Order Book Part 1

House of Commons

Session 1999-2000
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The Order Book

Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on Tuesday 28 March 2000

Here you can browse the Written Questions for answer on Tuesday 28 March of which previous notice has been given in the Notices of Questions paper. They are arranged in alphabetical order of answering Department.

Notes:
* Indicates a Question for Oral Answer.
+ Indicates a Question not included in the random selection process but accepted because the quota for that day had not been filled.
[N] Indicates a Question for Written Answer on a named day, i.e. the Member has indicated under S.O. No. 22(4) the day on which he wishes the Question to be answered.
[R] Indicates that a relevant interest has been declared.

TUESDAY 28th MARCH

1
N   Mr Paddy Ashdown (Yeovil):    To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what assessment he has made of the effect on the feed supplements sector in the UK of Regulation 13 of the Feedings Stuffs Regulations 2000; and if he will make a statement.

(115388)

2
N   Mr Paddy Ashdown (Yeovil):    To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, when he will reach a decision on whether to proceed to implement Regulation 13 of the Feeding Stuffs Regulations 2000; and if he will make a statement.

(115389)

3
N   Mr Paddy Ashdown (Yeovil):    To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what assessment he has made of the effect of Regulation 13 of the Feeding Stuffs Regulations 2000 on competition in the European feed supplements sector; and if he will make a statement.

(115390)

4
   Ms Candy Atherton (Falmouth and Camborne):    To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what estimate he has made of the number of dolphins caught in pelagic fishing nets off the coast of Devon and Cornwall in the last 12 months.

(116663)

5
   Ms Candy Atherton (Falmouth and Camborne):    To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what assessment he has made of recent reports of large numbers of dolphins caught in pelagic fishing nets off the coast of Devon and Cornwall.

(116662)

6
   Ms Candy Atherton (Falmouth and Camborne):    To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what plans he has to investigate the reported deaths of dolphins off the coast of Devon and Cornwall due to the use of pelagic fishing nets.

(116664)

7
   Ms Candy Atherton (Falmouth and Camborne):    To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what recent research his Ministry has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the effect of pelagic nets on dolphins; and what plans he has to monitor the use of such nets by trawlers in this area.

(116665)

8
N   Paul Flynn (Newport West):    To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, how many bankruptcies there have been among farmers in England in each of the last 10 years.

(115948)

9
N   Paul Flynn (Newport West):    To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the value of agricultural land.

(115949)

10
N   Mr Richard Livsey (Brecon and Radnorshire):    To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, when he will publish the results of the BSE inquiry conducted by Lord Justice Phillips.

(116461)

11
N   Ms Roseanna Cunningham (Perth):    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans there are for the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council to meet in Scotland when dealing with Scottish devolution or European Convention on Human Rights cases.

(116518)

12
N   Ms Roseanna Cunningham (Perth):    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) Scottish legal texts, (b) Scottish session cases and (c) other Scots law books are held by the Privy Council; and if he will place a list of all such material in the Library.

(115517)

13
N   Ms Roseanna Cunningham (Perth):    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what resources are available to the Privy Council this year to purchase Scottish texts, Scottish sessions cases and Scots law books.

(116519)

14
N   Mr Peter Ainsworth (East Surrey):    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if NESTA fellowship awards will be regarded as prizes for tax purposes.

(116538)

15
N   Mr Peter Ainsworth (East Surrey):    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many employees the Arts Council of England (a) has currently, (b) had on 1st May 1997 and (c) had on 1st May 1999.

(116540)

16
N   Mr Peter Ainsworth (East Surrey):    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will list the number of employees (a) currently, (b) in May 1997 and (c) in May 1999 of each of the regional arts boards.

(116539)

17
N   Mr Robert Key (Salisbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if the preferred commercial operator of the proposed visitor centre at Stonehenge has been chosen; and if he will make a statement.

(116486)

18
N   Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to fit (a) roll bars or (b) other anti-crash features to the Foden Thompson Carmichael MWD; and if he will make a statement.

(116030)

19
N   Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 6th March, Official Report, column 649W, what assessment his Department has made of evidence sworn by 24684328 Lance Corporal Seers RLC at Kupres, Bosnia--Herzogovina on 14th January 1998 in respect of the Foden Thompson Carmichael MWD braking system.

(116031)

20
N   Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 6th March, Official Report, column 649W, for what reason the two Foden Thompson Carmichael MWD vehicles were returned to BVD Aschurch for repair by 6 Transport Squadron during Operation Lodestar in August 1996.

