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Websites

Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her Department's policy is on (a) advertising and (b) acknowledging company sponsorship on the websites of her Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies; which companies (i) have placed advertisements and (ii) are acknowledged as sponsors on those websites; how much revenue has been received for each financial year since 1997 from such advertisements and sponsorship; and if that revenue has been retained within the budget of her Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies. [119552]

Clare Short: Our website does not carry any advertising or acknowledgements of company sponsorship and we have no plans to change this policy.

PRIME MINISTER

Ministerial Visits

Q13. Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to visit the constituency of Meirionnydd Nant Conwy; and if he will make a statement. [118474]

The Prime Minister: I have no immediate plans to do so.

Engagements

Sir Peter Tapsell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 19 April. [119325]

The Prime Minister: This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House I will have further such meetings later today.

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SCOTLAND

Departmental Properties

Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list (a) the offices (i) owned and (ii) rented by his Department and its agencies in Scotland and (b) the number of staff (y) employed and (z) that can be accommodated (1) in total and (2) at each site. [114237]

Dr. Reid [holding answer 15 March 2000]: My Department rents accommodation in London, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Details of the locations and the staff currently employed are as follows. Details of the maximum number of staff that could be accommodated at each site cannot be accurately assessed. This would depend on the configuration of the accommodation.

Location	Number of staff employed
Dover House, London	39
Meridian Court, Glasgow	6
1 Melville Crescent, Edinburgh	18
Victoria Quay, Edinburgh	19
50 Frederick Street, Edinburgh	3

Departmental Lawyers

Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many lawyers are employed by his Department; and how many were employed in 1995. [117818]

Dr. Reid: The Scotland Office employs 16 qualified lawyers in the office of the Advocate-General for Scotland. It is not possible to provide a meaningful comparison with the legal staffing of the Scottish Office before devolution.

Inverness Travel-to-Work Area

Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 28 March 2000, Official Report, column 110W, on assisted areas, if he will indicate in respect of the Inverness travel-to-work area what comparators he has used which indicate that it is an area of extremely low population density leading to additional costs in the provision of goods and services. [117763]

Dr. Reid [holding answer 5 April 2000]: I have written to the right hon. Member and to other hon. Members with details of the Government's revised proposals for the Assisted Areas map. These proposals are also the subject of wider consultation. In formulating our revised proposals, the Government have taken account of the European Commission's guidelines, which indicate that NUTS 3 areas can be regarded as sparsely populated if they have a population density less than 12.5 persons per square kilometre.

Websites

Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his Department's policy is on (a) advertising and (b) acknowledging company sponsorship on the websites of his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies; which companies (i) have placed advertisements and (ii) are acknowledged as sponsors on

19 Apr 2000 : Column: 528W

those websites; how much revenue has been received for each financial year since 1997 from such advertisements and sponsorship; and if that revenue has been retained within the budget of his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies. [119550]

Dr. Reid: Government websites are permitted to carry advertising but my Department has not yet decided whether to do so. Any development of the Scotland Office website will be within the framework of the e-government strategy for public sector websites.

No advertisements have appeared on the Scotland Office website, nor on the website of the former Scottish Office, so no revenue has been generated.

WALES

New Deal (Young People)

9. Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the number of people who have left the New Deal for Young People and returned to state benefits within 12 months. [118443]

Mr. Hanson: Figures for Wales show that, by January 2000, 18,300 young people had left the New Deal for Young People. Of these, 2,600 (14 per cent.) moved directly to other benefits. 17 per cent. of leavers to date had subsequently made a claim for JSA within 12 months of leaving.

Local Government Reform

10. Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the reform of local government in Wales. [118444]

Mr. Hanson: The Government are committed to the agenda for modernisation of local government in Wales set out in the 1998 White Paper "Local Voices". The Local Government Bill will help to secure a bigger say for local people by providing for new executive structures which will improve efficiency and accountability. It will also set up a new ethical framework, specifically tailored to Welsh needs, and empower councils to promote the economic, social and environmental well-being of their communities.

Health Service Reform

11. Mr. Alan W. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the outcome of the meeting in Cardiff on 7 April of the Joint Ministerial Committee on reform and modernisation of the health service. [118445]

Mr. Hanson: This was a very important and very useful meeting. It showed there is a commitment from all parts of the UK to share ideas and learn from each other in order to modernise our National Health Service. The meeting also highlighted a new, shared way of working post devolution and discussed the Government's overall UK increase in NHS investment for the next four years, to raise the level to European averages.

23. Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary about the reform and modernisation of the NHS in Wales. [118458]

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Mr. Hanson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I regularly meet the Assembly First Secretary and the Assembly Health Secretary to discuss the NHS in Wales. Reform and Modernisation has, of course, been on our agenda and the first meeting of the Joint Ministerial Group on the NHS in the UK was held in Cardiff on 7 April. At that meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister, ideas on modernisation were shared between Ministers from all parts of the UK.

Councillors (Remuneration)

12. Sir Sydney Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the impact of the provisions of the Local Government Bill on the cost of remuneration of councillors in Wales. [118446]

Mr. Hanson: The Local Government Bill provides for the setting up of independent panels to advise on levels of remuneration. It is not possible to assess the impact of such panels on the cost of councillors' remuneration, as the panels are independent and their recommendations are only advisory.

NHS Waiting Lists

13. Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary on NHS waiting lists in Wales. [118447]

Mr. Hanson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I meet regularly with the National Assembly First Secretary and the Assembly Health Secretary to discuss health issues. The subject of waiting lists is often a part of our discussions. It was also discussed at the first meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee for Health held recently in Cardiff. The National Assembly has invested over £37 million to reduce waiting lists in Wales.

Learning and Skills Bill

14. Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received about the Learning and Skills Bill. [118448]

Mr. Hanson: I have received several representations about the Learning and Skills Bill, including from hon. Members, training providers and the industry sector.

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