the Companies Register of the British Virgin Islands. |
| (55974) | |
| 255 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the dates and location of Mr Peter Penfold's service in the Caribbean subsequent to the completion of his duties as Governor of the British Virgin Islands. |
| (55975) | |
| 256 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on which occasions this year the Royal Gibraltar Police have intervened with (a) Spanish fishermen and (b) Spanish armed forces or law enforcement agencies in relation to infringement of Gibraltarian waters. |
| (55979) | |
| 257 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what resources have been requested by (a) the Governor and (b) the Government of Gibraltar in order to defend its territorial waters. |
| (55980) | |
| 258 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what initiatives were rejected during the United Kingdom presidency of the EU by Spain consequent to the dispute over the status of Gibraltar. |
| (55981) | |
| 259 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he rejected the Matutes proposals on Gibraltar; and if he will make a statement. |
| (55982) | |
| 260 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he will reply to the representation of the Gibraltar Government, submitted earlier this year in response to the Matutes proposals. |
| (55983) | |
| 261 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the infringement of Gibraltarian waters by Spanish fishermen. |
| (55984) | |
| 262 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, by what means his Department has been able to assess the evidence submitted to, and the efficacy of the conduct of, (a) the courts martial and (b) the civil courts of Sierra Leone, in respect of hearings related to charges of treason arising from the coup. |
| (56267) | |
| 263 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if a representative of the British High Commission to Sierra Leone was in attendance at the courts martial of the officers subsequently executed for their participation in the Sierra Leone coup. |
| (56278) | |
| 264 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Legg Report, if he will place in the Library a copy of the document Project Python as presented to Mr Peter Penfold at his meeting with Mr Spicer of Sandline on 28th January. |
| (56359) | |
| 265 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on which date the Minister of State telephoned the Sierra Leone Government urging clemency for those officers sentenced to death by courts martial consequent upon their participation in the military coup; with whom he spoke; and what other direct or indirect representations urging clemency were made by Her Majesty's Government. |
| (56279) | |
| 266 N | Mr Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if a representative of the British High Commission to Sierra Leone attended throughout the trial of British national, Hilton Fyld. |
| (56270) | |
| 267 | Mr John Randall (Uxbridge): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his oral Statement of 19th October, Official Report, column 963, what material help Her Majesty's Government is giving to the independent radio station B92 in Belgrade. |
| (56442) | |
| 268 | Mr Mohammad Sarwar (Glasgow, Govan): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Government of India to permit foreign journalists and representatives of human rights organisations unrestricted access to Jammu and Kashmir. |
| (56716) | |
| 269 | Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proposals the Government has to enable the international community to purchase from countries of the former Soviet Union their stocks of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons so that they can be destroyed. |
| (56473) | |
| 270 N | Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he will make to the government of Dubai consequent upon the decision by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to designate the detention of George Atkinson as arbitrary. |
| (56508) | |
| 271 | Mr John D. Taylor (Strangford): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the visa requirements for persons from Taiwan seeking to enter and work in the United Kingdom; and in which currency they are required to pay for visas in Taiwan before departure. |
| (56706) | |
| 272 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his private office, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56813) | |
| 273 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Turkish, Italian and Maltese authorities in respect of the extradition of Mohammed Abdel Mohem Abbas Aly in the Edgar Fernandes case. |
| (56683) | |
| 274 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish the names of those people he has appointed to public bodies since 1st May 1997, indicating the positions to which they have been appointed and whether they receive remuneration. |
| (56812) | |
| 275 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Parliamentary Under-Secretary, the Baroness Symons, had with the Turkish authorities during her trip to Istanbul. |
| (56685) | |
| 276 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to create a unit for missing persons within his Department. |
| (56684) | |
| 277 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his Department, by grade, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56811) | |
| 278 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the case of Edgar Fernandes. |
| (56682) | |
| 279 | Jackie Ballard (Taunton): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what is the total amount of funds allocated to Investing in Dentistry up to 30th September; which health authority areas have applied for funds to date; how much each bid for; and how many applications have been successful in each health authority area. |
| (56489) | |
| 280 | Dr Peter Brand (Isle of Wight): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what percentage of midwives are on (a) D, (b) E and (c) F grades (i) nationally and (ii) by region for each of the last five years. |
| (56929) | |
| 281 N | Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what financial assistance his Department will make available to Essex County Country Social Services Department to help them meet the costs arising from bogus asylum seekers from (a) Kosovo, (b) Somalia and (c) Sri Lanka who enter the United Kingdom at ports of entry in Essex. |
| (55764) | |