(116032)

21
N   Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what quantities of tritium have been produced at the Chapelcross nuclear facility in each month since April 1995; and what percentage of the tritium produced by this facility has been exported to governments and agencies outside the United Kingdom.

(116592)

22
N   Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, if he will make a statement on the performance by careers guidance services of the terms of their contracts over the last three years.

(116462)

23
N   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what assessment he has made of the impact on the timetable for the connection of schools to the Internet of the Competition Commission's review of the proposed acquisition by NTL of Cable and Wireless Communications' cable interests.

(116644)

24
N   Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, if he will make a statement on funding for schools in respect of post-16 education reforms.

(116527)

25
N   Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what provision has been made for the funding of the teachers' threshold pay rise after the first two years.

(116528)

26
N   Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, if he will make arrangements to ensure that the children of political asylum seekers attend pre-school facilities; and what the cost of that would be to public funds.

(116535)

27
N   Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his Answer of 20th March, Official Report, column 402W, on housebuilding (ref. 114782) and his proposed changes to Regional Planning Guidance for the South East and East of England on 27th March, if he will assess the impact of his statement of 7th March on housebuilding on the Chelmsford local authority area, indicating the number of houses to be built in Chelmsford over the next (a) five years and (b) 16 years.

(116029)

28
   Mr Harry Cohen (Leyton and Wanstead):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his Answer of 16th March, Official Report, columns 322-3W, relating to the public-private partnership contracts for the London Underground, what arrangements were made for potential contractors or consortia of contractors not specifically asked to consider submitting a bid for the work to ascertain the details of the work to be bid for; how potential contractors in other European Union countries were able to ascertain the work to be bid for; if the arrangements complied with European Union requirements; and if he will make a statement.

(116686)

29
N   Mr Don Foster (Bath):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what response he has received to the consultation paper on controlling nuisance hedges in residential areas; and if he will make a statement.

(116382)

30
   Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, how many incidents of air rage were reported in the last five years which involved passengers travelling (a) first-class, (b) business class and (c) by Concorde.

(116687)

31
   Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will list the airlines reporting cases classified as air rage in each year since 1995, indicating for each airline the number of incidents.

(116685)

32
N   Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne and Sheppey):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will introduce a road tax or vignette on foreign commercial vehicles entering the United Kingdom.

(116536)

33
   Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what were the average death rates allowing for age and sex standardisation for (a) all causes, (b) coronary heart disease, (c) stroke and (d) cancer, for each ward in the Crosby parliamentary constituency and for the City of Liverpool as a whole in the last year for which figures are available.

(116674)

34
N   Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the impact of Article 52 of the EC Treaty on the provisions for persons to notify the Commissioners when they are liable to be registered for the climate change levy.

(116581)

35
N   Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the penalty regime for the climate change levy with the European Convention on Human Rights.

(116582)

36
N   Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if the climate change levy will be levied upon (a) actual and (b) estimated energy supply in a period; and what provisions are to be made for overpayment on the basis of estimated bills.

(116586)

37
N   Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will confer on Her Majesty's Customs and Excise discretion to reduce penalties for late submission of climate change levy returns; and if he will review the interest rate on the penalty for small businesses.

(116588)

38
N   Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what factors may be taken into account in determining culpability for the late submission of climate change levy returns; and if he will introduce an element of culpability to the penalty regime.

(116587)

39
N   Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make a statement on the definition of (a) taxable commodity under schedule 1 paragraph A3(1)(b) of the climate change levy legislation and (b) utility, contained in the legislation to ensure that suppliers liable to climate change levy are easily identifiable.

(116591)

40
N   Paul Flynn (Newport West):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the total number of deaths caused by (a) paracetamol/co-proxamol, (b) dothiepin, (c) aspirin, (d) ibuprofen and (e) benylin in each of the last five years.

(115945)

41
N   Ms Ruth Kelly (Bolton West):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what would be the additional cost to the Exchequer of replacing the childcare tax credit with a non-means-tested parenting allowance of £70 a week for one child, £105 a week for two or more children, available to all families with a child under the age of three years, regardless of the parents' employment status or the form of childcare used and assuming that the childcare tax credit still applied to families with children where the youngest child was over the age of three years and the parenting allowance did not apply to Statutory Maternity Pay recipients.

