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Economic Regeneration
22. Sir Raymond Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he intends to meet the chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee of the Assembly to discuss economic regeneration in former mining areas. [88544]
Mr. Hain: I have no such plans. This is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales. I am pleased that the Welsh Coalfield Communities will be included in the £50 million Coalfields Regeneration Trust, set up in March.
New Deal
24. Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he next plans to meet the Secretary of State for Education and Employment to discuss the New Deal in Wales. [88546]
Mr. Hain:
I have no such plans. This is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment in partnership with the National Assembly for Wales.
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25. Mr. Gareth Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to meet the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to discuss broadcasting in Wales. [88547]
Mr. Michael:
I have no such plans. This is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and in future he will involve the National Assembly for Wales in his deliberations.
26. Ann Clwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the National Assembly on measures to encourage more general practitioners to practise in the valleys of south Wales. [88548]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones:
I have had no such discussions. This is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.
28. Mr. Paterson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the prospects for the Welsh livestock industry. [88550]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones:
As Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State I had responsibility for this matter until 1 July. We took a number of initiatives, either unilaterally or jointly with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, to address the difficulties faced by the livestock sector. We provide:
Mr. John Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he plans to have discussions with the Assembly Secretary for Education up to age 16 about funding of schools in Wales. [88532]
Mr. Hain:
I have had discussions with the Education Secretary on this and other matters but this is now a matter for the National Assembly.
Mr. Wigley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements he has made for the translation of press releases from Government Departments into the Welsh language. [89679]
Mr. Michael:
This is a matter for individual Departments. In the past, I made clear the willingness of my Department to advise on such matters. I have written to colleagues underlining the importance of this matter,
7 Jul 1999 : Column: 574
and the advice which is available to Departments from the Welsh Language Board. I am pleased to see that a number of Departments have prepared Welsh language schemes which set out their policy on the use of Welsh in press notices.
Mr. Luff:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with representatives of livestock farms in Wales to discuss progress on the lifting of the beef export ban. [88529]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones:
I have had many such discussions. Beef farmers in Wales have paid a heavy price for the incompetence of the previous Government. I have been pleased to support my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in sorting out this mess.
This is now a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.
Ms Dari Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what key targets have been set for the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office Defence Agency for the financial year 1999-2000. [90524]
Mr. Spellar:
The key targets set for the UK Hydrographic Office in 1999-2000 are as follows:
Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what key targets have been set for the Duke of York Royal Military School for the financial year 1999-2000. [90573]
Mr. Spellar:
The Chief Executive of The Duke of York's Royal Military School has been set the following key targets for 1999-2000:
7 Jul 1999 : Column: 575
Over £12 million aid for Welsh cattle and sheep farmers in December 1997.
Almost £15 million extra for HLCA claimants in Wales in November 1998.
Publication in March 1999 of industry-led Action Plans for the Lamb and Beef, Dairy and Organic sectors.
Complete deferral for this year of the Specified Risk Material inspection costs--a saving of £2.5 million for Welsh farmers.
Since last Thursday these responsibilities have passed to the National Assembly for Wales. The First Secretary and his Cabinet colleagues will be happy to brief Members of the House of Commons on the Assembly's work.
Defence Agency
To process and promulgate priority safety information within stated timescales from receipt of data.
To achieve 100 per cent. of the endorsed and funded Defence Programme to cost, quality and timeliness targets as defined in Tasking Authorisation Forms (TAFs).
To meet short-notice Defence operational requirements within agreed timescales.
To achieve, by 31 March 2001, 85 per cent. of commercial orders for standard paper navigational charts despatched in full within six working days of receipt, while fulfilling Defence requirements for standard paper navigational charts.
To break even taking one year with another.
To achieve an average Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) during the plan period of 7.5 per cent.
To achieve efficiency savings of 13.5 per cent. of controllable costs (based on controllable costs for FY95-96) by 31 March 2001.
To achieve 100 per cent. of GCSE passes at grades A* to G.
To achieve 5 or more GCSE passes at grades A* to C; 1999-2000 target is 86 per cent.
To achieve 88 per cent. of A level passes at grades A to E.
To achieve 3 or more A level passes at grades A to E; 1999-2000 target is 80 per cent.
Engagements
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 7 July. [88554]
The Prime Minister: This morning, I had meetings with Ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I will have further such meetings later today.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Special Advisers
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the subject and date of each written briefing prepared by his special advisers for all Labour Members since May 1997 and the total number and total cost to date of these. [89983]
Mr. Robin Cook [holding answer 6 July 1999]: Special Advisers are appointed under terms and conditions set out in the Model Contract for Special Advisers. Schedule 1, Part 1 of the Model Contract sets out the role and duties of Special Advisers. As well as research for Ministers and reviewing papers, contributing to policy planning within the Department and preparing policy papers, speechwriting and liaison with outside interest groups, their role explicitly includes liaising with the Party and helping to brief Party MPs. Records are not held of when such briefings are given. Similar arrangements have applied under successive governments.
Balkans (EU Appointments)
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made on EU appointments in connection with the Balkans region; and if he will make a statement. [90120]
Mr. Tony Lloyd: We fully supported the candidature of the right hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Ashdown) for the post of the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Representative in Kosovo. The UNSG has now appointed Mr. Bernard Kouchner to the post: he will have our full support as he carries out his important duties. Mr. Joly Dixon, a UK national working for the European Commission, has been appointed Deputy Special Representative responsible for reconstruction in Kosovo.
Correspondence
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to reply to the letter written by the hon. Member for Totnes on 29 May about Mr. and Mrs. Michael Perkins of Chillington, Kingsbridge, South Devon. [90105]
Mr. Hoon:
The hon. Member's letter to my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary was received in the Foreign and Commonwealth office on 18 June. My noble Friend the Under-Secretary will reply shortly.
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Mr. Kaufman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to reply to the letters to him dated 15 March, 22 April and 27 May, with regard to Mrs. J. Otakoro, from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton. [89957]
Mr. Hoon:
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary replied to my right hon. Friend's letters on 8 June 1999.
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