| 282 N | Mr Tim Collins (Westmorland and Lonsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what targets are in place for the maximum period between performance of a radiogram and discussion of the result with the patient affected; and if he wil make a statement. |
| (56476) | |
| 283 | Tom Cox (Tooting): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many agency nurses have been employed at NHS hospitals in the Greater London area during the last 12 months; and what was the cost of this employment. |
| (56719) | |
| 284 | Paul Flynn (Newport West): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has evaluated into the relative effectiveness of (a) dextropropoxphene used in combination with paracetamol and (b) paracetamol alone in acute pain relief. |
| (56543) | |
| 285 | Paul Flynn (Newport West): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what was the total cost to the NHS in each of the last three years of co-proxamol prescriptions; and what would the proportionate saving if co-proxamol was replaced by paracetamol alone prescriptions. |
| (56544) | |
| 286 | Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many senior registrars are in post in each specialty; and how many have been given consultants posts in each of the last five years. |
| (56741) | |
| 287 | Mr Stephen Hesford (Wirral West): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what are the main criteria for the establishment of health improvement programmes; and what progress has been made in the establishment of such programmes. |
| (56652) | |
| 288 N | Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the alleged association between the administration of MMR vaccine and inflammatory bowel disease. |
| (56370) | |
| 289 N | Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information he has collated on changes in the number of children diagnosed with autism over the past 10 years. |
| (56371) | |
| 290 | Mr David Kidney (Stafford): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many carers are themselves minors in (a) Staffordshire, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England; and what proportions such figures represent of (i) all carers and (ii) all minors in the latest year for which figures are available. |
| (56660) | |
| 291 N | Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the end of GP fundholding on the provision of physiotherapy outpatient services for patients in West Sussex. |
| (56642) | |
| 292 N | Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to cap the charges for access to medical records after changes to the Data Protection Act 1998. |
| (56641) | |
| 293 N | Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimates his Department has made of the effect on the number of patients seeking access to their medical records of the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998. |
| (56640) | |
| 294 | Mr Tom Pendry (Stalybridge and Hyde): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects to announce the level of AIDS support grant for the next financial year. |
| (56765) | |
| 295 | Bob Russell (Colchester): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what requirements are placed on employers of nurses to provide time and pay for continuation training; what action is taken to ensure that nurses do not have to fund their own continuation training nor undertake it in their own time; and by what means he monitors the performance of employers in respect of continuation training of nurses. |
| (56436) | |
| 296 | Mr Gerry Steinberg (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the average life-time earnings of a clinical psychologist working in the NHS at current prices. |
| (56449) | |
| 297 | Mr Gerry Steinberg (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many clinical psychologists are employed in the NHS in grades (a) assistant psychologist, (b) trainee psychologist, (c) grade A psychologist and (d) grade B psychologist. |
| (56506) | |
| 298 | Mr Gerry Steinberg (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what are the mean and modal salaries of fully-qualified clinical psychologists. |
| (56575) | |
| 299 | Mr Gerry Steinberg (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what is the current age distribution of clinical psychologists. |
| (56448) | |
| 300 | Mr Gerry Steinberg (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the number of clinical psychologists at each spinal point of their wage scale. |
| (56447) | |
| 301 | Mr Gerry Steinberg (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the real rates of increase in each pay award for clinical psychologists working for the NHS since 1990. |
| (56444) | |
| 302 | Mr Gerry Steinberg (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what was the total salary bill for clinical psychologists in the NHS in the last 12 months for which figures are available. |
| (56446) | |
| 303 | Mr Gerry Steinberg (City of Durham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many clinical psychologists currently work in the NHS. |
| (56445) | |
| 304 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his private office, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56804) | |
| 305 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his Department, by grade, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56802) | |
| 306 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish the names of those people he has appointed to public bodies since 1st May 1997, indicating the positions to which they have been appointed and whether they receive remuneration. |
| (56803) | |
| 307 | Dr Rudi Vis (Finchley and Golders Green): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what was the average cost of a first trimester abortion by vacuum aspiration in the Barnet Health Authority in 1997. |
| (56903) | |
| 308 | Dr Rudi Vis (Finchley and Golders Green): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what was the average cost of childbirth in the Barnet Health Authority in 1997, including the cost of ante-natal and post-natal care. |
| (56898) | |
| 309 N | Mr Nick Ainger (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations he has received concerning links between under-age drinking and violent behaviour in town centres. |
| (53522) | |
| 310 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the timetable for the introduction of a Freedom of Information Bill set out by the former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster remains unaltered. |
