---

Audio-visual Industry

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made in the work of the audio-visual industry skills taskforce. [140182]

Janet Anderson: The Audio Visual Industries Training Group (AVITG) was established jointly by my Department and Skillset, the National Training Organisation for the sector, in 1999 as a new cross-industry group to investigate and report on the current and future skills required in

24 Nov 2000 : Column: 339W

broadcasting and the electronic media and to recommend the training and education needed to develop these skills, so that the UK can compete effectively in the world media market place.

The Group has been particularly active in scoping and defining the sector. As one of its main activities it has undertaken the first ever census of the UK media industries. The Census has been published today and I am arranging for copies to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. It will be followed by a survey of freelances working across the industry in order to identify their current and predicted future training and skills needs.

The AVITG has received a large number of submissions to date and will continue to receive evidence and submissions until December. It is on target to produce its final report and recommendations next spring.

British Museum (Stonework)

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the trustees of the British Museum concerning legal action taken by the museum in relation to the provision of French stone for building work on the South Portico. [140179]

Mr. Chris Smith: Any decision on whether to take legal action in relation to the provision of French stone is a matter for the British Museum. I have not discussed this with the trustees but I have been advised by the British Museum that they have taken legal advice. I am informed that as a result they have held back payments to the contractor. They will consider the grounds for legal action in the light of the conclusions of the report by PricewaterhouseCoopers due in December.

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures are being taken by the British Museum to recover moneys owed by Easton Masonry Company (Portland) Ltd. [140180]

Mr. Chris Smith: I am advised by the British Museum that they have withheld payments under the contract amounting to £300,000.

Classification of Buildings

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to introduce a right of appeal to individuals whose houses are classed as Ancient Monuments by English Heritage; and if he will make a statement. [140026]

Mr. Alan Howarth: My right hon. Friend is responsible for compiling the schedule of ancient monuments under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. He is advised in this task by English Heritage. My right hon. Friend is precluded from scheduling any structure occupied as a dwelling house (unless it is occupied by the caretaker of the property or his family). The 1979 Act does not provide a statutory right of appeal against decisions to schedule monuments, but relevant representations from owners will always be considered.

24 Nov 2000 : Column: 340W

TREASURY

Euro

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the cost to private business of the UK entering the euro in the first year of its operation; what studies he has made of the cost to private businesses in those countries which have joined; and if he will make a statement. [140024]

Mr. Timms: The business cost of changeover would depend on the overall approach and individual decisions that businesses took.

Road Fuel

Mr. Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what commitments he has received from major oil companies relating to the introduction of ultra low-sulphur petrol in UK garages. [138507]

Mr. Timms [holding answer 16 November 2000]: The Government intend to cut the duty on ultra-low sulphur petrol and widen its differential with unleaded petrol by a further 2p per litre in Budget 2001, conditional on the oil companies guaranteeing nationwide access to its environmental benefits.

Judges' Lodgings

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if judges benefit from an extra statutory concession for the benefit in kind of the use of judges' lodgings for (a) accommodation and associated expenditure, (b) private entertaining and (c) use of chauffeur and car for travel to and from work at court; and if he will make a statement. [139438]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 21 November 2000]: No. The same rules governing the tax treatment of benefits and expenses apply to judges as to employees and office-holders generally.

Upper Earnings Limit

Mr. Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list to two decimal places the percentage increase in the upper earnings limit on national insurance in each of the past 10 years. [139838]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 23 November 2000]: The levels of the upper earnings limit are given in the Tax Benefit Reference Manual available in the Library of the House.

IR35

Mr. Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what legal costs have been incurred by Her Majesty's Government in defending the action for judicial review of IR35 brought by the Professional Contractors Group. [139908]

Dawn Primarolo: The extent to which the costs of the legal action will fall to the Government will depend on the outcome of the case.

24 Nov 2000 : Column: 341W

Integrated Child Credit

Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list each form of financial support available to families with dependent children through the tax and benefit system, indicating in each case whether it will be replaced by the proposed integrated child credit; and for those which are not to be included in the integrated child credit, if he will set out the reasons for their exclusion. [139060]

Dawn Primarolo: The 2000 pre-Budget report reaffirmed the Government's intention to introduce a better integrated system of support for children from 2003. The Government are carefully considering the detailed design parameters of this new integrated credit.

Children's Tax Credit

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Children's Tax Credit forms have been sent out; how many completed forms have been returned; and how many forms have been returned by people who are ineligible for the credit. [134542]

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue does not generally hold information to enable it to identify which taxpayers have children so to maximise the number of eligible people applying it made a point of sending the claim form out widely. Some 7.8 million forms have been sent out to PAYE taxpayers and, by 20 October 2000, 2.6 million forms have been returned. Self-employed taxpayers can claim in the normal way when they receive their tax return for the year beginning April 2001. There are no figures available on the number of people who have returned the form and are ineligible for the credit.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Criminal Defence Service

Mr. Garnier: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what estimates he has made of the caseload that the proposed pilot of the criminal defence service in England and Wales will undertake in the four years of the proposed start-up phase. [140175]

Mr. Lock: No caseload estimate has yet been made. Individual estimates, for each salaried defence service office, will be settled once final decisions have been made on the location of the offices and the timing of their opening.

Mr. Garnier: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what business plan has been prepared for the proposed pilot of the criminal defence service in England and Wales. [140170]

Mr. Lock: Each salaried defence service office will operate to its own business plan, as the issues facing each office will be unique to it. These will be developed once the office locations have been settled.

Mr. Garnier: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what are the estimated start up costs of the proposed pilot of the criminal defence service in England and Wales; and how they are made up. [140172]

24 Nov 2000 : Column: 342W

Mr. Lock: We expect the Legal Services Commission will spend up to £3 million in the financial year 2001-02 on salaried defenders.

Precise start-up costs will depend on the exact location and size of each office.

Mr. Garnier: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the estimated annual costs are of the proposed pilot of the criminal defence service in England and Wales, including the cost of support services from the Legal Service Commission central services; and how they are made up. [140173]

Mr. Lock: No final decisions have been made about the total costs of the pilots. Initial estimates are that costs will be up to £3 million in the first year.

Mr. Garnier: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many offices it intends to open under the proposed pilot of the criminal defence service in England and Wales; and where those offices will be located. [140171]

Mr. Lock: It is planned initially to open six salaried defence service offices, at least three of which will open for business on 2 April 2001. A shortlist of nine locations is being considered, namely Carlisle, Dover, Birmingham, Liverpool, Sheffield, Swansea, Middlesbrough, Oxford and Gloucester. Final decisions will be made on the locations of all six offices by the end of this year.

Mr. Garnier: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what are the estimated numbers of (a) legally qualified and (b) non-legally qualified staff who will be employed in the proposed pilot of the criminal defence service in England and Wales. [140174]

Mr. Lock: The number of legally qualified and non-legally qualified staff employed in the salaried defence offices will depend on the locations of the offices and the success of the offices in attracting and retaining clients through the quality of the services they provide. Sufficient staff will be employed at each location to provide the comprehensive, 24 hour a day, seven day a week service necessary. Initial numbers will be agreed in conjunction with each office head.

---