(116642)

42
N   Mr John Swinney (North Tayside):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the number of households which will lose entitlement to married couple's allowance in 2001-02 who will not become entitled to the children's tax credit; and what (a) the average loss per household will be in such cases and (b) the total saving will be for the Treasury from this group.

(116577)

43
N   Mr John Swinney (North Tayside):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make a statement on his reasons for exempting Northern Ireland from the climate change levy.

(116578)

44
N   Mr John Swinney (North Tayside):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, to what extent the climate change levy will be charged on supplies of energy (a) from Northern Ireland to other parts of the United Kingdom and (b) from other parts of the United Kingdom to Northern Ireland.

(116579)

45
N   Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the impact of his budget proposals on the value of sterling.

(116522)

46
N   Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the value of sterling for (a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) 2002 using Treasury models.

(116523)

47
N   Mr David Chaytor (Bury North):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what were the running costs in the last year for which figures are available of (a) the North Atlantic Assembly, (b) the WEU Parliamentary Assembly and (c) the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly; and what was the United Kingdom's contribution in each case.

(116650)

48
N   Mr David Chaytor (Bury North):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what was the cost of the UK delegations to (a) the North Atlantic Assembly, (b) the WEU Parliamentary Assembly and (c) the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, in the last year for which figures are available.

(116651)

49
   Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green and Bow):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received concerning the impact of the Public Safety Act (Special Powers) introduced by the Government of Bangladesh on 30th January.

(116671)

50
N   Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received from (a) the US authorities, (b) the EU authorities and (c) NATO member states, concerning the internal US Defense Department report into the leaking of NATO military information during the Kosovo conflict.

(116349)

51
N   Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the United States Defense Department report into alleged espionage at NATO during the Kosovo conflict; and if he will make a statement on it.

(116351)

52
N   Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has received from U.S. authorities concerning information and intelligence-sharing between the United States and Britain.

(116353)

53
N   Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when his Department was first informed of the U.S. report into alleged espionage at NATO during the Kosovo conflict.

(116350)

54
N   Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to NATO countries about the US internal report on alleged espionage at NATO during the Kosovo conflict.

(116352)

55
N   Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, under what code of conduct personal envoys operate.

(116354)

56
N   Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the British Ambassador in Washington concerning invitations to Scottish politicians to attend the Tartan Day Reception in the UK Ambassador's residence in Washington.

(116574)

57
N   Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if invitations have been sent to representatives of the Scottish National Party to attend the Tartan Day Reception at the British Ambassador's residence in Washington; who was responsible for drawing up the guest list; and what role the British ambassador had in monitoring and approving the guest list.

(116576)

58
N   Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the honourable Members and Members of the Scottish Parliament who have been invited to attend the Tartan Day Reception at the British Ambassador's residence in Washington; on what date each invitation was sent out; and if he will make a statement.

(116584)

59
N   Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will order a report from the British Ambassador in Washington on the preparations for Tartan Day in the USA and his discussions with the organising committee regarding the inclusion of Scottish National Party representatives in the organised events; and if he will place a copy of the report in the Library.

(116583)

60
N   Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) rules relating to political impartiality and (b) disciplinary procedures apply to ambassadors.

(116575)

61
N   Mr David Amess (Southend West):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the chairmen of primary care trusts and primary care groups, indicating the political background and affiliation of each where it is known.

(116648)

62
N   Mr Tam Dalyell (Linlithgow):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding he has allocated to allow officials of his Department to study the co-ordination of transplant availability and organ procurement in Spain; and what were the results of the study, with special reference to early awareness by authorities of potential kidney donors.

(115214)

63
N   Paul Flynn (Newport West):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost of medicinal drugs as a percentage of NHS funding for the next five years; and what the figure was for the last five years.

(115943)

64
N   Paul Flynn (Newport West):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what is his assessment of the total number of deaths which have resulted from (a) MRSA and (b) other hospital-acquired infection in each of the past 10 years.

(115946)

65
N   Sir Brian Mawhinney (North West Cambridgeshire):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the Right honourable Member for North West Cambridgeshire will receive a substantive reply to his letter of 9th February on behalf of 40 of his constituents.

(116532)

66
N   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement about the adequacy of cancer surgery provision within the NHS.

(115167)

67
N   Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to eliminate (a) current financial deficits of NHS trusts and (b) the accumulated NHS deficit; and if he will make a statement.

(116537)

68
N   Paul Flynn (Newport West):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list those prisons which he has assessed as being free from the use of illegal drugs.