| (56326) | |
| 311 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many copies of each edition of Civil Protection are produced; and at what cost to public funds. |
| (56355) | |
| 312 | Mr Bob Blizzard (Waveney): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his policy is regarding drug and alcohol testing in the workplace. |
| (56732) | |
| 313 N | Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what action his Department will take to reduce the number of illegal asylum seekers entering the United Kingdom from ports of entry in Essex; and if his Department will provide financial assistance to Essex County Council Social Services Department to meet their costs in providing for these illegal immigrants. |
| (55765) | |
| 314 | Christine Butler (Castle Point): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he expects to bring the Data Protection Act 1998 into force. |
| (57008) | |
| 315 | Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage remand and convicted (a) young offenders and (b) juveniles in Feltham Young Offender Unit were from ethnic minorities in the last quarter for which figures are available and each of the previous five years. |
| (56726) | |
| 316 | Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of remand and convicted (a) young offenders and (b) juveniles in young offender units in England were from ethnic minorities in the last quarter for which figures are available and each of the previous five years. |
| (56725) | |
| 317 N | Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his Department will determine the allocation of PFI credits to the pathfinder project in vehicle management for the London Fire Brigade. |
| (56220) | |
| 318 | Mr James Clappison (Hertsmere): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what provisions exist for the recording of the incidence of offences motivated by hostility based on the victim's membership of a religious group. |
| (56840) | |
| 319 | Mr James Clappison (Hertsmere): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance he has given to the police and the Crown Prosecution Service regarding assaults and other offences motivated by hostility based on the victim's membership of a religious group. |
| (56839) | |
| 320 | Mr James Clappison (Hertsmere): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is his assessment of the prevalence of assaults and other offences motivated by hostility based on the victim's membership of a religious group. |
| (56838) | |
| 321 | Mr James Clappison (Hertsmere): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the incidence of assaults and other offences motivated by hostility based on the victim's membership of a religious group. |
| (56837) | |
| 322 | Mr Vernon Coaker (Gedling): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to prepare for implementation of the proposed Freedom of Information Act. |
| (57007) | |
| 323 N | Mr Harry Cohen (Leyton and Wanstead): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will investigate the treatment of dogs by the Metropolitan Police; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56369) | |
| 324 | Mr Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have died at rave events in the last five years; and how many of those deaths were as a direct result of attending the event. |
| (56905) | |
| 325 N | Mr Roger Gale (North Thanet): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the number of persons claiming asylum in the United Kingdom, for each month from May 1996 to September 1998. |
| (56630) | |
| 326 N | Mr Roger Gale (North Thanet): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his Answer of 4th June to the honourable Member for Warrington North, Official Report, columns 304-5, if he will list the members of the working party on safeguards for children; what the working party's terms of reference are; and how he intends that it should solicit the views of interested parties. |
| (56367) | |
| 327 N | Mr Roger Gale (North Thanet): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his Answer to the honourable Member for Warrington North of 4th June, Official Report, column 305, when the Ministerial Task Force on the Children's Safeguards Review will publish its response to the consultation exercise, Sex Offenders: A Ban on Working with Children, and to Sir William Utting's review on safeguards for children living away from home with particular reference to those recommendations dealing with choosing the right staff. |
| (56657) | |
| 328 N | Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidelines have been issued by his Department to the Court Service of the Immigration Appellate Authority for receipt of appeal papers from his Department's officials after the 14 day deadline period. |
| (56643) | |
| 329 N | Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of his Department's appeals to the Immigration Appellate Authority have been accepted after expiry of the 14 day appeal period. |
| (56644) | |
| 330 | Fiona Mactaggart (Slough): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will instruct his officials to cease to certify asylum claims under section 1 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, solely on the basis of the asylum-seeker's country of origin. |
| (56463) | |
| 331 | Fiona Mactaggart (Slough): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many employers have been (a) investigated, (b) charged, (c) prosecuted and (d) convicted under section 8(1) of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, to the latest convenient date. |
| (56464) | |
| 332 | Fiona Mactaggart (Slough): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he proposes to implement his policy, set out in the White Paper, Fairer, faster and firmer, towards people from abroad whose marriages break down within one year due to domestic violence. |
| (56462) | |
| 333 | Fiona Mactaggart (Slough): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases involving organised immigration racketeering his Department has referred for prosecution in each year since 1990; and with what results. |
| (56465) | |
| 334 N | Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were fined for mis-use of orange badge parking spaces in the United Kingdom in 1997. |
| (56632) | |
| 335 | Mr Peter L. Pike (Burnley): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department has taken to co-ordinate a review of the issues relating to the legal status of transsexual persons; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56460) | |
