---

Radiation

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to issue advice to nuclear regulators and operators on the provisions of Euratom Directive 96/29 on radiological protection requiring the calculation of collective doses in respect of practices giving rise to radiation exposures. [117163]

Mr. Meacher: My Department is currently preparing guidance to the Environment Agency on the regulation of radioactive discharges into the environment from nuclear licensed sites. The calculation of collective doses will be one of the issues for consideration during the preparation of that guidance. When the guidance has been completed in draft, it will be issued for public consultation.

National Assembly for Wales

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects his Department to publish a concordat with the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales. [118741]

Ms Armstrong: I am pleased to say that we have now reached agreement with the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales on the terms of a concordat between us. This has been published today, and copies have been placed in the House Library. The concordat will also be made available in due course on the Department's website.

Wembley Stadium

Mr. Faber: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has had with London Underground concerning the possible upgrading of the underground stations serving the new Wembley National Stadium. [118419]

10 Apr 2000 : Column: 5W

Mr. Hill: Discussions with London Underground are being co-ordinated by the Wembley Task Force as part of their brief to facilitate the regeneration of the stadium area and the wider estate. DETR officials are involved as observers. A scheme to improve Wembley Park station, to serve the new National Stadium, is being prepared by London Underground in close liaison with the Task Force.

Mr. Faber: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has had with (a) the DCMS, (b) Brent Council, (c) the Wembley Task Force and (d) Wembley National Stadium Ltd. concerning regeneration funding for infrastructure improvement around the new Wembley National Stadium. [118418]

Mr. Hill: Wembley Task Force has been established at the initiative of English Partnerships to facilitate the regeneration of the Stadium area and the wider estate. Membership of the Task Force includes Brent council and Wembley National Stadium Ltd. Officials from DETR and DCMS are also involved. There is close liaison between all the parties involved. The Task Force is preparing a development framework for the area to guide the regeneration strategy and determine the infrastructure improvements required.

Climate Change Levy

Mr. Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has had with the European Commission about rebates to industries which will pay the Climate Change Levy; and if he will make a statement. [118427]

Mr. Meacher: The Climate Change Levy was one of the subjects discussed in a recent meeting with Commissioner Wallstrom. In addition, my officials have had meetings with the European Commission to discuss the UK's state aids notification in respect of the proposed reduction in the Climate Change Levy for companies which deliver significant environmental benefits under the Climate Change Levy Agreements.

Whaling

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to raise the issue of whaling with the Japanese Government at this year's G8 summit in Okinawa. [118361]

Mr. Meacher: We do not believe there is justification for any whaling, other than some subsistence whaling by indigenous people. We would like to see all other forms of whaling ended through a permanent, worldwide ban. We strongly believe that all discussions on whaling should be left to the International Whaling Commission as the primary international body for dealing with the management and conservation of whales, and we firmly support their current moratorium.

The Japanese Government are fully aware of these views. Whaling is regularly raised at official and ministerial meetings with them, and the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Neath (Mr. Hain), wrote to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in December 1999 to protest at Japan's so-called "scientific whaling" and reiterate the UK's position. The Government have no

10 Apr 2000 : Column: 6W

plans to raise the issue of whaling with them at the G8 summit on 21-23 July. However, as the Under-Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. Mullin), explained to the House on 21 March 2000, Official Report, column 167WH, we shall be firmly resisting Japanese attempts to downgrade the protection given to whales both at the CITES Conference of Parties on 10-20 April and at the IWC meeting on 3-6 July.

HEALTH

Correspondence

Mrs. Shephard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for South-West Norfolk of 27 January 2000, regarding the number of intensive care beds at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. [117862]

Mr. Milburn: I will let the right hon. Member have a reply shortly.

Cancer Surgery (North-west)

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to announce a designated centre for cancer surgery for the north-west. [116751]

Yvette Cooper: The North West Regional Office of the National Health Service Executive is developing three cancer services networks across Merseyside and Cheshire, Lancashire and South Cumbria and Greater Manchester, comprising cancer centres for oncology and their associated cancer units. This is consistent with the approach that has been adopted by the National Cancer Director and is supported by him.

Cancer surgery for common cancers will continue to be carried out in designated local cancer units. Given the complex distribution of surgery for less common and rare cancers within each cancer network, it will not always be appropriate to designate a single hospital within each network for surgery for these cancers. Surgery for the less common and rare cancers in the north-west will be provided in accordance with national guidance, within managed clinical networks which will comprise a cluster of hospitals working with their associated oncology centre. Different hospitals may lead on surgery for specific cancers within this less common and rare group.

This approach was acknowledged in the original Calman/Hine report to be necessary in some parts of the country, and is consistent with that already adopted in other parts of the country.

Waterhouse Report

Mr. Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 27 March 2000, Official Report, column 60W, for what reasons he was unable to act prior to presentation of the Waterhouse Report to Parliament to extend the Consultancy Index to include people named in that report. [116951]

Mr. Hutton: The Waterhouse Report is over 1,000 pages long and names hundreds of individuals with no easy means of identifying specific individuals and the findings made against them. The conclusions of the

10 Apr 2000 : Column: 7W

Tribunal in relation to each of the individuals named had to be considered with great care by the Wales Office, Department of Health and other Government Departments to ensure that appropriate action was taken in the light of these conclusions. It was also important to establish the legal basis on which the Consultancy Index could be specially extended to include the names of people who had not been referred by their employer. We took immediate and determined action on receipt of the Waterhouse Report to achieve these tasks.

Vacant Doctor Posts

Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacant posts there are for doctors; and how many vacant posts there were in each of the last five years. [117211]

10 Apr 2000 : Column: 8W

Mr. Denham: The Department recruitment, retention and vacancies survey showed 530 medical and dental whole-time equivalent vacancies (excluding training grades) in the hospital and community health services sector in England that had lasted three months or more.

There has only been one recruitment and vacancy survey carried out and there is no historic information available.

Student Nurses

Mr. Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have entered student nurse training in Northamptonshire since May 1997. [117607]

Mr. Denham: The table shows the number of people who have entered nurse training in Northamptonshire since May 1997.

10 Apr 2000 : Column: 7W

	September 1997	March 1998	September 1998	March 1999	September 1999	March 2000
Adult Nursing	54	50	64	56	75	53
Children's Nursing	0	15	0	20	13	10
Mental Health	15	15	18	17	19	26
Learning Disabilities	8	7	10	10	10	17
Midwifery	20	0	20	0	12	22
Total	97	87	112	103	129	128

10 Apr 2000 : Column: 7W

A total of 106 nurses have entered "Return to Practice" courses since 1998-99.

---