Order Book Part 1

House of Commons

Session 1998-98
Publications on the internet
The Order Book

Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on Wednesday 3 November 1999

Here you can browse the Written Questions for answer on Wednesday 3 November 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 3rd NOVEMBER

1
N   Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus):    To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee, if he will provide details of specification and cost for (a) carpets per sq. metre, (b) office furniture by type of item, (c) stone and brick by type used and (d) lighting for Portcullis House.

(96725)

2
N   Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus):    To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee, what is the estimated cost per square metre of office space for Portcullis House.

(96724)

3
N   Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus):    To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee, what are the estimated running costs for Portcullis House and the running costs in the latest year for which figures are available for 7 Millbank and Norman Shaw North and South.

(96726)

4
   Mr Dafydd Wigley (Caernarfon):    To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what steps he proposes to take, following the Offshore Bass Fishery Pilot Study Report, to control trawl fishing for bass; and if he will make a statement.

(97141)

5
   Mr Alan W. Williams (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr):    To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what progress has been made towards developing a test for BSE in live animals; and what plans the Government has for implementing such a test.

(97227)

6
N   Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):    To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, further to his Oral Answer of 28th October, Official Report, column 1141, answering letters about public sector meat purchases, on what date the letters he referred to were sent.

(97115)

7
N   Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus):    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to her Answer of 26th October to the honourable Member for North Tayside, Official Report, column 858, if she will list those Next Steps agencies operating in Scotland which are not responsible to the Scottish Executive; and if she will list for each such agency the (i) number of civil servants employed in Scotland, (ii) the total wage bill and (iii) the wage bill for staff based in Scotland.

(96721)

8
   Mr Syd Rapson (Portsmouth North):    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, in what way the Millennium Commission is promoting its activities around the country.

(97212)

9
N   Mr David Chaytor (Bury North):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to make available full details of experiments at Porton Down to the relatives of former participants in those experiments who are now deceased; and if he will make a statement.

(96720)

10
   Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the performance of the ramjet-powered variant of Raytheon's AIM-120 programme.

(97134)

11
   Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost of upgrading the Identification Friend or Foe Mk Xa systems to the system Mk XII standard; and how many systems will undergo this upgrade.

(97137)

12
   Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many successor Identification Friend or Foe system contracts have been awarded; and what is the total value of these contracts.

(97136)

13
   Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has received in the last six months on the deployment of under 18 year old service personnel in combat.

(97133)

14
   Mr Richard Ottaway (Croydon South):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the impact mobilisation of the Territorial Army would have upon the National Health Service.

(97246)

15
   Mr Syd Rapson (Portsmouth North):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to purchase the Raytheon Systems Ltd successor identification Friend or Foe system; and what representations he has received with regard to this technology.

(97213)

16
   Mr Dafydd Wigley (Caernarfon):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has received calling for the United Kingdom's nuclear forces no longer to be in a state of continuous alert; and if he will make a statement.

(97129)

17
N   Mr Tony Worthington (Clydebank and Milngavie):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will undertake not to use members of the forces in conflict situations if they are under 18 years of age; and if he will make a statement.

(96087)

18
N   Mr David Chaytor (Bury North):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what guidance he has issued to local authorities, training and enterprise councils and colleges of further education concerning the division of responsibilities between the proposed local learning and skills councils and (a) local lifelong learning partnerships and (b) the National Learning and Skill Council.

(96777)

19
N   Mr David Chaytor (Bury North):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what guidelines he has issued to the training and enterprise councils in respect of (a) redundancy payments and (b) incentive payments to staff pending the establishment of learning and skills councils.

(96718)

20
   Mr Jim Dobbin (Heywood and Middleton):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what plans he has to review the use of temporary contracts of employment in the public sector.

(97211)

21
   Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what the unit cost is of funding a student on an access course under the New Deal 25 plus programme.

(97135)

22
   Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what measures he is taking at European Communities Level to enforce compliance with the age limits in the joint aviation requirement on flight crew licensing.