| 336 | Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with the Deputy Chief Constable of Hampshire regarding affidavits signed by Mr Truch. |
| (56697) | |
| 337 | Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take measures to increase public confidence in community service orders; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56500) | |
| 338 | Sir Teddy Taylor (Rochford and Southend East): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will introduce legislation to ensure that the Police Pension Scheme provides a pension for the widow of a policeman who married after retirement from the Police Force but before 6th April 1978 as if the requirement of the Social Security Act 1975 applied prior to that date. |
| (56721) | |
| 339 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his private office, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56792) | |
| 340 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his Department, by grade, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56790) | |
| 341 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the names of those people he has appointed to public bodies since 1st May 1997, indicating the positions to which they have been appointed and whether they receive remuneration. |
| (56791) | |
| 342 | Tom Cox (Tooting): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance has been given by the United Kingdom Government to Albania in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement. |
| (56718) | |
| 343 | Mr Mohammad Sarwar (Glasgow, Govan): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make a statement on the current provision of aid to Jammu and Kashmir. |
| (56717) | |
| 344 N | Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what percentage of her Department's budget will be paid to NGOs based (a) in the UK and (b) overseas in the current financial year. |
| (56223) | |
| 345 N | Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will calculate the average time taken for the completion of grant applications to her Department in 1997-98. |
| (56537) | |
| 346 N | Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make a statement on the procedure for grant applications to her Department. |
| (56536) | |
| 347 N | Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many people were employed directly by her Department on (a) 1st September 1997, (b) 1st March 1998 and (c) 1st September 1998. |
| (56222) | |
| 348 N | Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make a statement on the role of her Department in the (a) previous and (b) forthcoming rounds of World Trade Organisation talks. |
| (56542) | |
| 349 N | Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make a statement on the total amount of UK support for the European Communities Humanitarian Office in 1997-98. |
| (56534) | |
| 350 N | Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will list the 10 largest aid or development projects funded directly by her Department in the 12 months from 1st September 1997; and if she will make a statement. |
| (56225) | |
| 351 N | Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make a statement on the recipient projects in Uganda of the £67 million for educational assistance. |
| (56535) | |
| 352 N | Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make a statement on her Department's assessment of the impact of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment on developing countries. |
| (56538) | |
| 353 N | Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what systems are in place for monitoring how her Department's budget is spent by (a) the EU and (b) other recipient organisations. |
| (56224) | |
| 354 N | Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the work of (a) non-government organisations and (b) Operation Lifeline Sudan following the bombing of Khartoum in August 1998. |
| (56540) | |
| 355 N | Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, by what means her Department assesses the economies of developing countries; what is her Department's policy towards assisting such economies; and if she will make a statement. |
| (56541) | |
| 356 N | Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what percentage of her Department's budget will be paid to the European Union in the current financial year. |
| (56221) | |
| 357 | Mr Gareth R. Thomas (Harrow West): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will list the funding allocated for renewable energy projects for each of the last five years by country. |
| (56928) | |
| 358 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will publish the names of those people she has appointed to public bodies since 1st May 1997, indicating the positions to which they have been appointed and whether they receive remuneration. |
| (56806) | |
| 359 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in her private office, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56807) | |
| 360 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in her Department, by grade, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56805) | |
| 361 | Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department, what plans he has to increase the representation of ethnic minorities amoung lay and stipendary magistrates; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56723) | |
| 362 | Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department, what plans he has to issue guidelines on cultural, racial and self awareness training for lay magistrates. |
| (56724) | |
| 363 | Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury and Atcham): To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department, how much the proposed new extension at Telford County Court will cost. |
| (56456) | |
| 364 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department, if he will publish the names of those people he has appointed to public bodies since 1st May 1997, indicating the positions to which they have been appointed and whether they receive remuneration. |
| (56794) | |
| 365 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his Department, by grade, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56793) | |
| 366 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his private office, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56795) | |
