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LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Schuman Project

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the UK beneficiaries of the Schuman Project who are (a) lawyers and (b) judges since its inception. [112336]

Mr. Lock: The only available information is contained in the analysis and first assessment on the pilot phases 1997-98 of the Robert Schuman Project published by the European Commission on 1 December 1998. The UK organisations selected to receive funding under the scheme are as listed. A report covering 1999 will be published in the Official Journal in due course.















Eviction and Seizure of Goods

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many court orders for evictions and seizure of goods there were last year in which those to be evicted or to have goods seized no longer lived at the named address; what estimate he has made of the (a) total cost and (b) cost per order; and if he will make a statement. [112435]

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Jane Kennedy: Statistics and costs information are not kept in the form requested, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Family Court Officers

Mr. Livsey: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if the comprehensive induction programme for family court officers includes modules on how to apportion specific periods of parental access in cases of divorce or separation. [112309]

Mr. Boateng: I have been asked to reply.

The national induction programme highlights factors which family court welfare officers need to address in their work with families and their assessments for courts. These factors include the nature, frequency and safety of involvement with each parent following separation.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Miners Compensation

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in how many cases payment of claims in respect of chronic bronchitis and emphysema suffered by former miners have been made to their widows. [111414]

Mrs. Liddell: As at 20 February the Department has made bereavement award payments to 1,851 widows amounting to over £16 million. In addition some 2,500 widows of miners who were in receipt of Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit for Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema have received interim payments of £2,000 each.

Mrs. Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many medical tests were carried out under the Miners Compensation Scheme in Scotland in (a) 1999, (b) January 2000 and (c) February 2000 to date, on ex-miners seeking compensation for emphysema and other respiratory diseases. [111415]

Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 22 February 2000]: To date over 3,200 ex-miners have undergone lung function tests at one of the four centres established in Scotland by Healthcall, the company contracted to carry out the lung function programme.

Nuclear Fuels

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library copies of letters sent to or received from British Nuclear Fuels plc on (a) safety at Sellafield and (b) Plutonium MOX fuel, by Ministers and officials in (i) his Department and (ii) other departments, since 10 September 1999. [112354]

Mrs. Liddell: Correspondence on these and other issues is a matter between the Government and the company.

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the first commercial quantity of vitrified high level radioactive waste will be repatriated to foreign countries following the reprocessing of imported spent nuclear fuel as Sellafield. [112352]

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Mr. Caborn: Dates for the return of wastes arising from BNFL's reprocessing operations will be agreed between the company and the owners of the reprocessed fuel.

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library copies of all letters sent by Ministers and officials of (a) his Department and (b) other Departments to his Japanese Trade counterpart on the matter of plutonium MOX fuels, British Nuclear Fuels plc or Sellafield since 10 September 1999. [112355]

Mrs. Liddell: Correspondence on these and other issues is a matter between the two Governments. Senior officials from my Department visited Tokyo on 7-10 February to discuss MOX fuel with the Japanese Ministries and power utilities concerned. A joint press statement issued by the two Governments was placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 28 February.

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the (a) dates and (b) purpose of visits made by Ministers in his Department to Sellafield since May 1997; and if he will place in the Library copies of speeches and radio and television interviews made by Ministers in association with such visits. [112353]

Mrs. Liddell: My hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, Central (Mr. Battle), the then Minister for Energy, visited Sellafield on 15 February 1999 at the invitation of BNFL for a site visit. There was no media involvement associated with this visit.

Dr. Jack Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list, for each (a) director and (b) non-executive director of British Nuclear Fuels plc. their responsibilities in the company and the length of time each has served in that capacity as a board member. [112545]

Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 2 March 2000]: The responsibilities, and length of service, of the members of the Board of BNFL are as follows:















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Ilisu Dam

Mr. Savidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what analysis he has undertaken of the comparative risks, costs and benefits of alternatives to the Ilisu Dam, including (a) energy conservation, (b) other renewable sources, (c) fossil fuels, and (d) nuclear power. [112125]

Mr. Caborn: It is for the project sponsor to carry out any analysis of the comparative risks, costs and benefits of alternatives to a particular project.

Turkey needs to expand its generating capacity considerably. We know that they are looking at coal, gas and oil fired stations elsewhere in Turkey and also at nuclear power. It is natural that they should see hydro power--a clean, renewable energy source which does not involve imports--as having a place in meeting this need.

New Public Bodies

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the new public bodies established by his Department since May 1997. [112664]

Mr. Byers: The annual Cabinet Office publication, "Public Bodies", provides information on a range of public organisations. The 1997 edition lists those bodies in existence prior to May 1997. The 1998 and 1999 editions list public bodies in existence in subsequent years. Copies of these publications have been placed in the Library of the House. Copies are also available on the Cabinet Office website (www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/quango).

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Global Cultural Diversity Congress

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans his Department has to conduct an investigation into the collapse of Global Cultural Diversity Congress 2000 Ltd. [112735]

Dr. Howells [holding answer 2 March 2000]: It is the policy of my Department not to comment on the affairs of particular companies. If the hon. Member has any information which he feels needs to be brought to my Department's attention he should do so as soon as possible.

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