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HOUSE OF COMMONS

Lightbulbs

Mr. Brake: To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what percentage of lightbulbs used in the House are low energy. [129379]

Sir Sydney Chapman: Some 75 per cent. of lightbulbs on the parliamentary estate are of the low energy type. More light fittings will be adapted for low energy lightbulbs during the Summer Adjournment as part of a continuing exercise.

Recycling

Mr. Brake: To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee in what location in the House waste paper for recycling is sorted from other waste. [129383]

Sir Sydney Chapman: Under the present waste disposal contract, Vote Office waste paper is recycled and other waste paper is incinerated to generate electricity for the national grid; competitive tendering showed that it would cost an additional £250,000 to separate more waste paper for recycling. The Accommodation and Works Committee has, however, resolved that the issue should be considered again when the contracts are next retendered.

Mr. Brake: To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what plans there are to introduce facilities for the recycling of (a) plastics, (b) aluminium and steel and (c) glass in the House. [129377]

Sir Sydney Chapman: The House has a contract with London Waste Ltd. for waste disposal. As part of the disposal process, the company recovers ferrous and non-ferrous metals for recycling; glass is also recycled separately. General kitchen waste and packaging are incinerated, generating electricity for the national grid.

Renewable Energy

Mr. Brake: To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what percentage of electricity used in the House is supplied from renewable sources. [129378]

Sir Sydney Chapman: At present none of the energy used in the House is from renewable sources. Power for the House is purchased in the competitive market on the basis of lowest price, and energy from renewable sources has proved more expensive in the past. It is the intention to obtain prices for renewable energy as part of the exercise to renew contracts for electricity supplies later this year.

Annunciators

Mr. Brake: To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee how many annunciators there are in the House. [129380]

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Sir Sydney Chapman: There are 900 annunciators in the Palace of Westminster, and 1,718 on the Parliamentary estate as a whole.

Paper

Mr. Brake: To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee (1) what was the volume of paper provided by the House in each of the last three years; [129381]

Mrs. Roe: This is a matter for the Serjeant at Arms; I have asked him to write to the hon. Member.

Organic Food and Drink

Mr. Brake: To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee what percentage of food and drink served in the House is organic. [129376]

Mr. Dennis Turner: The House of Commons Refreshment Department does not compile any statistics on the quantity of organic food and drink purchased or sold through its catering operations. The Department is a member of the Soil Association and recognises the significant demand for organic produce. Last year the Department introduced, on a trial basis, an organic menu in the Members' Dining Room. While indisputably popular with its customers, the menu was reluctantly discontinued as a consequence of the inconsistent availability and quality of supply, and the high cost of such produce. The Department now pursues a policy of purchasing organic produce or ingredients wherever consistent availability and quality can be guaranteed by suppliers, and where it is judged that the price to be passed on to the Department's customers is affordable.

Environmental Performance

Mr. Brake: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what (a) measures and (b) targets have been established relating to the use by the House of Commons' of resources and the Government's targets for environmental performance. [129317]

Mr. Kirkwood: The Parliamentary Works Directorate is preparing to operate an environmental management system under ISO 14001. Using the Property Advisers to the Civil Estate (PACE) methodology, which was recently promulgated, measurements are being made of the percentage of our total office waste which is recovered. Targets for improvement are then to be set. Energy usage is closely monitored and significant savings will be achieved when Portcullis House is occupied and other buildings are vacated.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Payments

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of correctly presented bills were paid by her Department in (a) 1998-99 and (b) 1999-2000 within 30 days of receipt of (i) goods and services, (ii) a valid invoice and (iii) other agreed payment terms. [130037]

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Clare Short: In line with Treasury guidance my Department's standard payment terms commit us to paying bills within 30 days of receipt of the goods or services or the presentation of a valid invoice, whichever is the later. The percentage of invoices settled within the 30 day period during the last financial year was 96.8 per cent. The comparable figure for 1998-99 was 96.3 per cent. We do not generally enter into different payment terms.

Bangladesh

Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if Bangladesh qualifies for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative. [129595]

Clare Short: From the latest information available, Bangladesh's debt sustainability ratios are below the minimum thresholds used by the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, which means that it would not qualify for debt relief.

For a country to receive HIPC debt relief, it requires not only unsustainable levels of debt, but also a commitment to poverty reduction and reform. In the case of Bangladesh, any consideration of debt relief would be likely to require further progress in areas such as public expenditure allocations on essential services for poor people, measures to improve the quality of public services, improving revenue administration, and a serious start on structural measures such as financial sector and public enterprise reform.

Our substantial aid programme to Bangladesh-- £65 million in 1999-2000--focuses on promoting the reduction of poverty both directly and by addressing constraints on faster pro-poor growth and improved governance.

Telephone Steering Systems

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many of her Department's telephone lines used by the general public are responded to by touch tone telephone steering systems. [129615]

Clare Short: My Department has no telephone lines used by the general public that are responded to by touch tone telephone steering systems.

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many agencies of her Department use touch tone telephone steering systems when dealing with telephone inquiries from the general public. [129632]

Clare Short: This Department does not have any agencies.

WALES

Inward Investment

Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary concerning the prospects for inward investment to Wales; and if he will make a statement. [129499]

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Mr. Paul Murphy: I have regular discussions with the First Secretary about a range of topics including the prospects for inward investment to Wales.

Wales continues to do well in attracting inward investment, but cannot afford to be complacent in the face of increasingly severe competition. Every effort is being made to raise awareness of Wales and to improve the potential for investment. The National Assembly, Welsh Development Agency and others will continue to keep existing measures under review. I believe that this will place Wales in a good position to exploit all opportunities for securing future investment.

PFI Contracts

Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the PFI contracts entered into by the Welsh Office prior to July 1999, indicating (a) their dates of commencement, (b) their value, (c) if they have been subject to refinancing and (d) if his Office has a claw-back entitlement to share in savings arising from refinancing. [129060]

Mr. Paul Murphy: The information requested is as follows:











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