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A27

Mr. Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what funds will be available for the study of traffic congestion on the A27 in the Worthing area due later this year; and when the study will be carried out. [113596]

Mr. Hill: The A27 Worthing-Lancing Integrated Transport Study is to be funded as part of the Department's programme of Multi Modal Studies. Tenders will be issued shortly to invite consultants to the bid for the commission to undertake the Study.

Climate Change Programme

Mr. Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will publish the Government's draft climate change programme. [113826]

Mr. Prescott: I will publish a draft climate change programme for the UK on Thursday 9 March. This will set out how we plan to deliver the UK's emission reduction target from Kyoto and move towards its domestic goal. I will also be publishing a consultation paper on a new Energy Efficiency Standard of Performance scheme which would start in 2002.

Copies of the report and the consultation paper will be available from the Vote Office and be placed in the Libraries of the House at 11.00 am tomorrow morning.

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Housing Benefit

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact on the housing benefit budget of the judgment in the Court of Appeal in R v. Secretary of State ex parte Spath Holme Ltd. [113339]

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.

The Court of Appeal judgment means that we can no longer factor in the capping arrangements in our forecast of rent allowance expenditure which relates to tenancies with a registered rent in England and Wales. As a result, our forecast will need to be increased by £8 million and £15 million for the years 2000-01 and 2001-02 respectively.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Debt Relief

Mr. Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the impact of the Government's policy on debt reduction on her target of halving world poverty by 2015. [113495]

Mr. Foulkes: The Government have continually emphasised that the purpose of debt relief is to enable countries to make greater progress on reducing poverty and achieving the international development targets. Our submission to the review of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative set out ways in which the impact of debt relief on poverty reduction could be increased, and I welcome the improvements to the HIPC framework that have been agreed internationally and are now being implemented. The revised HIPC initiative both provides deeper and faster debt relief to qualifying countries, and ensures that a poverty reduction strategy is put in place so that all development resources, including those freed up by HIPC debt relief, can be invested effectively in anti-poverty programmes.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Balloting Services

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will ensure that organisations offering balloting services to (a) trade unions and (b) political parties which involve contested elections count votes in the presence of the candidates should they wish this. [113031]

Mr. Alan Johnson: The Government have no plans to do so.

Trade union election ballots are regulated by the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, which requires elections to be held for appointments to certain positions in trade unions and governs the conduct of those elections. In particular, the Act requires that votes should be fairly and accurately counted, an independent scrutineer should be appointed to monitor and report on the conduct of the election, and voting papers should be stored, distributed and counted by the scrutineer or another independent person. A union member or candidate who

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believes that there has been a breach of the Act's requirements can apply for a remedy to the Certification Officer or the court.

The procedure for the selection of candidates by political parties is a matter for the parties themselves.

Utilities Bill

Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to remove the provisions relating to (a) telecommunications and (b) water from the Utilities Bill; and if he will make a statement. [113324]

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on his plans for the regulation of telecoms and water. [113280]

Mr. Byers [holding answer 6 March 2000]: I announced during Oral Questions on 2 March 2000, Official Report, column 555, that the provisions relating to telecommunications and water will be removed from the Utilities Bill.

International Price Comparisons

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 28 February 2000, Official Report, column 50W, on international price comparisons, for what reason his Departmental Press Notice of 11 February stated that the survey report was to be published on 11 February. [113129]

Mr. Byers [holding answer 6 March 2000]: The Department Press Notice did not say that the survey report was to be published on 11 February.

Petrol (Fair Competition)

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Director General of Fair Trading began the present review of the petrol undertakings given by oil companies in 1966; when the review will be completed; and if he will publish the results of the review. [113532]

Dr. Howells [holding answer 7 March 2000]: The Director General of Fair Trading began the present review of the 1966 petrol undertakings in July 1998. He expects to complete the review this month and will advise me on whether the undertakings should be retained, removed or amended. I will announce my decision in due course.

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact of changes in the number of petrol supplier and petrol retailers in the downstream market from 1997 to date on competition. [113535]

Dr. Howells [holding answer 7 March 2000]: Under UK competition legislation, the Director General of Fair Trading has responsibility for monitoring markets. He completed a major review of the petrol market in 1998. He concluded that competition in the petrol retailing market was strong and working to the benefit of consumers.

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will ensure that voluntary agreements between petrol suppliers and petrol retailers not covered

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by the undertakings given by oil companies in 1966 are subject to equivalent scrutiny by the Office of Fair Trading to ensure fair competition. [113533]

Dr. Howells [holding answer 7 March 2000]: The Director General of Fair Trading has powers to investigate such agreements if they appear to raise competition concerns.

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry who has the responsibility for ensuring adherence to the petrol undertakings given by oil companies in 1966. [113534]

Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 7 March 2000]: The Director General of Fair Trading is responsible for monitoring markets and compliance with orders and undertakings given under the competition legislation. He has in recent years considered a number of complaints about breaches of the 1966 petrol undertakings but has not so far found that breaches of the undertakings have occurred.

Latin American Trade Contracts

Mr. Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list those trade contracts with Latin American countries which have been cancelled in the last 16 months. [113595]

Mr. Caborn: I am unable to provide such a list. Companies do not generally advise my Department of contractual disputes which would be regarded as a commercial matter for them.

Telephone Call Costs

Mr. Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment the OFT has made of the comparative cost of telephone calls from the UK to (a) India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and (b) the USA, Australia and New Zealand; and if he will make a statement. [113143]

Ms Hewitt: OFTEL has the main responsibility for telecoms competition issues. The market for international calls from the UK is competitive with more than 70 operators providing services. Prices for international calls have risen by only 7 per cent. in the last five years and BT's share of the market for international calls has fallen to below 37 per cent. for business users and below 70 per cent. for residential users.

There is still nevertheless a marked discrepancy in the cost of calling different countries.

BT's headline retail prices for the routes in question together with the accounting rates are:

£

Route	Retail price per minute (7)	Accounting rate
(a)
India	1.20	0.91
Pakistan	1.35	0.81
Bangladesh	1.35	1.13
(b)
USA	0.24	0.13
Australia	0.49	0.25
New Zealand	0.49	0.14

(7) Inclusive of VAT

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The differences in the cost of calls between the two groups of country above arise because of the different stages of liberalisation in these countries and the different charges for terminating incoming international traffic (known as accounting rates). The telecoms markets of group (b) countries are completely liberalised compared to the closed markets of the group (a) countries which have big net inflows of traffic from the UK coupled with high accounting rates. Furthermore, there are much higher call volumes between group (b) countries and the UK compared to group (a).

The Government and OFTEL continue to participate in international meetings, particularly through the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to put pressure on countries with high accounting rates to reduce them.

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