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Local Government Settlement

11. Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary regarding the consultation over the local government settlement for Wales. [130887]

Mr. Hanson: The Secretary of State had regular meetings with the First Secretary in the run-up to the 2000 Spending Review. The settlement we have secured for Wales includes amounts consequential on allocations to the Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions for local government. It will of course be for the National Assembly to decide how the consequential amounts will be allocated in Wales, and it is currently consulting on its joint review of the standard spending assessment formula for distribution of grant to local authorities in Wales.

Rural Development

13. Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last discussed sustainable rural development with the First Secretary; and if he will make a statement. [130889]

Mr. Hanson: My right hon. Friend discusses a range of rural issues in his weekly meeting with the First Secretary and I discuss rural development matters in my regular liaison meetings with Assembly Cabinet members. The National Assembly for Wales has what we believe is a unique duty, set out in section 121 of the Government

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of Wales Act 1998, to make a scheme setting out how it proposes to promote sustainable development in the exercise of its functions.

Exchange Rate

16. Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary on the impact of the level of the pound on farmers; and if he will make a statement. [130892]

Mr. Paul Murphy: I have regular weekly meetings with the First Secretary and we discuss a wide range of topics. I understand that the majority of the agrimonetary compensation out of the total £10.6 million promised to Welsh dairy, beef and sheep farmers at the No. 10 Agriculture Summit on 30 March will be paid between August and December this year. We also are hopeful that the Agenda 2000 CAP reforms and the Rural Development Plan will enable Welsh farmers to achieve a sustainable agricultural industry.

Farm Incomes

19. Mr. Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will meet the First Secretary to discuss farm incomes in south Wales. [130895]

Mr. Paul Murphy: I meet the First Secretary on a regular weekly basis and we discuss a wide range of issues. I am hopeful that the Rural Development Plan for Wales, coupled with support from Objectives 1, 2 and 3 of the European Structural Funds and the industry's own resilience and coherent approach to rural development, will result in an improved level of farm incomes not only in south Wales but the whole country.

EU Structural Funds

20. Mr. Alan W. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on match funding for Objective 1 structural funds for west Wales and the valleys. [130896]

Mr. Paul Murphy: The excellent spending review settlement for Wales announced last week included an additional £421 million to cover in full the increase in EU Structural Funds receipts in Wales, outside of the Barnett formula. This settlement unlocks funding within the Block to meet the match funding requirement.

I have talked with the First Secretary and the Assembly Finance Secretary who agree that as a result of this settlement, no worthwhile Objective 1 project will be held back by lack of resources.

Organic Farming

21. Mr. Opik: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary about promoting organic farming. [130897]

Mr. Paul Murphy: I meet the First Secretary on a regular weekly basis and we discuss a wide range of issues. I understand that the National Assembly has committed nearly £3 million to the organic farming scheme in its first year of operation. The scheme pays grants to farmers to help them through the period of conversion to organic farming. I also welcome the launch of the Centre for Organic Excellence in Aberystwyth on

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10 July, which will help the Assembly achieve its aim of converting 10 per cent. of agricultural land to organic production by 2005.

Pensioners

22. Mr. John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent representations he has made to the Secretary of State for Social Security on behalf of Welsh pensioners. [130898]

Mr. Hanson: As a member of the Inter Ministerial Group on Older People I regularly discuss pensioner issues.

During the course of this Parliament, an extra £6.5 billion over and above inflation, will be spent on pensioners. Of this, half is going to help the poorest third of pensioners primarily through increases to the Minimum Income Guarantee and Winter Fuel payments.

The Minimum Income Guarantee will benefit 94,000 pensioners in Wales. This will be increased in line with earnings throughout the remainder of this Parliament.

A comprehensive strategy has been put in place by this Government to tackle pensioner poverty. This targeted approach ensures that more help is directed towards those pensioners that need it most.

Ambulance Response Times

24. Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will meet the First Secretary to discuss the implementation in Wales of national targets for ambulance response times. [130900]

Mr. Hanson: I have no plans to discuss this issue at present but would be happy to include this item in my regular discussions with the First Secretary or the Assembly Health Secretary.

NHS Waiting Lists

25. Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the National Assembly for Wales regarding NHS waiting lists. [130901]

Mr. Hanson: Regular discussions about the NHS in Wales are held with both the Assembly First Secretary and the Assembly Health Secretary and waiting lists are often included on the agenda.

The National Assembly are keen to reduce waiting lists as much and as soon as possible. Together with providing additional funding for this purpose, they have set strict targets to be met by Health Authorities.

Manufacturing Industry

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary on manufacturing industry in Wales. [130879]

Mr. Paul Murphy: The First Secretary and I meet on a regular basis and discuss a number of issues including manufacturing in Wales. Overall, manufacturing output in Wales for the four quarters to the first quarter of 2000 was 2.9 per cent. higher than this corresponding period a year earlier.

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TREASURY

Savings

Mr. Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was invested in individual savings accounts in their first year of operation (a) in total and (b) net of transfers from other savings instruments; how much was invested in (i) TESSAs and (ii) PEPs in their first year of operation; and if he will make a statement. [127835]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Individual Savings Accounts attracted a total of over £28 billion in their first year 1999-2000, which is around a third more than the sum put into PEPs and TESSAs in their last year of operation of 1998-99. This excludes proceeds from matured TESSAs subscribed to cash components of ISAs or TESSA only ISAs. The proportion of funds which is attributable to new savings is not available.

Only £480 million was subscribed to PEPs in their first year (1987) compared to over £16 billion subscribed to the stocks and shares components of ISAs in their first year. The amount invested in TESSAs in their first year (1991) was around £7.3 billion, whereas the cash component of ISAs attracted some £12.3 billion in their first year.

Census Forms

Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral statement of the Economic Secretary on 5 July 2000, Official Report, Standing Committee D, column 15, with whom the status of the commitment to ensure that census forms will read, "What is your religion? This question is voluntary, has been checked"; and if he will make a statement. [131365]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Under the provisions of Section 3(1) of the Census Act 1920, for the purpose of enabling any Order in Council directing a census to be taken to be carried into effect, the Chancellor of the Exchequer may make regulations with respect to the forms to be used in the taking of a census.

If the Census (Amendment) Bill, as currently drafted were to become law, then subsequent to the necessary Amendment Order being made providing for particulars in respect of religion to be added to those already approved by Parliament for inclusion in the 2001 Census, I will make, on behalf of the Chancellor, regulations setting out the form and wording of the particular question on religion to be included on the 2001 Census forms. This would include the statement that the question is voluntary.

Legal advisers for the Office for National Statistics have confirmed that the authority to include such a statement on the census form would fall within the provision of Section 3(1) of the Act, once the Act has been amended to provide for such particulars to be included without penalty for not doing so.

In my statement to the Standing Committee D on 5 July, I announced my intention to make such a statement on the 2001 Census form to be included in regulations, should the Bill receive Royal Assent.

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