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Pesticides

Mr. Baldry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the Government's intention with regard to a tax on pesticides. [94940]

Mr. Timms: No decision has been taken on whether to introduce a tax on the use of pesticides.

Research commissioned by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions on a possible tax or charge on pesticides was published on 24 March focusing on various design options for a charge scheme or tax, and attempting to evaluate the potential impact. Views were invited on the issues raised in the research and this consultation exercise closed on 24 June. The Government are considering the findings of the research project and the views expressed in the consultation exercise in deciding how best to proceed.

WALES

British Fluoridation Society

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much money the British Fluoridation Society received in grant aid from the Welsh Office in each of the last five years. [94718]

Mr. Hanson: Over the last five years, the British Fluoridation Society has received the following in grant aid from the Welsh Office:

	£
1994-95	3,200
1995-96	3,200
1996-97	4,000
1997-98	4,000
1998-99	4,000

Forestry Commission

Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy on the method of sale to be used by the Forestry Commission when selling its forests. [95223]

Mr. Paul Murphy: Forestry matters in Wales are a matter for the Forestry Commission which reports directly to the National Assembly for Wales.

25 Oct 1999 : Column: 712

Welsh Office Responsibilities

Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish details of the responsibilities within the Welsh Office undertaken (a) by himself and (b) by his Under Secretary. [94776]

Mr. Paul Murphy: My Ministerial colleague and I take a close interest in all matters which come before my Department. The new role of my office lends itself to such an approach. More broadly, however, I deal with constitutional matters, finance and economic policy issues, while my colleague deals with a wide range of social policy issues. We will both take a close interest in legislative matters which come before Parliament.

SCOTLAND

Oral Statements

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list (a) the reports published by his Department and its associated bodies, (b) the reports received from bodies set up by his Department, (c) the decisions his Department has taken and (d) events in the UK and elsewhere, since 27 July, which satisfied the criteria he uses for deciding whether to apply to make oral statements to the House when the House is sitting. [93972]

Dr. Reid: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the President of the Council on 19 October 1999, Official Report, column 429-30.

Departmental Staff

Mr. Swinney: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Civil Service staff there are in his offices in (a) London, (b) Edinburgh and (c) Glasgow. [94056]

Dr. Reid: The number of staff in my office is under review. At present there are 28 staff of the Scotland Office and five staff of the Advocate General based in London. The figures for Edinburgh are 17 and 20 respectively. There are no staff based in Glasgow. In addition, I have three special advisers, one of whom is part-time and unpaid.

Special Advisers

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 30 June 1999, Official Report, column 193, on Special Advisers, how many times his Department's Special Adviser held meetings with members and officials of the US Government during the visit of 15 to 19 March; and if he will list the dates and locations of each meeting and the names of the US ministers and officials at each meeting. [93964]

Dr. Reid: My predecessor's Special Adviser did not hold meetings with members or officials of the US Government.

Ministerial Meetings (US)

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what meetings the then Secretary of State for Scotland held with members and officials of the United

25 Oct 1999 : Column: 713

States Government during his visits to the United States on 2 to 28 September 1997; and if he will list the date and location of each meeting and the names of the members and officials of the United States Government at each meeting. [93954]

Dr. Reid: The visit took place from 20 to 28 September. No meetings were held with members or officials of the US Government.

Local Councillors (Gender Profiles)

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the percentages of councillors in each local authority who are (a) men and (b) women. [95169]

Dr. Reid: The information in the table is derived from the Directory of Scottish Local Government, which is produced jointly by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Scottish Local Government Information Unit. It represents the positions at the end of July 1999.

Council	Total number of councillors	Men	(%)	Women	(%)
Aberdeen City	43	30	70	13	30
Aberdeenshire	68	45	66	23	34
Angus	29	22	76	7	24
Argyll and Bute	36	30	83	6	17
Clackmannanshire	18	14	78	4	22
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar	31	27	87	4	13
Dumfries and Galloway	47	37	79	10	21
Dundee City	29	23	79	6	21
East Ayrshire	32	26	81	6	19
East Dunbartonshire	24	16	67	8	33
East Lothian	23	19	83	4	17
East Renfrewshire	20	17	85	3	15
City of Edinburgh	58	44	76	14	24
Falkirk	32	27	84	5	16
Fife	78	50	64	28	36
Glasgow City	79	57	72	22	28
Highland	80	64	80	16	20
Inverclyde	20	18	90	2	10
Midlothian	18	15	83	3	17
Moray	26	21	81	5	19
North Ayrshire	30	24	80	6	20
North Lanarkshire	70	64	91	6	9
Orkney Islands	21	19	90	2	10
Perth and Kinross	41	32	78	9	22
Renfrewshire	40	28	70	12	30
Scottish Borders	34	30	88	4	12
Shetland Islands	22	17	77	5	23
South Ayrshire	30	20	67	10	33
South Lanarkshire	67	48	72	19	28
Stirling	22	15	68	7	32
West Dunbartonshire	22	17	77	5	23
West Lothian	32	26	81	6	19

25 Oct 1999 : Column: 714

Departmental Twinning

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many requests there have been to his Department for placement of officials from Central, East European and CIS states as twins of his officials; how many such officials have been accepted as twins; and from which countries (a) those who were accepted and (b) those who were not accepted came. [94000]

Dr. Reid: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him today by the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz).

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

EU Surplus Food Scheme

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures he undertook to publicise the EU surplus food scheme; and what categories of the scheme were available in the United Kingdom. [92827]

Ms Quin: My hon. Friend the previous Minister of State issued a News Release announcing details of the scheme for 1998 and invited interested organisations to apply to be designated to distribute canned stewed steak to eligible recipients. The scheme involved only intervention beef.

Forest Land

Mr. Edwards: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his policy relating to consultation by (a) the Forestry Commission and (b) Forest Enterprise with (i) local authorities and (ii) the public prior to the sale of Forestry Commission forest land. [95222]

Mr. Morley: The subject of this question relates to matters undertaken by Forest Enterprise and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply to my hon. Friend direct.

Letter from Bob McIntosh to Mr. Huw Edwards, dated 25 October 1999:

I refer to your question to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food asking what the Forestry Commission's policy is in relation to consultation on the sale of forest land. I have been asked to reply.

The Forestry Commission and Forest Enterprise notify the Local Authority of all sales of forest land as part of our Continued Public Access policy. This is to inform the Local Authority that we are considering sale of forest land and that we may be in a position to offer the opportunity to enter into an agreement to protect access after sale.

We do not, at the moment, notify forest land sales directly to the public. However we are in the process of reviewing our policy on community participation and involvement and are considering ways in which sales might be notified to local people. Of course when land is offered for sale on the open market it is advertised widely by our selling agents.

25 Oct 1999 : Column: 715

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