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Ballot Boxes (London)

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what assessment he has made of the robustness and security of

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the cardboard ballot boxes proposed for use with electronic vote counting in the forthcoming London elections; what assessment he has made of the risk of persons tampering with such ballot boxes; and if he will make a statement; [117239]

Mr. Hill: These are matters for the Greater London Returning Officer.

Genetically Modified Crops

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will describe the research being undertaken during farm-scale trials of genetically modified crops with particular respect to (a) potential cross-pollination with (i) other non- genetically modified crops and (ii) wild flora, (b) the viability of such cross-pollination, (c) the impact on insect life in areas adjacent to the trial, and (d) the duration of the study. [117301]

Mr. Meacher: Studies are being undertaken during farm-scale evaluations of the management associated with genetically modified crops to assess (a) potential cross-pollination between genetically modified crops with particular respect to (i) cross-pollination with other non-genetically modified crops and (ii) wild flora. In addition, studies are being undertaken during farm-scale trials to assess (b) the viability of such cross-pollination and (c) the impact on insect life in areas adjacent to the trial. Protocols are currently being finalised for these investigations with the contractors. These will be made public shortly and I will place a copy in the Library. (d) The study could last up to three years.

PPG17

Mr. Pearson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he plans to publish revisions to PPG17. [117346]

Ms Beverley Hughes: I refer to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning to my hon. Friend the Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr. Bennett) on 21 March 2000, Official Report, column 469W.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Travel Documents (Loss)

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of travel documents lost by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in the last three years. [117653]

Mrs. Roche: The available information relates to the number of claims for compensation as a result of maladministration in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, the majority of which are as a result of passports lost within the Directorate. The number of claims dealt with is as follows:



    1998: 62


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In addition to the figures given for 1999, there are a number of claims submitted in 1999 still to be considered.

Freedom of Information Bill

Mr. Caplin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish the draft code of practice to be made under clause 44 of the Freedom of Information Bill. [117968]

Mr. Straw: I have today placed a copy of a working draft of the code of practice in the Library and it will also be placed on the Home Office website.

Clause 44 of the Freedom of Information Bill requires the Secretary of State to issue, and from time to time revise, a code of practice setting out practices which he considers public authorities should follow in the discharge of their duties in relation to Part I of the Bill. It specifies particular matters which must be included in the code such as the assistance that should be given to applicants and procedures for dealing with complaints.

The matters to be included in the code are administrative ones that are an important part of good practice. They form an important part of the overall scheme for dealing with requests for information.

Child Abuse

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has conducted into the possible link between animal abuse and child abuse; and if he will make a statement. [116933]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The Home Office is not currently conducting any research on the links between animal abuse and child abuse. However, we have recently become aware of some research in the United States of America on this subject and are considering that evidence with care.

Animal Experiments

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 7 March 2000, Official Report, columns 566-68W, on animal experiments, how many of the nine project licences awarded in 1998 to allow procedures to be carried out on dogs were awarded in order to fulfil legislative requirements; and, for each project licence awarded for this reason, what was the legislative requirement in question. [116935]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: My reply to the hon. Member on 7 March 2000, Official Report, columns 566-68W, reported that the procedures recorded in Table 11 of the Statistics of Scientific Procedures Great Britain 1998 were carried out under 39 separate project licences.

Home Office records are not held in such a way to enable the specific legislative requirement that applied to each licence to be easily identified. My earlier reply provides examples of specific legislative requirements relevant to Table 11.

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in (a) 1998 and (b) 1999 licences were awarded to allow procedures to be carried out on dogs to satisfy non-United Kingdom and non-European Union legislative requirements which

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required (i) more dogs to be used and (ii) dogs to be used in procedures involving more pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm, than the corresponding UK/EU legislative requirements, identifying in each case the (1) non-EU and (2) UK or EU legislative requirements. [116934]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Comparing and contrasting the technical specifications of all of the possible test requirements will require a good deal of effort and it may not be possible to provide precise answers and would be very expensive.

To be of some assistance, I could provide information on the number of licences issued in 1998 and 1999 that might generate data for regulatory requirements using dogs and explain how these are used to satisfy a number of regulators. It will, however, take time to gather the information and I will write to the hon. Member within the next two weeks.

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if wild-caught monkeys destined for use in experiments are tested for (a) Ebola, (b) SIV and (c) Hepatitis; and if he will make a statement. [117019]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food regulates the screening and quarantining of non-human primates entering the United Kingdom. All simians imported into the United Kingdom are required to undergo six months' quarantine against rabies in premises authorised by that Department.

There are no specific Home Office requirements over and above those set by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many times Huntingdon Life Sciences has been inspected by his Department's inspectors in the last three years, broken down between (a) announced and (b) unannounced visits; and if he will make a statement; [117020]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 prevents disclosure of detailed information about individual establishments licensed under the Act.

We are taking further legal advice on this in respect of these matters and are reviewing section 24 in the light of Freedom of Information legislation.

I will write to the hon. Member.

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many animals and of what species are held at the Huntingdon Life Sciences sites at (a) Huntingdon and (b) Occold; and if he will make a statement. [117023]

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Mr. Mike O'Brien: Home Office records identify the number of project licences currently in force at each licensed establishment and also show the species of animal and the maximum number of animals that can be used under each licence. Our records do not show how many animals and of what species are being held at an establishment at any one time.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many laboratory rodents have been killed (a) this year and (b) in each of the last three years because they were surplus to requirements; and if he will make a statement. [117090]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Home Office does not collect this information centrally. The Animal Procedures Committee has a working group on overbreeding which is considering how this issue can be taken forward.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licences have been granted for LD50 tests since 21 October 1999. [117076]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: No new licences authorising the LD50 test (Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development Guideline 401) have been issued since 21 October 1999. One licence issued after 5 September 1998 was varied on 21 October 1999 to remove authority for the test. Subsequently, a review of all existing licences identified a further 13 currently containing authority for the test. Of these, 11 have now been varied to remove that authority. A final decision has not yet been made on the two remaining licences pending consideration of representations from the licensees under section 12 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. We will no longer grant new licences for LD50.

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