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"Teachers"

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what has been the total cost of the magazine called "Teachers" since its inception. [128067]

Mr. Wills: The average cost of each issue of "Teachers" magazine is 32p per head. The magazine is subsidised by advertising which keeps this cost down.

The magazine is around £108,000 an issue or £650,000 a year. The magazine was launched in February 1999 and is published six times a year. We have published 10 issues of the magazine so far.

The magazine is a simple and effective way of communicating directly with teachers. It gives professional advice and provides a platform to share good practice to help raise standards.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many written parliamentary questions tabled to his Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April have not received substantive answers, citing as the reason (a) commercial and (b) other confidentiality. [128016]

Mr. Wills: Of replies to parliamentary questions tabled to the Department during the period stated, five concerned matters which were commercial in confidence, two stated information was commercially confidential and one referred to a document which was commercially sensitive.

Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment on how many occasions he has deposited papers in the Library in response to parliamentary questions tabled to his Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April. [127674]

Mr. Wills [holding answer 26 June 2000]: Papers were deposited in the Libraries in response to parliamentary questions on 60 occasions between the dates in question.

New Deal

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many (a) small, (b) medium and (c) large businesses in (i) Coventry and (ii) the UK are participating in the New Deal. [127456]

Ms Jowell [holding answer 27 June 2000]: Over 73,000 employers have signed employer agreements nationally, 355 of whom are in the Coventry area. The majority of agreements are at local level, with small and medium sized businesses. Many thousands of other employers who have not signed agreements also participate in New Deal, for example by employing New Dealers in unsubsidised jobs.

Medical Students

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many medical students were at medical schools in the UK on 1 April. [127848]

Mr. Wicks: Data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency show the number of full-time first degree medical students in the UK as at 1 December was 23,700.

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Disability Access

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what action he is taking to encourage employers to improve facilities for disabled access to toilets. [127599]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 27 June 2000]: I have been asked to reply.

Under health and safety legislation employers are required to ensure that suitable and sufficient toilet facilities are provided for all employees. Therefore, any worker with a disability must have access to toilet and other welfare facilities that are suitable for his or her use. In addition, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 also places a duty on an employer who has 15 or more employees to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled employees to ensure that they are not substantially disadvantaged. This could include providing access to toilet facilities. The newly formed Disability Rights Commission will be working to help employees enforce their rights and employers to understand their duties under the Act.

In the case of new buildings Part M of the Building Regulations covers access and facilities for disabled people and all new employment buildings are required to make reasonable provision for the sanitary arrangements of disabled people.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

ICT Access

Miss Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what Government help is available to provide access to the internet for poorer individuals. [127631]

Mr. Wills: I have been asked to reply.

We are taking forward a range of measures to help those on low incomes and benefits to access the internet. Excellent progress is being made in improving computer:pupil ratios to ensure that, in future, school leavers are able to use and benefit from new technologies.

We are providing £252 million to fund around 700 ICT learning centres in England. These centres are targeted within the 2,000 most deprived local authority wards, and rural areas with significant transport and deprivation problems. They will support disadvantaged client groups with low or no ICT skills.

50,000 additional free computer training courses will be available for jobless people across the country. We are also establishing a pilot scheme to wire up all the homes in some of our most deprived communities. And we are introducing the "Computers within Reach" pilot scheme to enable around 100,000 low-income learners and families to acquire reconditioned computers. We will continue to work with partners and the private sector to address the issue of closing the digital divide.

Small Business Unit

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what expertise the Small Business Unit has to advise farmers on diversification; and if he will make a statement. [128052]

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Ms Hewitt [holding answer 28 June 2000]: The new service, which will offer tailored business advice to help farmers faced with fundamental changes in their marketplace to develop better business practices and take strategic decisions about the future of their businesses, will be delivered through the Small Business Service, working with the Business Link partnerships, other relevant organisations (eg the NFU, Lantra) and the farming industry. Farm Business Advisers delivering the service on the ground will have business expertise and knowledge of the farming industry and should be well placed to offer advice on diversification.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions he deposited papers in the Library in response to parliamentary questions tabled to his Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April. [128011]

Mr. Byers: My Department deposited in the Library papers associated with 43 parliamentary questions tabled between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000.

Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of the written parliamentary questions tabled to his Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000 have not received substantive answers, citing as the reason commercial confidentiality or other confidentiality. [127436]

Mr. Byers: Answers to 11 written parliamentary questions tabled between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000 have not received substantive answers for reasons of commercial or other confidentiality.

Rail Locomotives

Mr. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many diesel engines for rail locomotives were manufactured in the UK in each of the last five years for which figures are available; what action he is taking to encourage passenger and freight operators to invest in UK-manufactured engines, locomotives and rolling stock; and if he will make a statement. [127408]

Mr. Alan Johnson: According to the Office for National Statistics, 103 rail traction diesel or semi-diesel engines were sold in 1996. No data have been published in the remaining years of the five-year period for reasons of commercial confidentiality. No data on production are available.

UK rail passenger and freight operating companies make their own commercial decisions on the purchase and maintenance of rolling stock and locomotives. The same applies to the manufacturers of such vehicles sourcing diesel engines.

DTI is working with the Railway Industries Association on an initiative to improve supply-chain performance within the sector.

Engineering

Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which organisations were consulted on

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Stage 1 of the Hawley Review Group; and if he will publish the responses of those who replied to the consultation on the stage one report. [127723]

Mr. Alan Johnson: This is a matter for the Engineering Council, whose review this is.

I understand that the Engineering Council sought views from nearly 700 organisations and individuals and is still receiving, considering and reviewing the many contributions it has had from various parts of the engineering community as part of its continuing work. Outcomes will be part of the Group's final report.

Director General of Fair Trading

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he intends to publish the report by the Director General of Fair Trading for the year 1999. [128758]

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Mr. Byers: The 26th Annual Report of the Director General of Fair Trading has been published today. It covers the period from 1 January 1998 to 31 December 1999. Copies of the report have been laid before Parliament.

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