| 367 | Mr Nicholas Winterton (Macclesfield): To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department, if he will make a statement on his policy towards the availability and provision of court services in rural areas. |
| (56844) | |
| 368 N | Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what information she has received from the government of the Republic of Ireland concerning the introduction of legislation in the Republic to fulfil the equality and human rights issues of the Good Friday Agreement. |
| (55629) | |
| 369 N | Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what representations from Irish Americans she received concerning the power of the proposed Human Rights Commission to initiate investigations and compel the attendance of witnesses; and in which cities and from which groups. |
| (55630) | |
| 370 N | Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with the UN High Commission for Human Rights on the equality and human rights provisions of the Northern Ireland Bill; to what extent the Commission expressed its view that the provisions (a) met the criteria and (b) fell short of the criteria of the Principles on the Status of National Institutions (The Paris Principles) as extended by subsequent United Nations' workshops. |
| (55633) | |
| 371 N | Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with the Human Rights Directorate of the Council of Europe concerning the contents of the human rights and equality provisions of the Northern Ireland Bill, indicating those areas which the Directorate asked to be strengthened to enable the Human Rights Commission to initiate enquiries and compel the attendance of witnesses. |
| (55634) | |
| 372 N | Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if the Social Services Inspectorate report into the case of Frederick McLerna will be taken into account in determining performance-related bonuses for senior management of Homefirst Community Trust. |
| (56284) | |
| 373 N | Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what was the cost of the production and distribution of the new Homefirst Community Trust (a) diary and (b) report. |
| (56285) | |
| 374 | Mr Peter Robinson (Belfast East): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what was the cost of RUC Personnel and other associated overtime due to the visit of President Clinton to Northern Ireland in September. |
| (56656) | |
| 375 | Mr John D. Taylor (Strangford): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the enrolment (a) is this year and (b) was five years ago in each primary, secondary and grammar school in the constituency of Strangford. |
| (56705) | |
| 376 | Mr John D. Taylor (Strangford): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on the number of homes (a) which have received planning approval and (b) for which application is presently under consideration by the planning department in the vicinity of Crossnacreevy villages. |
| (56704) | |
| 377 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will provide a breakdown in numerical and percentage terms of the ethnic origin of civil servants in her private office, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56763) | |
| 378 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will publish the names of those people she has appointed to public bodies since 1st May 1997, indicating the positions to which they have been appointed, and whether they receive remuneration. |
| (56762) | |
| 379 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will provide a breakdown in numerical and percentage terms of the ethnic origin of civil servants in her Department, by grade, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56761) | |
| 380 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the President of the Council, if she will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in her private office, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56789) | |
| 381 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the President of the Council, if she will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in her Department, by grade, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56787) | |
| 382 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the President of the Council, if she will publish the names of those people she has appointed to public bodies since 1st May 1997, indicating the positions to which they have been appointed and whether they receive remuneration. |
| (56788) | |
| 383 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his Answers of 2nd February, Official Report, column 476 and 22nd June, Official Report, column 351, for what reason no announcement has yet been made in respect of the co-ordination within government of animal welfare policies; when he expects to make such an announcement; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56358) | |
| 384 | Mr William Cash (Stone): To ask the Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on the allocation of European matters to Cabinet committees and Ministerial sub-committees in the period since 1992, listing changes in that allocation and the reasons for them. |
| (57020) | |
| 385 | Mr William Cash (Stone): To ask the Prime Minister, what monies have been (a) spent and (b) allocated by Her Majesty's Government towards circulating literature relating to the euro and to the preparation for the euro and to promoting awareness of the implications of the euro. |
| (57006) | |
| 386 | Mr William Cash (Stone): To ask the Prime Minister, how much the Government has (a) spent and (b) proposes to spend in relation to the euro by way of (i) direct mail shots, (ii) pamphlets and information circulars, (iii) advertising on radio and television and (iv) schools information. |
| (56939) | |
| 387 N | Mr Tim Collins (Westmorland and Lonsdale): To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions he held on the export of United Kingdom defence-related technology or goods during his recent visit to China. |
| (56427) | |
| 388 N | Mr Tim Collins (Westmorland and Lonsdale): To ask the Prime Minister, when he last travelled on a train operated by (a) Virgin Rail and (b) another United Kingdom train operator; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56424) | |
| 389 N | Mr Tim Collins (Westmorland and Lonsdale): To ask the Prime Minister, what were his priorities for his recent visit to China; and which Chinese Ministers he met. |
| (56428) | |
