Order Book Part 1

House of Commons

Session 1998-98
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The Order Book

Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on Wednesday 7 July 1999

Here you can browse the Written Questions for answer on Wednesday 7 July of which previous notice has been given in the Notices of Questions paper. They are arranged in alphabetical order of answering Department.

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.

WEDNESDAY 7th JULY

1
   Jackie Ballard (Taunton):    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will list the (a) numbers of and (b) ratio between men and women in public appointments made since 1997.

(90181)

2
   Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his Answer of 24th June, Official Report, column 456, what the total cost was of pension contributions paid by the Government (a) to special advisers and (b) into the pension schemes of special advisers during the periods (i) 1st May 1997 to 30th April 1998 and (ii) 1st May 1998 to 30th April 1999.

(90318)

3
   Ms Candy Atherton (Falmouth and Camborne):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what research his Department has evaluated on the effects of noise pollution caused by operations directed from RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall.

(90245)

4
   Ms Candy Atherton (Falmouth and Camborne):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has (a) to respond to complaints of local residents with regard to aircraft from RNAS Culdrose and (b) to alter air routes used to and from the base to avoid residential areas.

(90244)

5
   Mr Jamie Cann (Ipswich):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to improve the UK's airborne surveillance capability.

(90174)

6
   Mr Jamie Cann (Ipswich):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the medium-range TRIGAT programme.

(90175)

7
   Tom Cox (Tooting):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many British forces personnel are currently stationed in Germany; and at what annual cost.

(90173)

8
   Mr Edward Garnier (Harborough):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of his Department's houses or flats there are in the Borough of Oadby and Wigston which are unoccupied; of that number, how many there are for which his Department has no immediate plans to use for military personnel and their families; and what plans his Department has to (a) lend, lease or otherwise dispose of these dwellings to a housing association, the borough council or other landlords for civilian rented use and (b) sell the freehold.

(90243)

9
   Helen Jackson (Sheffield, Hillsborough):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many individuals (a) in or formerly with the armed forces and (b) in Southern Iraq have been tested specifically for evidence of depleted uranium contamination.

(90363)

10
   Mr Robert Key (Salisbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what orders have been given and arrangements put in hand for the repatriation, cataloguing and storage of (a) paper-based and (b) electronic records of (i) the allied rapid reaction corps since its diployment from Germany to Macedonia and Kosovo and (ii) every British military unit since their deployment as part of joint allied operations in Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania, Serbia and Montenegro.

(90260)

11
   Mr Robert Key (Salisbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is his policy on the provision of briefing, communications and military welfare services for the families of Territorial Army personnel and reservists from all three services on tours of duty abroad.

(90261)

12
   Mr John M. Taylor (Solihull):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will write to the honourable Member for Solihull on the matters raised in the debate on 1st July on Armed Forces Personnel, Official Report, column 515.

(90262)

13
   Mr Hilary Benn (Leeds Central):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what is the number and proportion of young people who on leaving the New Deal employment option then move on to unsubsidised employment.

(90317)

14
   Tom Cox (Tooting):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, if he will list for each of the London education authorities the number of pupils who were excluded from school on 11th June.

(90172)

15
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what assessment he has made of the implications of his paper, Learning to Succeed, Cm 4392, for community organisations that currently use the money they generate from training contracts via TECs to cross-subsidise community-based activities; and what steps he will take to ensure the use of community activities to increase access to education and training for Asian women and Asian Elders.

(90357)

16
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what considerations have been given to including Koranic teaching in schools under religious education sections in the National Curriculum.

(90306)

17
   Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what was the total cost of the 1992 to 1996 Research Assessment Exercise.

(90177)

18
   Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton and Washington East):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what the average class sizes were for five to seven-year-olds within the city of Sunderland in (a) May 1999 and (b) May 1997.

(90278)

19
   Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton and Washington East):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what proportion of young people in the New Deal programme are in jobs without government subsidy in the city of Sunderland.

(90277)

20
   Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his Answer of 5th July, Official Report, column 403, what information he has obtained from the National Playing Fields Association about the number of sales of school playing fields between 1979 and 1999.

(90258)

21
   Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his Answer of 5th July, Official Report, column 403, if he will list the sports bodies which suggested the number of school playing fields sold off between 1979 and 1998, as indicated in his answer.

(90259)

22
N   Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what plans he has to extend (a) the red route network and (b) the bus priority network to other cities.