(97144)

23
N   Mr David Chaytor (Bury North):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will list the procedural changes introduced by his Department and its agencies following the Government's signing of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Environmental Information.

(96719)

24
   Mr Clive Efford (Eltham):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what representations he has received (a) on train cancellations and delays that are due to leaves on the track, (b) on the arrangements made by Railtrack and train operating companies to clear leaves from the track, (c) on the level of resources spent each year since privatisation on such activities and (d) on train cancellations and delays on Connex North Kent lines due to leaves on the track.

(97225)

25
   Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, on how many occasions since May 1997, on what dates, and for what duration he met representatives of the air traffic controllers to discuss the Government's proposals for the National Air Traffic Service.

(97248)

26
   Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what estimate he has made of the annual growth in air traffic to 2010.

(97249)

27
   Mr Dafydd Wigley (Caernarfon):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what are the targets, and corresponding dates, for the increase in the recycling of household waste; and if he will make a statement.

(97140)

28
   Mr Alan W. Williams (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what percentage of houses in England and Wales have (a) three, (b) four, (c) five and (d) six inches of loft insulation.

(97226)

29
N   Mr Shaun Woodward (Witney):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, when he will provide explanatory notes for the new Clauses and new Schedules added to the Greater London Authority Bill since 5th May.

(97111)

30
N   Mr Robert Walter (North Dorset):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the impact on Treasury revenue from excise duty, value added tax and income tax of a reduction in the blood-alcohol limit for drivers.

(96903)

31
N   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if, in any of the bilateral meetings which took place between representatives of his Department and of the Metropolitan Police prior to the visit of President Jiang Zemin, the police were made aware that demonstrations in support of Tibet would cause embarrassment to the Government.

(97117)

32
   Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what was the purpose of the establishment of the Foreign Policy Centre; and what criteria will be applied to judge its success annually.

(97146)

33
   Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his Answer of 25th October, Official Report, column 738, on how many occasions Her Majesty's Government has denied an arms export licence, notified EU partners and objected to another member state's stance on the appropriateness of export; what value of exports was involved; and what (a) values and (b) type of exports have been approved for export by another EU state despite United Kingdom notification.

(97247)

34
   Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, for what reasons the EU has lifted sanctions against Libya while retaining the arms embargo; if the UN has retained an arms embargo; and if he will make a statement on Government policy on such sanctions and embargoes.

(97145)

35
   Mr Andrew Miller (Ellesmere Port and Neston):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the Government intends to publish the second annual report on strategic export control.

(97215)

36
N   Mr Tony Worthington (Clydebank and Milngavie):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made in inhibiting the use of diamond sales for funding the war in Angola.

(96084)

37
N   Mr Tony Worthington (Clydebank and Milngavie):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the UN Sanctions Committee for Angola has identified (a) the source of illegal arms importation in Angola and (b) those countries and corporations which have broken trade embargoes with Angola; and if he will make a statement.

(96085)

38
N   Mr Tony Worthington (Clydebank and Milngavie):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress is being made by him in seeking ratification by the UK of the International Criminal Court Agreement.

(96086)

39
   Mr Hilary Benn (Leeds Central):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will issue guidance on the withholding or withdrawal of tube feeding and hydration from patients who are not terminally ill, following the BMA's own guidance on this issue.

(97251)

40
   Mr Peter Bottomley (Worthing West):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the action he proposes to take to cut the delays in providing NHS hearing tests to the over-85s in Worthing; and what the average delay is in non-emergency cases.

(97222)

41
   Mr Peter Bottomley (Worthing West):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the adequacy of the resources for the NHS in the current financial year.

(97224)

42
   Mr Peter Bottomley (Worthing West):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish the correspondence between his predecessor and the former Chief Secretary during the last six months on the adequacy of the resources for the NHS.

(97223)

43
   Mr Peter Bottomley (Worthing West):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the waiting time is for an NHS hearing test in each health authority.