| 390 N | Mr Tim Collins (Westmorland and Lonsdale): To ask the Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on the application of his Government's ethical foreign policy to his recent visit to China. |
| (56426) | |
| 391 N | Mr Tim Collins (Westmorland and Lonsdale): To ask the Prime Minister, on how many occasions since 1st May 1997 he has paid a ministerial visit to (a) the constituency of Sedgefield and (b) capital cities of European Union countries other than the United Kingdom. |
| (56423) | |
| 392 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Prime Minister, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin, as at 1st October 1997 of members of (a) his private office, (b) Government special advisers, (c) No. 10 Policy Unit and (d) No. 10 Downing Street staff in total. |
| (56841) | |
| 393 N | Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what measures he will pursue to promote the recovery of native trout and salmon stocks in Scottish rivers. |
| (56302) | |
| 394 N | Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what representations he has received from organisations and individuals concerned about the environmental damage caused by inshore coastal fish farms; if he will list those who have made representations; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56307) | |
| 395 N | Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will estimate the number of jobs sustained through sea trout and salmon fishing in Scotland in each of the years 1992 to 1998 (a) directly and (b) indirectly; and if he will make a statement on the basis of these figures. |
| (56304) | |
| 396 N | Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what was the total public subsidy paid to the fish farming industry in each year for the period 1992 to 1999. |
| (56306) | |
| 397 N | Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will estimate the number of jobs sustained through inshore coastal fish farming in Scotland in each of the years 1992 to 1998 (a) directly and (b) indirectly; and if he will make a statement on the basis of these figures. |
| (56305) | |
| 398 N | Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the effect of inshore coastal fish farming on native migratory sea trout and salmon populations; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56308) | |
| 399 | Mr Mohammad Sarwar (Glasgow, Govan): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what measaures the Government is taking to ensure that children of school age attend school regularly. |
| (56711) | |
| 400 | Mr Mohammad Sarwar (Glasgow, Govan): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what plans he has to improve access to NHS dental services in Scotland. |
| (56714) | |
| 401 | Mr Mohammad Sarwar (Glasgow, Govan): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what plans he has to improve the relationship between the police and ethnic minority communities. |
| (56715) | |
| 402 | Mr Mohammad Sarwar (Glasgow, Govan): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent representations he has received on genetically-modified food. |
| (56712) | |
| 403 | Mr Mohammad Sarwar (Glasgow, Govan): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what plans he has to secure provision of additional breast cancer radiologists in Scotland. |
| (56713) | |
| 404 N | Mr John Swinney (North Tayside): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what aspects of the (a) funding and (b) administration of housing benefit will be within the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament; what plans he has to review the proposed division of responsibility over housing benefit; and if he will make a statement. |
| (55973) | |
| 405 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will publish the names of those people he has appointed to public bodies since 1st May 1997, indicating the positions to which they have been appointed and whether they receive remuneration. |
| (56815) | |
| 406 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his private office, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56816) | |
| 407 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his Department, by grade, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56814) | |
| 408 N | Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, what proportion of Serps payments by his Department to contracted out pension schemes have been paid late in 1998 to date; and what is the average length of late payment. |
| (56636) | |
| 409 N | Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, what is his Department's current forecast for spending on social security benefits in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01 and (c) 2001-02. |
| (56087) | |
| 410 N | Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester): To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, how many higher-rate tax payers are currently in receipt of disability living allowance; and what is the estimated total cost of these awards. |
| (56075) | |
| 411 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his private office, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56825) | |
| 412 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, if he will publish the names of those people he has appointed to public bodies since 1st May 1997, indicating the positions to which they have been appointed and whether they receive remuneration. |
| (56824) | |
| 413 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his Department, by grade, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56823) | |
| 414 N | Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, if his policy of ensuring that no current recipients of social security benefits lose as a result of the Government's welfare reform programme takes into account real terms losses from non-indexation of benefits. |
| (56515) | |
| 415 | Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, what estimate is provided by his Department's Family Resources Survey of the number of children aged 0 to 11 years whose childcare during the hours of parental employment is provided primarily by a grandparent or other non-parental family member. |
| (56403) | |
| 416 N | Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, what is his definition of loss in the context of his policy that welfare reform will not lead to losses for existing recipients; and what steps he has taken to ensure that no reform to date has lead to such a loss. |
