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Running Tracks
Mr. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many local authority running tracks there are in Essex. [106468]
Kate Hoey: There are six local authority running tracks in Essex.
Tourist Attractions (North-West)
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with train and coach operators about promoting tourist attractions in the North-West. [105047]
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Janet Anderson
[holding answer 17 January 2000]: I have had no recent discussions with train and coach operators in the North West. However, I have started a regular dialogue with rail and coach operators at a national level through the English Tourism Council's Transport Task Force. This was set up recently as part of the Government's national strategy for tourism, Tomorrow's Tourism.
Hague Convention
Ms Oona King: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many children have been returned from (a) Greece to England and Wales and (b) England and Wales to Greece under the Hague Convention since the United Kingdom's accession to the Convention. [105847]
Jane Kennedy: The 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction came into force between the United Kingdom and Greece in 1993. From 1993 to the end of 1999 there were 25 cases of abduction from England and Wales to Greece with 11 returns (44 per cent. of applications made) and 48 cases of abduction to England and Wales with 22 returns (46 per cent. of applications received. Cases may involve more than one child.
Ms Oona King: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the next international review by member state signatories of the Hague Convention on child abduction will take place; and if he will press for common procedures to be enforced in signatory countries. [105845]
Jane Kennedy: The next Special Commission of the Hague Conference to review the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction will be held in the spring of 2001. Contracting states of the Hague Convention have committed themselves to operate the provisions of the Convention and to do so in accordance with the terms under which it has been incorporated into their national law. The Government recognise that the operation of international conventions involves the alignment of different jurisdictions and different traditions of law and society.
Ms Oona King: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many children have been abducted to each of the signatory states of the Hague Convention since the United Kingdom's accession; and what proportion of such children has been returned by each of those states. [105846]
Jane Kennedy:
Figures for the number of cases of abduction from England and Wales dealt with under the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction since the Convention came into force between the United Kingdom and each contracting state, and the percentage of returns, are set out in the table. Cases may involve more than one child. Cases may be resolved satisfactorily between the parents otherwise than by a return.
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Post Offices
Mr. Jack: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what proposals are being considered by his Department to help sustain and develop the viability of rural and urban sub-post offices. [105860]
Jane Kennedy: I refer the right hon. Member to the written answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for Competitiveness on 20 January 2000, Official Report, column 519W.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Jack: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department which projects relating to his Department that appeared in the Private Finance Panel's list of 29 November 1995 (a) have been completed, (b) are still pending, (c) have been dropped and (d) are being pursued by means other than a public private partnership. [105868]
Jane Kennedy:
I refer the right hon. Member to the written answer given to him today by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
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Ms Drown:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government have to ban the sale and possession of the sedative drug, Gammahydroxybutyrate. [105612]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
I have been asked to reply.
The sale of Gammahydroxybutyrate (GHB) is governed by the Medicines Act 1968 and prohibited except under licence. GHB is not currently controlled under international drugs conventions or the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, and so possession does not constitute an offence.
The Government keep drug misuse under review and the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has a statutory responsibility to advise the Government on such matters. The Council has considered the misuse of GHB on several occasions, most recently in May 1998. It decided against recommending that GHB be controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act. At present, the World Health Organisation are looking at GHB and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction is considering its misuse within the European Union. The possible use of GHB in cases of drug rape is being considered within a Home Office sponsored Metropolitan Police research initiative into drug-assisted rape. The findings of these various pieces of research will be considered as part of the ongoing review process to which I have referred.
Mr. Hammond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of heart attack patients receive thrombolytic drugs within the target time of 30 minutes proposed by his Department. [99988]
Yvette Cooper:
The Emerging Findings report on the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease, published in November 1998, proposes a national standard for 'call-to-needle time' of 60 minutes for thrombolysis. This covers the total National Health Service response time from the point when the patient seeks professional help to the time when treatment is started if it is indicated.
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