---

Class Sizes

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many (a) schools have expanded their published roll, (b) extra teachers have been recruited and (c) additional classrooms have been built, as a result of implementing the class size initiative. [124076]

Ms Estelle Morris [holding answer 5 June 2000]: We are making available £620 million to local education authorities to deliver our pledge to reduce infant class sizes to 30 pupils or fewer. This will allow authorities to provide some 6,000 extra teachers and to build over 2,000 additional infant classrooms. We do not keep information on the number of schools which have adjusted their standard numbers in order to meet the infant class size limit. However, we estimate that around 12,000 additional places are being provided in popular schools as a result of our initiative to eliminate large infant classes.

Primary Schools (Access)

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what definition he uses of a reasonable distance when determining access to a primary school. [124668]

Ms Estelle Morris [holding answer 5 June 2000]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State does not determine access to primary schools for school admissions. School admission authorities may, however, use distance when determining how to allocate places if the school is oversubscribed. If a pupil is attending his or her nearest suitable school, and that school is beyond statutory walking distance, the local education authority must provide free transport. Statutory walking distances are two miles for pupils aged up to seven and three miles for those aged eight and over.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

National Lottery

Mr. Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport for each year since the National Lottery began, how many Lottery funding applications from organisations in (a) Dumfries and

7 Jun 2000 : Column: 259W

Galloway, (b) Galloway and Upper Nithsdale parliamentary constituency were (i) successful and (ii) unsuccessful, broken down by National Lottery good cause category. [124723]

Kate Hoey: We have contacted the Scottish Arts Council, the National Lottery Charities Board, the New Opportunities Fund, Sport Scotland, the United Kingdom Sports Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Millennium Commission to request the information required, and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available, placing copies of my letter in the Libraries of the House.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the projects funded by capital expenditure from his Department in each of the last six years, indicating the nature of the project, its start date and its value. [124706]

Mr. Chris Smith: My Department has funded the following capital projects:

Project	Year of start	Year of completion	Total cost (£ million)
British Library: St. Pancras	1978-79	1999-2000	512.8
Windsor Castle: Fire restoration	1992-93	1999-2000	10.65

In addition, my Department has spent the following administration capital expenditure mainly on office refurbishment, IT equipment and office furniture:

Year	£ million
1994-95(2)	2.131
1995-96(2)	1.197
1996-97(2)	1.110
1997-98(2)	0.643
1998-99(2)	0.701
1999-2000(3)	1.128

(2) Outturn

(3) Provision

The above expenditure is for my Department only; capital expenditure by my Department's NDPBs is not recorded centrally and has therefore been excluded.

Forms

Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what has been the net change in each year since May 1997 in the number of forms issued by his Department which (a) charities and (b) other voluntary organisations are required to complete. [123952]

Mr. Chris Smith: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not required charities or other voluntary organisations to complete any such forms since May 1997. Various returns are, however, required of non- departmental public bodies funded by the Department, and of these 22 have charitable status, most of which are national museums and galleries.

7 Jun 2000 : Column: 260W

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Conservation Projects (Africa)

8. Mr. Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the impact of her Department's aid programme on conservation projects in Africa. [123177]

Clare Short: We have recently completed a major evaluation of our environmental work in Africa and elsewhere. This concluded that we have been focusing too much on screening development projects to prevent environmental damage. Our future efforts will be focused on promoting better livelihoods for people and sustainable development of their economies.

Romania

9. Ms Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had on the condition of Romanian orphans. [123178]

Mr. Foulkes: My Department and our Embassy in Bucharest are in close touch with the Romanian authorities and other key players to support ongoing efforts to improve care for Romanian orphans. Progress has been disappointingly slow. Romania is only now starting to take the problem seriously. I will be visiting Romania on 19-20 June and will press for faster progress.

Ethiopia and Eritrea

10. Mr. Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the current humanitarian situation in Ethiopia and Eritrea. [123180]

Clare Short: The situation in Ethiopia and Eritrea is a tragedy. Two of the poorest countries in the world have spent considerable resources in prosecuting a border war over the past two years where it is estimated that over 100,000 people have died. The Government of Ethiopia estimate eight million people will need humanitarian assistance this year. The UN are currently assessing the numbers of people in Eritrea displaced by the war. The international community will provide humanitarian relief for those affected by drought and displaced by war. But what the people of both countries need is peace and development.

Customs Officers (Caribbean)

11. Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the changes will be in the next two financial years in her Department's funding of training for customs officers in (a) St. Lucia and (b) other parts of the Caribbean. [123181]

Clare Short: We are currently funding Customs Reform and Modernisation projects in St. Lucia and Grenada at a cost of £1.1 million. The projects aim to enhance the organisational, operational and management capacity of the Customs Departments in those islands and are scheduled for completion in December. We also provide support for the Caribbean Customs Enforcement Council in this provision of training for Customs Officers.

7 Jun 2000 : Column: 261W

Sub-Saharan Africa

12. Mr. Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what resources she is devoting in her aid programmes to support for school infrastructure and equipment in sub-Saharan Africa. [123182]

Clare Short: We are committed to the International Development Target of achieving universal primary education by 2015. This is the priority for our education assistance to Sub-Saharan Africa, where over the last two years we have committed over £150 million to support the development of universal primary education programmes, which include support for primary school infrastructure and equipment. Our aim is to help African countries build and sustain effective and equitable education systems which give priority to primary education for all. This requires a shift from the traditional projects-based approach to a sector-wide approach to basic and primary education, with development agencies working together around a focused, agreed strategy drawn up by the Government of the country concerned. Uganda is a good example. In collaboration with five other donors and the Government of Uganda, we have played a key role in the establishment of a sector-wide approach to education, resulting in 1998 in our largest ever commitment to a programme in Africa (£67 million) towards the Education Sector Support Programme. This will provide flexible budget support to the Government for five years.

Southern Africa

13. Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the extent of hunger in southern Africa. [123183]

Clare Short: There have been good rains across southern Africa this year and prospects for the grain harvest are good. Given recent floods, there are likely to be pockets of food insecurity in some countries. Food security is being monitored carefully within the Southern Africa Development Community region and our representatives participate in donor/Government consultation groups and receive regular reports from national and regional production forecasting organisations.

---