| (56676) | |
| 417 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what recent discussions he has had with the Director General of Fair Trading relating to potential monopolistic behaviour amongst the four leading supermarkets. |
| (56356) | |
| 418 N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, under what circumstances patents granted by the European Patent Office have the legal effect of United Kingdom patents. |
| (56353) | |
| 419 | Mr Bob Blizzard (Waveney): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assistance he is giving to the development of fuel cell technology as a means of powering vehicles. |
| (56729) | |
| 420 N | Mr Tim Collins (Westmorland and Lonsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will make a statement about the future of the CARAD programme. |
| (56478) | |
| 421 N | Mr Tim Collins (Westmorland and Lonsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what sums are expected to be paid to the Government in sales levies to recoup launch investment by (a) British Aerospace, (b) Rolls Royce and (c) other UK aerospace companies in each of the next 10 years; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56479) | |
| 422 N | Mr Tim Collins (Westmorland and Lonsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment he has made of the strategic and industrial implications of a merger between British Aerospace and DASA of Germany; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56474) | |
| 423 N | Mr Tim Collins (Westmorland and Lonsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what meetings he had to discuss the aerospace industry during his recent visit to the United States. |
| (56477) | |
| 424 N | Mr Tim Collins (Westmorland and Lonsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment his Department has made of the scale of US Government support for the research and technology efforts of US aerospace companies; if he will take measures to match this proportionately; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56467) | |
| 425 N | Mr Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will list his special advisers indicating their (a) remuneration, (b) official accommodation, (c) staff and other resources allocated to them, (d) age, (e) previous employment, (f) subjects on which they advise and (g) restrictions imposed on access to official papers and meetings. |
| (56661) | |
| 426 N | Mr Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will list the total sponsorship guaranteed unconditionally to each zone of the Millennium Experience under written agreement, indicating the companies or organisations concerned, the zone they have agreed to sponsor and the value of the sponsorship. |
| (56681) | |
| 427 N | Mr Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will list the official visits he has paid to the company offices of (a) newspapers and (b) other media organisations during the summer adjournment, indicating the subjects discussed on each occasion. |
| (56662) | |
| 428 | Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his Answer of 19th October, Official Report, column 907, what response the Director General of Electricity Supply has given to his letter concerning the use of pre-payment meters to recover water debts. |
| (56412) | |
| 429 | Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what estimate he has made of the cost to the charitable sector of compliance with the provisions of the Working Time Directive, for (a) employed staff and (b) volunteers. |
| (56480) | |
| 430 | Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what discussions his Department has held with Phillips concerning the company's future in the United Kingdom. |
| (56422) | |
| 431 | Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what consideration he has given to decreasing the external financing limit to allow the Post Office to invest in new projects. |
| (56658) | |
| 432 | Mr David Lock (Wyre Forest): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what has been the total sum paid out by the Export Credits Guarantee Department in respect of guarantees given to foreign companies or governments in respect of contracts relating to defence and security equipment in each of the last three financial years. |
| (56835) | |
| 433 | Mr David Lock (Wyre Forest): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what was the total value of export credits which have been issued by the Export Credits Guarantee Department for defence and security equipment in each of the last three financial years. |
| (56899) | |
| 434 N | Mr Tony McWalter (Hemel Hempstead): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans his Department has to contribute to the Ariane 5 Evolution Programme. |
| (55382) | |
| 435 | Mr Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment he has made of the potential threat to satellites of the loenid meteorite shower in November; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56935) | |
| 436 | Mr Kerry Pollard (St. Albans): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will announce the allocation of the Science Budget; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56842) | |
| 437 N | Mr John Redwood (Wokingham): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if the White Paper on Competitiveness will include details of the Concordat on Inward Investment. |
| (56368) | |
| 438 N | Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his oral Answer of 21st October, Official Report, column 1287, if he will estimate the year on year cost of the Working Time Directive to the Rover Group. |
| (56520) | |
| 439 | Mr Alan Simpson (Nottingham South): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the Government's Opportunities bulletin list of (a) contract notices and (b) contract awards, what factors underlie the disparity in the numbers of (a) against; and (b) where a full list of contract awards can be found. |
| (56934) | |
| 440 | Mr Alan Simpson (Nottingham South): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if his Department's Asia-Pacific Advisory Group currently promotes trade with Burma. |
| (56933) | |
| 441 N | Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will make a statement on the Government's present policy towards the Multilateral Agreement on Investment. |
| (56539) | |
| 442 | Mr Ian Taylor (Esher and Walton): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many people are employed in the UK in (a) the motor car industry, and (b) the telecommunications industry, broadly defined. |