(97221)

44
   Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress he has made in (a) reducing the incidence of prostate cancer, (b) shortening the timescale for detection and (c) shortening the timescale for quantitative analysis since May 1997.

(97239)

45
   Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the level of prostate cancer in the UK relative to that in (a) the USA and (b) other European countries; and if he will make a statement.

(97240)

46
   Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to increase awareness of prostate cancer in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

(97241)

47
   Mr Richard Ottaway (Croydon South):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which NHS hospitals employ doctors who are also members of the Territorial Army or reserve forces; and how many such doctors each of these hospitals employ.

(97242)

48
   Mr Richard Ottaway (Croydon South):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS doctors are also reservists or members of the Territorial Army.

(97243)

49
N   Charlotte Atkins (Staffordshire Moorlands):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total staffing levels of the Staffordshire Police Authority were for (a) 1994-95, (b) 1995-96, (c) 1996-97, (d) 1997-98, and (e) 1998-99: what the projected levels are for (i) 1999-2000, (ii) 2000-01, (iii) 2001-02 and (iv) 2002-03; and if he will give these figures broken down by front-line and other staff.

(96989)

50
N   Charlotte Atkins (Staffordshire Moorlands):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what government funding Staffordshire Police Authority received in (a) 1994-95, (b) 1995-96, (c) 1996-97, (d) 1997-98 and (e) 1998-99 and will receive in (i) 1999-2000, (ii) 2000-01, (iii) 2001-02 and (iv) 2002-03 in real terms; and from what other sources the Staffordshire Police Authority has received funding for the same years as above.

(96988)

51
N   Mr Hilary Benn (Leeds Central):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what advice he has given local authorities and the police about responsibility for initiating anti-social behaviour order procedures in cases where the behaviour complained of emanates from a privately-owned house.

(97092)

52
N   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many successful wildlife protection prosecutions were launched in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by police authority area.

(97118)

53
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the cost of additional staff for the Support Agency described in Point 368 of the Explanatory Notes to the Asylum and Immigration Bill was included in Point 359; and what the estimated staff costs for the Support Agency are.

(97139)

54
   Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the estimates in Point 359 of the Explanatory Notes to the Immigration and Asylum Bill were determined; and what assumptions were made underlying those calculations.

(97138)

55
N   Paul Flynn (Newport West):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the number of additional animal toxicity tests likely to be required over the next 15 years as a result of the EU Biocidal Product Directive (98/8/EC).

(96565)

56
N   Paul Flynn (Newport West):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the likely overall impact of the EU Biocidal Product Directive (98/8/EC) on numbers of tests on animals over the next 15 years.

(96566)

57
   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West and Abingdon):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to consult on proposals for a new criminal offence of corporate manslaughter; and if he will make a statement.

(97217)

58
   Mr David Kidney (Stafford):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how he intends to prevent the use of the Electoral Register by commercial organisations for sending unwanted direct sales marketing to registered electors.

(97149)

59
N   Mr David Rendel (Newbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Prison Service still has an electric shock dog collar in its possession; and how many times such a collar has been used since November 1998.

(97109)

60
N   Mr David Rendel (Newbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police forces have an electric shock dog collar; and how many times such a device has been used since July 1998.

(97110)

61
   Mr John M. Taylor (Solihull):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on plans for an upper age limit for lay visitors within the area of the West Midlands Police Authority.

(97216)

62
N   Mr Nigel Griffiths (Edinburgh South):    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will list the non-military support given in aid to Kosovo by the UK in 1999; and if she will estimate the total UNHCR aid to Kosovo over that period.

(96904)

63
N   Mr Tony Worthington (Clydebank and Milngavie):    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much money the United Nations has calculated is necessary to meet current humanitarian needs in Angola; how much has been offered in response to the appeal; and how much the British Government has offered.

(96081)

64
N   Mr Tony Worthington (Clydebank and Milngavie):    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many people in Angola are calculated to be in need of humanitarian help; and how many people current humanitarian services are reaching.

