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Ministerial Visits

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the parliamentary constituencies which he has visited in an official capacity in the past 12 months. [71331]

Mr. Prescott [holding answer 15 February 1999]: Paragraph 79 of the Ministerial Code makes it clear that Ministers should inform hon. Members in advance of planned visits to their constituencies. Ministers in the Department undertake visits to all parts of the country and records of official visits are not held on a constituency basis. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the parliamentary constituencies which the Minister of Transport has visited in an official capacity in the past 12 months. [71350]

Dr. Reid [holding answer 15 February 1999]: Paragraph 79 of the Ministerial Code makes it clear that Ministers should inform hon. Members in advance of planned visits to their constituencies. Ministers in the Department undertake visits to all parts of the country and records of official visits are not held on a constituency basis. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Vehicle Documents (Mileage Information)

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has for the compulsory inclusion of mileage information on vehicle documents. [71076]

Ms Glenda Jackson [holding answer 15 February 1999]: We are committed to providing the public with more information about second hand cars and, as part of the initiative to reduce vehicle crime, we are currently considering how best to introduce a scheme for the compulsory inclusion of mileage information on vehicle documents.

Press Releases

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many press releases have been issued by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental bodies in each of the years 1990 to 1998. [71446]

Mr. Meale [holding answer 16 February 1999]: The information is as follows:

	Department of the Environment	Department of Transport
1990	736	461
1991	819	392
1992	865	375
1993	893	525
1994	743	502
1995	655	440
1996	579	410
1997(19)	171	96

(19) 1 January 1997 to 30 April 1997

22 Feb 1999 : Column: 76

	Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
1997(20)	586
1998	1,121

(20) 1 May 1997 to 31 December 1997

Regional Press Releases

	DoE/Dot	DoE/DoT/DETR	DETR
	1996 (21)	1997	1998
North East	55	71	100
North West	50	108	127
Yorkshire and Humberside	196	259	360
West Midlands	183	120	162
South West	n/a	175	258
East Midlands	100	95	115
Eastern	n/a	170	379
South East	83	109	119

(21) Figures prior to 1996 are not available. Figures for 1996 are aggregates of those issued on behalf of the former DoE and DoT. For 1997 DoE, DoT and from 1 May 1997 the DETR. Figures for 1998 relate to DETR.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
1990: 30
1991: 28
1992: 22
1993: 26
1994: 31
1995: 23
1996: 24
1997: 26
1998: 24
Driving Standards Agency
1990: 6
1991: 24
1992: 45
1993: 29
1994: 35
1995: 10
1996: 33
1997: 71
1998: 61
Highways Agency (Established 1994)
1994: 11
1995: 34
1996: 67
1997: 33
1998: 33.
Regional Press Releases

	1996 (22)	1997	1998
North East	40	46	103
North West	200	124	180
Yorkshire and Humberside	286	258	346
West Midlands	191	199	230
South West	n/a	75	87
East Midlands	189	87	175
Eastern	n/a	74	167
South East	190	225	213




(22) Figures prior to 1996 are not available

22 Feb 1999 : Column: 77

Year	Number
	Marine Safety Agency (Established 1994)
1994	14
1995	41
1996	33
1997	21
1998(23)	2
Coastguard Agency (Established 1994)
1994	9
1995	23
1996	2
1997	94
1998(23)	31
	Maritime and Coastguard Agency (Established 1998)
1998(24)	280




(23) 1 January 1998 to 31 March 1998

(24) 1 April 1998 to 31 December 1998

Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre
1990: 7
1991: 8
1992: 9
1993: 8
1994: 10
1995: 9
1996: 12
1997: 14
1998: 13
Vehicle Certification Agency
1990: nil
1991: 1
1992-1995: nil
1996: 2
1997-1998: nil
Vehicle Inspectorate
1990-1991 press releases issued by the then DoT on behalf of VI and included in DoT figures above
1992: 23
1993: 16
1994: 9
1995: 15
1996: 40
1997: 34
1998: 32.

In addition to the above agencies, the DETR has responsibility for 47 non departmental public bodies on whose behalf the Department issues a small number of press releases each year. To provide the information requested for each NDPB individually from the totals issued by DETR since its formation in May 1997, and prior to that from the totals issued by the former Department of the Environment and Department of Transport would be disproportionately costly.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will set out the conventions governing the propriety and cost of press releases issued by his Department, its agencies and

22 Feb 1999 : Column: 78

non-departmental bodies; and what is the total cost of the press releases issued since May 1997. [71461]

Mr. Meale [holding answer 16 February 1999]: Rules governing the work of the GICS are laid down in the Guidance on 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 Libraries of the House.

Press releases are principally issued on my Department's behalf via the Central Office of Information's News Distribution Service. The cost of this service for DETR for the period in question was £111.8k. Figures for DETR staff and postage costs specifically in relation to the issue of press releases are not available.

PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

Privy Council (Cash Limits)

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the President of the Council what changes she intends to make to the 1998-99 cash and running cost limits for the Privy Council. [72366]

Mrs. Beckett: Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the cash limit for Class XVIII, Vote 3 will be increased by £157,000 from £2,887,000 to £3,044,000 and the gross running costs limit will be increased by £157,000 from £2,360,000 to £2,517,000.

The increase in the cash and running cost limits reflects the transfer to the Department of responsibility for minor occupier charges, together with the cost of establishing an office and support for my hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood (Mr. Tipping) on his appointment as Parliamentary Secretary, Privy Council Office.

The increase in minor occupier charges will be offset by a transfer of £87,000 from Cabinet Office Class XVIII, Vote 1, and savings elsewhere within Class XVIII; and the remainder will be a charge to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Genetically Modified Plants

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the President of the Council when the then Select Committee on European Legislation reported on proposals from the European Commission to regulate the growing of genetically modified plants for research and sale, when such proposals were considered in Standing Committee and on the Floor of the House; and what resolutions were passed. [72180]

Mrs. Beckett: The European Commission adopted a proposal in February 1998 to amend Council Directive 90/220/EEC. This Directive establishes a system of controls which require prior consent from a Member State competent authority or any research and development release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Approval at Community level is required before any

22 Feb 1999 : Column: 79

product containing GMOs may be placed on the Community market. The proposed amendment, which is contained in EC document 6378/98, COM(98)85 final, is currently under negotiation. The Government submitted an explanatory memorandum on the proposal on 23 March 1998 which was considered by the then Select Committee on European Legislation on 29 April 1998. The Committee reported that the proposal raised issues of political importance but requested further information from the Government and did not clear it from scrutiny (26th report, 97-98, HC 155-xxv1). The Committee subsequently reconsidered the proposal on 9 December 1998 on the basis of further information provided by the Government in a letter of 27 November 1998 from my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment. The Committee maintained that the proposal raised issues of political importance and recommended that it should be debated in European Standing Committee A (3rd report, 98-99 HC 34-iii). That debate has yet to take place but will be held in good time before any decisions are taken on the proposed amendments by the Council of Ministers. An adjournment debate on the effect of Directive 90/220/EEC was held on 16 December 1998, Official Report, columns 927-33, by my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, North (Dr. Gibson).

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