| (56510) | |
| 443 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his Department, by grade, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56817) | |
| 444 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his private office, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56819) | |
| 445 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will publish the names of those people he has appointed to public bodies since 1st May 1997, indicating the positions to which they have been appointed and whether they receive remuneration. |
| (56818) | |
| 446 | Mr Cynog Dafis (Ceredigion): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what was the total allocation of funding made available to each district council and unitary authority in Wales for each of the years 1990 to 1998; and what was the proportion of the allocation spent in each case. |
| (56517) | |
| 447 | Mr Barry Jones (Alyn and Deeside): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with (a) Railtrack and (b) local authorities concerning the construction of a rail station on Deeside Industrial Park; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56494) | |
| 448 | Mr Barry Jones (Alyn and Deeside): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, when he expects to announce changes in the map of assisted area status; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56493) | |
| 449 | Mr Barry Jones (Alyn and Deeside): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, in what ways he attempted to assist the optical fibres plant DIP Flintshire prior to the announcement of redundancies; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56496) | |
| 450 | Mr Barry Jones (Alyn and Deeside): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will make a statement on the prospects for the optical fibres industry in Wales. |
| (56495) | |
| 451 | Mr Barry Jones (Alyn and Deeside): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps his Department proposes to facilitate increases in apprentices on Deeside; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56492) | |
| 452 | Mr Barry Jones (Alyn and Deeside): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what proposals his Department and its agencies have to assist the optical fibres (BICC) plant at Deeside Industrial Park; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56491) | |
| 453 | Mr Barry Jones (Alyn and Deeside): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, in what ways he assisted the Kimberley-Clark factory on Deeside Industrial Park prior to its announcement on 21st October of closure; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56497) | |
| 454 | Mr Barry Jones (Alyn and Deeside): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what new measures he proposes to assist manufacturing industry; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56490) | |
| 455 | Mr Martyn Jones (Clwyd South): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what plans his Department has to promote the early screening programme for cervical cancer. |
| (56410) | |
| 456 | Mr Martyn Jones (Clwyd South): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will make a statement on the level of manufacturing output in Wales. |
| (56409) | |
| 457 N | Mr Paul Keetch (Hereford): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, when he expects the results of the inquiry into the River Wye navigation rights to be announced; and if he will make a statement. |
| (56440) | |
| 458 | Ms Jackie Lawrence (Preseli Pembrokeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will make a statement about the date of the ordinary elections to community councils in Wales in 1999. |
| (56675) | |
| 459 | Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what advice he has received from the Countryside Council for Wales with regard to the proposed rebuilding of the Welsh Highland Railway through Snowdonia, with particular reference to (a) the impact on the site of special scientific interest at the Aberglaslyn Pass and (b) the visual impact of signs required by the Railways Inspectorate. |
| (56927) | |
| 460 | Mr Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much money will be allocated to (a) Wales and (b) Denbighshire in the Government's distribution of funds released from money raised from the sale of council houses in the last year and each of the next four years. |
| (56408) | |
| 461 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will publish the names of those people he has appointed to public bodies since 1st May 1997, indicating the positions to which they have been appointed, and whether they receive remuneration. |
| (56830) | |
| 462 | Mr Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his Department, by grade, as at 1st October 1997. |
| (56829) | |
| 463 N | Fiona Mactaggart (Slough): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made on reducing the time taken in the administration of asylum claims; and if he will make a statement. |
| [Question Unstarred] (53511) | |
| 464 | Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to improve housing and social services provision for 16 and 17 year olds who are no longer able to remain in the parental home and who are not in paid employment. |
| [Transferred] (56453) | |
| 465 | Paul Flynn (Newport West): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many deaths in each of the last three years have been attributed to the use of (a) co-proxamol, (b) paracetamol and (c) paracetamol in combination with drugs other than dextropropoxphene. |
| [Transferred] (56545) | |
| 466 | Dr Rudi Vis (Finchley and Golders Green): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many abortions were carried out on Barnet residents in 1997; how many of these were carried out in NHS hospitals; how many were paid for by the NHS; how many were carried out by agency arrangement and paid for by the NHS; and how many were carried out in the private sector (a) inside and (b) outside Barnet. |
| [Transferred] (56904) | |
| 467 | Mr David Kidney (Stafford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what proposals his Department has to amend the laws relating to house repossession to reduce the levels of possession cases for (a) mortgage arrears and (b) rent arrears. |
| [Transferred] (56702) | |
| |
| © Parliamentary copyright 1998 | Revised 26 October 1998 |