(89474)

23
   Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what responsibilities the Environment Agency has in respect of the dock system at Seaforth and its immediate environs.

(90171)

24
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what work is being done to identify and promote best practice in community consultation by statutory bodies when making bids for Single Regeneration Budget funds.

(90305)

25
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what plans there are to twin or place senior civil servants with areas that qualify for Single Regeneration Budget funds.

(90314)

26
   Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton and Washington East):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what plans the Government has for a direct Channel Tunnel rail link with the North East of England.

(90257)

27
   Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton and Washington East):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what plans the Government has to give local authorities additional powers to require private landlords to improve and renovate housing.

(90274)

28
   Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury and Atcham):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what plans he has to give greater protection to sites of special scientific interest; and if he will make a statement.

(90176)

29
   Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury and Atcham):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of special areas of conservation; and if he will make a statement.

(90178)

30
   Mr John M. Taylor (Solihull):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, for what reasons the Planning Inspectorate's Guidance Notes for Candidates, in respect of the recruitment of planning inspectors (1999-2000) precludes candidates from membership of the Freemasons.

(90246)

31
   Julia Drown (South Swindon):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is (a) the total debt owed to the members of the Paris Club, (b) the total debt that dates from before the cut-off date, (c) the total that is previously rescheduled debt and (d) the remaining eligible debt, broken down for (i) each of the 41 highly indebted poor countries, (ii) Bangladesh, (iii) Cambodia, (iv) the Gambia, (v) Haiti, (vi) Jamaica, (vii) Morocco, (viii) Nepal, (ix) Nigeria, (x) Peru, (xi) the Philippines and (xii) Zimbabwe.

(90319)

32
   Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the total amount of tax rebates paid in each financial year since 1992-93 under the arrangements for charitable deeds of covenant.

(90253)

33
N   Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions have taken place between Ministers and officials in his Department and those in the Department of Trade and Industry, concerning delegations of honourable Members intending to visit Libya.

(90097)

34
N   Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what advice has been provided by his Department to honourable Members intending to join delegations visiting Libya.

(90098)

35
   Helen Jackson (Sheffield, Hillsborough):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether the UNHCR in Kosovo have the expertise to deal with the dangers of depleted uranium from US armaments used in the recent Balkan conflict.

(90362)

36
   Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton and Washington East):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the United Kingdom's total payments to the European Community and net receipts from the European Community were in 1998.

(90273)

37
   Mr John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the European Commission concerning the obstruction of movement between Spain and Gibraltar.

(90143)

38
   Mr John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on his efforts to find a settlement of the situation in Cyprus.

(90141)

39
   Mr John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of North Korea concerning routine international inspection of nuclear sites.

(90139)

40
   Mr John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he will take to improve the UK's relations with Chile.

(90144)

41
   Mr John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what is the number of UN personnel earmarked for the UN civilian administration in Kosovo; how many UN personnel have been recruited for the UN civilian administration in Kosovo; and how many UN personnel earmarked for the UN civilian administration in Kosovo have already been deployed.

(90128)

42
   Mr John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the UK contribution to the civil police in Kosovo.

(90132)

43
   Mr John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the UN Secretary General concerning the use of UK nationals and companies in the provision of reconstruction aid for Serbia.

(90137)

44
   Mr John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on China's human rights record since 1st July 1997.

(90134)

45
   Mr John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what is the deadline for sending an international police task force to Kosovo; and how many of the planned international police task force have arrived to Kosovo.

(90130)

46
   Mr John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the future of Kashmir.

(90140)

47
   Mr John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for International Development concerning human rights in Zimbabwe.

(90136)

48
   Mr John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what is the deadline for (a) appointing the UN Secretary General's special representative to Kosovo and (b) appointing five regional administrators to Kosovo.

(90129)

49
   Mr John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the steps his Department is taking to ensure the free movement of British EU citizens within the states of the EU.

(90133)

50
   Mr John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the future stability of the Korean peninsula.

(90138)

51
   Mr John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many police officers from the UN mission in Bosnia have been deployed to Kosovo.

(90131)

52
   Mr John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the independence of the judiciary in Hong Kong.

(90135)

53
   Mr John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what is his Department's policy on the currency in Kosovo; and when a final decision on the currency to be used in Kosovo will be taken.

(90127)

54
   Mr Peter Snape (West Bromwich East):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the treatment of the widow of a British subject who died in April this year in the Gambia, a constituent, whose name has been supplied to him.

