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National Assembly

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the cost of the opening ceremony of the National Assembly. [71154]

Mr. Michael: An estimate of the costs involved in the Opening Ceremony of the National Assembly is currently being made, and details will be sent to the hon. Member when they are available.

National Carers Strategy

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each local authority (a) the amount of grant that will be payable in each year to support the National Carers Strategy, (b) the estimated number of carers and (c) the product of dividing (a) by (b). [71103]

Mr. Jon Owen Jones: The information requested is not yet available. We are consulting widely with carers, their representatives and local authorities about how the National Strategy for Carers, announced by the Deputy Prime Minister on 8 February, should be implemented in Wales. Final decisions will be taken by the National Assembly for Wales.

Following the transfer of functions, the issues will be a matter for the National Assembly.

Press Releases

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will set out the conventions governing the propriety and cost of press releases issued by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental bodies; and what is the total cost of the press releases issued since May 1997. [71472]

Mr. Michael: Rules governing the work of the GICS are laid down in the guidance of the work of the Government Information Service published by the Cabinet Office in July 1997. More specific guidance on the writing and issuing of press releases is given in the "Working Guide for Government Information Officers". Copies of both documents are in the Library of the House.

The cost of press releases issued by my Department, Agencies and non-departmental bodies since May 1997 is not kept centrally, but I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

16 Feb 1999 : Column: 686

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many press releases have been issued by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental bodies in each of the years 1990 to 1998. [71457]

Mr. Michael: The number of press releases issued by my Department in 1990 is not held centrally, but the figures for each of the years from 1991 to 1998 are:

1991: 622

1992: 668

1993: 759

1994: 644

1995: 631

1996: 599

1997: 650

1998: 774

So far this year--147.

The number of press releases issued by the Department's agencies and non-departmental bodies in those years is not kept centrally, but I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Personal Social Services

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list (a) by social services authority and (b) in total (i) the standard spending assessment for personal social services in 1998-99, (ii) the standard spending assessment for personal social services in 1999-2000, (iii) the difference between the standard spending assessment for personal social services in 1998-99 and 1999-2000, (iv) that difference expressed as a percentage of the 1998-99 figure, (v) the special transitional grant for 1998-99, (vi) the difference between the standard spending assessment for personal social services in 1999-2000 and the standard spending assessment for personal social services for 1998-99 combined with the special transitional grant for 1998-99, (vii) the difference between the standard spending assessment for personal social services in 1999-2000 and the standard spending assessment for personal social services for 1998-99 added to the special transitional grant for 1998-99 and expressed as a percentage of the 1998-99 figure and (viii) the indicative level of specific and special grants for 1999-2000. [71319]

Mr. Jon Owen Jones: In Wales, standard spending assessments (SSAs) are not identified against specific service blocks as in England. Nor is there an equivalent of special transitional grant. Instead, each year since 1993, the Secretary of State has identified for each authority the additional indicative amount attributed to care in the community in its total SSA. The final tranche of £21 million was included in the 1998-99 general revenue settlement. Details are given in the following table.

As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 3 February 1999, Official Report, column 610, the local government settlement for 1999-2000 included £5 million to modernise and improve children's services. Again details of how these resources are to be distributed are given in the following table.

In addition, the Welsh Office is making available, through specific grant, £2.4 million in 1999-2000 to provide training support for personal social services.

16 Feb 1999 : Column: 687

Additional resources included in standard spending assessments for 1998-99 and 1999-200£000

County or county borough council	Additional resources for care in the community 1998-99	Additional resources for Utting 1999-2000
Blaenau Gwent	533	130
Bridgend	917	228
Caerphilly	1,158	343
Cardiff	2,092	672
Carmarthenshire	1,343	231
Ceredigion	489	101
Conwy	935	146
Denbighshire	731	137
Flintshire	941	214
Gwynedd	920	156
Isle of Anglesey	494	100
Merthyr Tydfil	435	128
Monmouthshire	560	101
Neath Port Talbot	1,093	256
Newport	920	304
Pembrokeshire	800	174
Powys	887	144
Rhondda, Cynon, Taff	1,766	425
Swansea	1,685	441
Torfaen	615	184
Vale of Glamorgan (The)	790	213
Wrexham	898	207
Total county and county borough councils	21,000	5,033

Following the transfer of functions, this issue will be a matter for the National Assembly.

Lucas SEI Factory, Ystradgynlais

Mr. Livsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will designate through the planning process the site of the Lucas SEI factory of Ystradgynlais in Powys as dedicated for manufacturing purposes. [70999]

Mr. Hain: This is a matter for the local planning authority. The adopted Powys Structure Plan already seeks to protect such sites from other forms of development. However, I am talking with Welsh Office officials, the Welsh Development Agency and others to provide alternative job opportunities involving manufacturing.

CABINET OFFICE

Working Time Directive

Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many civil servants in each Government Department have been invited to waive the Working Time Directive requirement to work less than 48 hours a week on 17 consecutive weeks; how many civil servants in each Department have refused to waive the requirement; and what is the total cost, broken down by department, of compliance with the Directive. [70994]

Mr. Kilfoyle: This information is not held centrally, and is obtainable only at disproportionate cost.

16 Feb 1999 : Column: 688

New Deal

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the numbers of New Deal participants currently working in each Government Department. [71187]

Mr. Kilfoyle: I refer the right hon. Member to the written answer my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, East (Mr. Mudie), the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment, gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney (Mr. Rowlands) on 19 November 1998, Official Report, column 755. Updated figures will be available towards the end of April.

Joint Consultative Committee

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his answer of 10 February 1999, Official Report, column 229, if he proposes to set a target end date for completion of the review of the work of the Joint Consultative Committee. [71730]

Dr. Jack Cunningham: No.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Football Task Force

Mr. Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what response he has made to the Football Task Force report, Investing in the Community. [71993]

Mr. Banks: I fully support the practical recommendations made in the Task Force's report on football and the community. I have written today to the bodies identified in the report as having a role to play in implementing the relevant recommendations.

There are several recommendations which are for Government to consider. One is to assist with the 'Players in the Community Days' which the Task Force has recommended the Professional Footballers' Association consider. The Government will offer whatever assistance is needed with this scheme in the light of their response.

The other four recommendations relate to Government funding for football, in particular at the grass roots level. My Department is carefully considering the proposals made by the Task Force in this area, especially how they relate to the overall objectives of the Department in relation to sport as a whole. I will be consulting other Government Departments where necessary.

Football plays a significant part in the community life, and footballers can play a key role in supporting community schemes and setting standards of behaviour. The Government will offer whatever assistance they can to help in the development of football in the community and at the grass roots level.

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