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Benefit Interviews

Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what powers he uses to compel claimants of (a) Income Support and (b) Jobseeker's Allowance, whose claim is selected for inspection by the area benefit review to give an interview to a Benefits Agency review officer; [118276]

Angela Eagle: There is no specific power to compel a person to give an interview to an Area Benefit Review Officer. However, under Claims and Payments Regulations 7 and 8 a person who claims Income Support is required to supply the Department with information in connection with their claim and to attend interviews if so requested. There are equivalent provisions in Regulations 23 and 24 of the Jobseeker's Allowance Regulations. The Department has no record of any benefit claimant having refused to be interviewed under the Area Benefit Review programme.

Housing Benefit

Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many local authorities have been inspected for the Area Benefit Review of housing benefit. [118211]

Angela Eagle: The Area Benefit Review is a continuous monthly rolling programme of measurement in which 195 local authorities are participating. As at 29 February, sample cases had been selected from a total of 175 local authorities since the start of the project. Sample cases will be selected from the remaining local authorities as the rolling programme continues.

Remote Access Terminals

Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many local authorities have installed remote access terminals in the last five years. [118209]

Angela Eagle: The Remote Access Terminal implementation programme started in August 1998. There are currently 392 local authorities with at least one Remote Access Terminal (RAT) installed, and 427 terminals in use.

In this financial year we plan to install a RAT into 14 of the 17 local authorities currently without one.

Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System

Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has for his Department to become a member of the Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System; and if he will make a statement. [118205]

Mr. Rooker: This Department is an associate member of the Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System (CIFAS). Staff involved in the investigation of organised fraud receive information from CIFAS and attend regional quarterly meetings.

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Family Statistics

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many divorced or separated women (a) have and (b) have not received from their ex-husbands or husbands their full CSA-assessed entitlement in the most recent year for which figures are available. [117528]

Angela Eagle: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mrs. Faith Boardman. She will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Faith Boardman to Mr. Gerald Howarth, dated 6 April 2000:



    The latest published Child Support statistics show that in the quarter to November 1999 there are a total of 346,500 cases where maintenance is arranged and collected through the Agency. Of these 162,900 parents with care receive their full maintenance, 79,800 receive partial maintenance and 103,800 receive no maintenance.


    155,100 have a full maintenance assessment made by the Agency with the liability paid through a private agreement between the Parent With Care and the Non-Resident Parent. In these cases full compliance is assumed.


    Therefore, 318,000 of parents with care receive their full maintenance award through either the Agency's collection service or a private agreement. A further 79,800 receive partial maintenance.


    A total of 445,000 live cases are assessed at nil liability. A percentage of Non-Resident Parents assessed at nil liability who claim Income Support and Job Seekers Allowance (income-based) may be required to make a contribution to maintenance.


    The Department's Analytical Services Division produces a CSA Quarterly Summary of Statistics that is available in the House of Commons Library and you may find the information it contains of further interest.


    I hope this is helpful.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Embassies

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many political party events have been held in British Embassies since 1 May 1997. [115340]

Mr. Robin Cook: It is established policy that Government property should not generally be used for party activities. We have no record of any such event being held at a British Embassy in the period since 1 May 1997.

British Embassies do, of course, assist and advise MPs, Members of the devolved assemblies and MEPs, as appropriate.

Europe Roadshow

Mr. Nicholls: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received about the "Your Britain, Your Europe", roadshow; and if he will make a statement. [117335]

Mr. Vaz: There have been several parliamentary questions about the purpose, funding and itinerary of the "Your Britain, Your Europe" roadshow. Some members of the public and the Democracy Movement have written to me asking the same questions.

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Mr. Nicholls: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the contribution of the "Your Britain, Your Europe", roadshow to his Department's performance target of increasing public support for EU activities. [117334]

Mr. Vaz: It is impossible to measure precisely the contribution that last year's "Your Britain, Your Europe" roadshow made to our performance target to increase public support for our EU activities. But I am confident that the event helped to inform the public better about the Government's EU policy and to stimulate debate about the benefits of our membership of the EU.

Mr. Nicholls: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what costs were incurred by the Your Britain, Your Europe, roadshow on (a) travel and (b) publicity and promotional material. [117322]

Mr. Vaz: Travel costs were approximately £15,295. The bill for design of the roadshow logo and printing of publicity materials came to £6,162.

Former EU Commissioners

Mr. Nicholls: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of the commissioners from the former European Commission are in receipt of EU allowances. [117312]

Mr. Vaz: Details of pay and allowances for both serving and former Commissioners are set out in Regulation number 422/67/EEC. A copy of this is available in the Library of the House and on the internet at http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/lif/dat/1967/en--367/R0422.html

Arms Exports (Azerbaijan)

Mr. Savidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the UK will continue to uphold the OSCE embargo on the export of weapons and military equipment to Azerbaijan. [118646]

Mr. Vaz: The UK remains committed to the OSCE arms embargo against both Azerbaijan and Armenia, which the UK interprets as covering all goods and technology controlled under entries in Part III of schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994 (commonly known as the military list).

We have recently approved the export of 60 protective vests for demining operations to Azerbaijan. These will be used by the United Nations Development Programme during humanitarian land mine clearance operations. While the grant of this licence constitutes an exception to the UK's interpretation of the scope of the embargo, it is in no way inconsistent with the purpose of the embargo and our continuing commitment to uphold it. It also reflects the determination of the Government to eliminate the scourge of land mines.

HOME DEPARTMENT

MBDB

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his policy in respect of the synthetic drug MBDB. [118072]

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Mr. Boateng: N-Methyl-a-ethyl-3, 4-methylendioxy phenethylamine (MBDB) is controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 as a Class A drug. It is covered by the definition for ring-substituted Phenethylamines in Schedule 2, Part 1 paragraph 1 (c) of the Act.

Euro (Counterfeiting)

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the agreement reached at the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting on 27 March to introduce an EU-wide minimum prison sentence for counterfeiting the euro; what plans he has to implement that decision; what estimate he has made of the cost to public funds; and if he will make a statement; [118075]

Mr. Boateng: I am placing in the Library a copy of the draft framework decision as deposited for Scrutiny.

Article 6(2) of the draft framework decision provides that offences of fraudulent making, shall be


The maximum term of imprisonment already provided for these offences under existing United Kingdom legislation is 10 years. Article 6 of the framework decision will not, therefore, require new legislation or result in any additional costs. In all parts of the United Kingdom it is already a criminal offence to counterfeit any currency which is customarily used as money, including the euro.

The Commission has indicated that it plans to bring forward a number of accompanying measures aimed at supporting the objectives of the framework decision in the area of judicial co-operation, exchange of information and training. The Commission hopes to make a formal proposal to this effect during the Portuguese Presidency.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what amount has been spent under the National Changeover Plan in connection with measures to combat the counterfeiting of the euro; and if he will make a statement. [118076]

Mr. Boateng: Measures to combat the counterfeiting of the euro do not come within the scope of the National Changeover Plan.

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