(90359)

55
   Mr Peter Snape (West Bromwich East):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what services the Consular Service provides in the event of the death of a British subject abroad.

(90358)

56
N   Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to reply to the letter written by the honourable Member for Totnes on 29th May about Mr and Mrs Michael Perkins of Chillington, Kingsbridge, South Devon.

(90105)

57
   Jackie Ballard (Taunton):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the examples of best practice which have been identified to date as part of the Government's policy appraisal for equal treatment initiative launched in November 1998.

(90180)

58
N   Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many acute beds there are currently at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford; and how many there will be in October.

(90002)

59
N   Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what action is being taken to ensure Mid-Essex Hospital Trust is millennium compliant.

(90003)

60
N   Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list those NHS trusts in England which are not millennium compliant.

(90104)

61
N   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton and Cheam):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects to publish his response to the report of the Centre for Policy on Ageing on national required standards for residential and nursing homes for older people.

(90070)

62
   Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what procedures exist for NHS hospitals to ensure that staff training standards are consistently reviewed; and what performance targets are set.

(90361)

63
N   Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the incidence of smoking is among teenagers (a) overall and (b) in each region.

(89569)

64
N   Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the incidence of skin disorders is (a) overall and (b) in each region.

(89570)

65
N   Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of smoking on the ageing of the skin.

(89571)

66
   Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton and Washington East):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans the Government has to promote awareness of the risk of skin cancer associated with exposure to the sun.

(90275)

67
   Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton and Washington East):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were on the hospital waiting list for the Sunderland Health Authority area; and what was the average length of time spent on the waiting list in (a) May 1999 and (b) May 1997.

(90276)

68
   Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what legal advice he has obtained about whether the Dental Practice Board can carry out its functions when new members have not yet been appointed.

(90316)

69
   Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the Dental Practice Board last met.

(90315)

70
   Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the (a) income and expenditure deficit or surplus and (b) the recurring deficit or surplus for Suffolk Health for each of the past five years up to and including 1999-2000.

(90360)

71
N   Mr Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he expects to decide whether compensation will be paid under the terms of section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 to (a) Nicholas Mullen and (b) Gilbert Thomas Patrick McNamee.

(90071)

72
N   Mr Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the average time between receipt of applications for compensation for miscarriages of justice under the terms of section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and a decision by the Secretary of State as to whether compensation would be paid for each year from 1991 to date.

(90072)

73
   Mr David Curry (Skipton and Ripon):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the costs to police authorities of adopting the Public Safety Radio Communications Project; and if he will make a statement.

(90272)

74
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what monitoring he undertakes of decisions on criminal injuries compensation to ensure consistency and comparability.

(90313)

75
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to allow dual nationals who are released on licence in the United Kingdom the option of serving their licence period in their other country of nationality.

(90266)

76
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to establish a resettlement unit in each prison.

(90271)

77
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to introduce legislation to penalise employers who discriminate against a potential job applicant because they have a criminal record.

(90268)

78
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what work is being done to address the effect on the finances of organisations in the not-for-profit sector of the demand for matching funding for projects sponsored by the European Union or the National Lottery.

(90307)

79
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to change the rules relating to criminal injuries compensation and the effect of awards on means-tested benefits; and what consideration has been given to staggering awards to ensure recipients are not disadvantaged by the savings rule.

(90312)

80
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to review the definition of belief on the part of defendants in rape cases.

(90241)

81
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps are being taken to ensure that the custody ethnic monitoring form is filled in accurately by custody officers.

(90270)

82
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to increase the extent to which civilian staff recruited to work on police switchboards and communications centres are conversant with police operations and information.

(90310)

83
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to introduce (a) monitoring, (b) training and (c) representation of prisoners to combat racism in prisons.

(90269)

84
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to monitor the effect of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 on discrimination against offenders in job applications.

(90267)

85
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to introduce classification of offences for which adjudication decisions are made on prisoners to allow more precise judgment of a prisoner's behaviour in prison when considering the prisoner for probation.

(90264)

86
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to review the length of licence period a prisoner receives in relation to the length of sentence served.

(90265)

87
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what action he is taking to ensure that police keep in close contact with witnesses about progress on cases in which they are involved; and what guidelines he has issued on the subject.

(90309)

88
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the progress made with the National Victim Support help line since it was established; what activities it undertakes apart from referring callers to local victim support groups; and what monitoring he undertakes of its work.

(90308)

89
   Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton and Washington East):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many drug seizures occurred in (a) 1997 and (b) 1998 in the Northern Region.