(96082)

65
N   Mr Tony Worthington (Clydebank and Milngavie):    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make a statement on the progress being made in assisting Macedonia and Albania to recover from the consequences of the war in Kosovo; what specific projects are being funded; and if she will place detailed documents on these matters in the Library.

(96083)

66
   Mr Hilary Benn (Leeds Central):    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what plans he has to put McKenzie friends on a statutory footing; and if he will make a statement.

(97250)

67
   Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead):    To ask the President of the Council, from what date honourable Members have been expected to pay for Audit Commission reports.

(97142)

68
   Mr Harry Cohen (Leyton and Wanstead):    To ask the Prime Minister, what response he has made to the recent petition presented to him about deaths in custody; and if he will make a statement.

(97148)

69
N   Sir Peter Tapsell (Louth and Horncastle):    To ask the Prime Minister, if he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 3rd November.

(96613)

70
N   Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus):    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many special advisers are currently employed by his Department; and what was the ratio of special advisers to Ministers in each of the last eight years.

(96716)

71
N   Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus):    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many civil servants were working in his Department and where their primary location was for June, July, August, September and October.

(96727)

72
N   Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus):    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will list the running costs for his official residences since June and estimate the annual cost for 1999-2000.

(96722)

73
N   Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus):    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will list the level of payments to Ministers who were formerly in his Department since 7th May.

(96723)

74
N   Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus):    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what has been the entertainments budget for his Department since June in total; and if he will list the Scottish organisations he has met since June.

(96717)

75
   Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead):    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, if he will estimate (a) the total number of absent parents who are liable for child maintenance payments and (b) of this total the numbers who have an assessment made by the Child Support Agency, for the latest available date.

(97143)

76
N   Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus):    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, what was the total expenditure on the state pension in the United Kingdom and the total expenditure on the state pension in Scotland in the last financial year; and if he will estimate expenditure on this for (a) 20001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04.

(96714)

77
N   Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus):    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, how many pensioners in the United Kingdom and Scotland are in receipt of the state pension; and if he will estimate the number who will be in receipt of the state pension in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04.

(96715)

78
   Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his Answer of 25th October, Official Report, column 656, for what reason approved state aid to the sectors listed is not broken down by country by the Commission; and if he will estimate the figures for each sector in each country.

(97228)

79
   Mr Jim Dobbin (Heywood and Middleton):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will introduce regulation of the use of temporary contracts of employment in the private sector utilities.

(97210)

80
   Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the cost was of his Department's investigations into the alleged insider dealing by Lord Archer of Weston Super Mare in respect of Anglian TV shares.

(97209)

81
   Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when he intends to propose amendments to the Working Time Regulations to specify working hours for the occupations of mobile workers including roundsmen.

(97252)

82
N   Mr Robert Walter (North Dorset):    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, on which Cabinet committees (a) he and (b) his Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State sit.

(96987)

83
   Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will list those proposals examined by the Horizontal Questions Working Group over the past 12 months.

[Transferred] (97147)

84
   Mr Peter Bottomley (Worthing West):    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make a statement on the depredations by foxes on wildlife in St James's Park and Green Park.

[Transferred] (97220)

85
   Mr Peter Bottomley (Worthing West):    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many of the laysan teal introduced to St James's Park have (a) survived and (b) died.

[Transferred] (97219)

86
   Mr Peter Bottomley (Worthing West):    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make a statement on the cause of death of the laysan teal in St James's Park.

[Transferred] (97218)

87
   Mr Richard Ottaway (Croydon South):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps he will be taking to promote the work of the Commonwealth Partnership for Technology at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Durban on 9th to 11th November.

[Transferred] (97245)

88
   Mr Richard Ottaway (Croydon South):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many more doctors he plans to recruit into the Territorial Army or reserve forces; and in what time span.

[Transferred] (97244)



© Parliamentary copyright 1999	Revised 3 November 1999