(90256)

90
   Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton and Washington East):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many sexual offences (a) were reported and (b) resulted in convictions in the last two years in the Northern Region.

(90255)

91
   Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is his estimate of the total number of hours worked by volunteers in the charities sector in each year from 1992 to the present.

(90254)

92
   Dr Phyllis Starkey (Milton Keynes South West):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to implement the Law Commission recommendation on corporate manslaughter.

(90242)

93
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department, what steps his Department takes to monitor the extent to which cases before the courts are adjourned; what statistics he collects on the subject; and what plans he has to limit the use of adjournments or to monitor more closely how adjournments are used.

(90311)

94
   Mr John M. Taylor (Solihull):    To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department, if he will take steps to encourage communications between members of the public who make use of the facilities provided by the Public Record Office and individual members of the Advisory Council on Public Records about those facilities.

(90169)

95
   Mr John M. Taylor (Solihull):    To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department, what guidance the Lord Chancellor has issued since May 1997 to members of the Advisory Council on Public Records on the provisions of (i) Instrument No. 12 (Access to Public Records) of 1966, and (ii) the Census (Confidentiality) Act 1991.

(90170)

96
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Prime Minister, if he will include the Secretaries of State for International Development and Education and Employment on the Cabinet committee relating to defence and overseas policy.

(90240)

97
   Mr John Gummer (Suffolk Coastal):    To ask the Prime Minister, how many businessmen have paid individual courtesy calls on him at Number 10 Downing Street since he took office; how many were citizens of the United States; and how many had no business activities within the United Kingdom.

(90364)

98
N   Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne):    To ask the Prime Minister, if he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 7th July.

(88554)

99
   Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury and Atcham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what proposal he has to introduce greater protection for wildlife; and if he will make a statement.

(90179)

100
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, when he will publish the review of housing benefit.

(90263)

101
   Ms Candy Atherton (Falmouth and Camborne):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what action he and his Department (a) have taken and (b) plan to take to tackle the problem of unsolicited faxes.

(90182)

102
N   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what criteria the Export Credits Guarantee Department will apply in relation to the proposed Ilisu Dam.

(90124)

103
N   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will place in the Library the terms of reference for the report he has commissioned into the proposed Ilisu Dam.

(90123)

104
N   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will list those individuals, organisations, other governments, other United Kingdom government departments and public bodies who are to be consulted (a) during the preparation of the report he has commissioned into the proposed Ilisu Dam and (b) before a decision is made to provide assistance in respect of the Dam under the Export and Investment Guarantees Act 1991.

(90125)

105
N   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whom he has commissioned to prepare an independent report into the proposed Ilisu Dam; when the report was commissioned; when he expects it to be finished; and how much it will cost.

(90126)

106
N   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis and Littlehampton):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what meetings he has had with members of the National Market Traders' Federation to discuss whether to seek an extension to the derogation permitting loose from bulk produce to be sold in imperial only measures.

(90096)

107
N   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis and Littlehampton):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment his Department has made of the likelihood of the United States adopting metric measurements as the authorised units for pre-packaged food by 31st December 2009.

(90101)

108
N   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis and Littlehampton):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what estimate he has made of the cost to (a) market traders, (b) delicatessens and (c) other retailers arising from the expiry of the derogation permitting loose from bulk produce to be sold using imperial measures only.

(90103)

109
N   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis and Littlehampton):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what representations he made to the European Commission calling for it to extend the derogation permitting loose from bulk produce to be sold using imperial measures only; and what reasons underlie his policy on making such representations.

(90095)

110
N   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis and Littlehampton):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what recent discussions he has had with the European Union's Trade Commissioner, and whether such discussions have included the expiry of the derogation permitting loose from bulk produce to be sold using imperial measures only.

(90100)

111
N   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis and Littlehampton):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what measures his Department has taken to inform market traders of the consequences of the expiry of the derogation permitting loose from bulk produce to be sold using only imperial measures; and what was the cost of such measures.

(90102)

112
N   Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what (a) advice and (b) assistance has been provided by his Department to delegations intending to visit Libya.

(90099)

113
N   Mr Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire):    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.

[Question Unstarred] (88529)

114
   Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton and Washington East):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were in work in the Northern Region in (a) May 1999 and (b) May 1997.

[Transferred] (90279)

115
   Mr John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many sorties have been undertaken by British aircraft over Iraq since 1st January.

[Transferred] (90142)