(115944)

69
N   Paul Flynn (Newport West):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prisoners have been identified as heroin users as a result of random drug testing in each of the last five years.

(115947)

70
N   Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which retailers have agreed to take part in the asylum seeker support voucher scheme administered by Sodexho Pass.

(116590)

71
N   Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what adjustments he plans to make to his forecast of income and expenditure of the Commission for Racial Equality, published on page 113 of the Executive NDPBs 1999 Report (Cm. 4657) to take account of the losses incurred following the collapse of the Global Cultural Diversity Congress.

(116526)

72
N   Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, to visitors from which countries he intends to apply his proposed pilot scheme for bonds.

(116524)

73
N   Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the total cost to public funds of the Global Cultural Diversity Congress.

(116585)

74
N   Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to review the arrangements for the financial accountability of non-departmental public bodies linked to his Department.

(116529)

75
N   Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many sex offender orders under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 have been made.

(116525)

76
N   Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current average processing time is for immigration applications requesting leave to remain indefinitely.

(116580)

77
N   Miss Ann Widdecombe (Maidstone and The Weald):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the police officers available for ordinary duty on 30th September 1999, broken down by rank, for each police force in England and Wales.

(116530)

78
N   Miss Ann Widdecombe (Maidstone and The Weald):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he intends to implement the rolling electoral register under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act 2000; if he will publish regulations relating to the rolling register in draft form; and if he will make a statement.

(116657)

79
N   Miss Ann Widdecombe (Maidstone and The Weald):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many offenders released on the Home Detention Curfew Scheme have subsequently been (a) charged with and (b) convicted of further offences after completing the scheme; how many such offenders were charged with or convicted of an offence similar in character to the one for which they were originally convicted prior to their release through the scheme; and if he will make a statement.

(116533)

80
N   Miss Ann Widdecombe (Maidstone and The Weald):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many offenders released under the home detention curfew scheme to date were convicted of each category of drug offence.

(116661)

81
N   Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, how many house repossessions there were in (a) England, (b) Hampshire and (c) each local authority area in Hampshire, for each year from 1979 to date.

(116641)

82
N   Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, how many men there are in the West Chelmsford parliamentary constituency aged between 60 and 64 years; and when they will receive the £100 winter fuel payments for last winter.

(116299)

83
   Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, how many men have been widowed and left with children under 16 years of age in each year since 1995.

(116670)

84
   Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, how many people over 65 years of age are receiving the minimum income guarantee in (a) the Crosby parliamentary constituency and (b) each constituency in the City of Liverpool.

(116673)

85
N   Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, if he will make payment of social security to political asylum seekers with children of school age conditional upon their children attending the appropriate school.

(116534)

86
N   Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus):    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, how many visiting officers there are in each Benefits Agency in Scotland.

(116558)

87
N   Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus):    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, what assessment he has made of the impact of compensation payments by those on benefits under the Abolition of Feudal Tenure (Scotland) Bill; if he will take steps to take into account such payments in the calculation of benefit entitlement; and if he will make a statement.

(116520)

88
N   Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus):    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, what was the cost of travel and subsistence for officers based in Edinburgh visiting clients throughout the rest of Scotland for each of the last three years; how many visits were involved and to what destinations.

(116521)

89
N   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will invite the Office of Fair Trading to investigate Microsoft's proposed purchase of a stake in Telewest Communications.

(116658)

90
N   Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy regarding the legality of parallel trading of goods from outside the European economic area markets; and what estimate he has made of the impact on United Kingdom manufacturing if such trading is rendered lawful.

(116589)

91
   Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, which physical scientists were consulted and on what dates as part of the decision making process for the relocation of the synchrotron.

(116672)

92
N   Mr John Redwood (Wokingham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what geographical units have been used for selecting the areas on the new regional aid map.

(116596)

93
N   Mr John Redwood (Wokingham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how large a reduction in the number of people covered by the regional aid map the United Kingdom is required to make.

(116595)

94
N   Mr John Redwood (Wokingham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he has had a reply from the European Commission about the regional aid map he has sent it.

(116593)

95
N   Mr John Redwood (Wokingham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what is the minimum size of area required for inclusion in a regional aid map.

(116594)

96
N   Mr Dominic Grieve (Beaconsfield)    To ask the Advocate General for Scotland, what criteria she applies in deciding whether to intervene in court cases that raise a devolution issue.

(116531)

97
N   Mrs Anne Campbell (Cambridge):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to promote the health of older women.

[Question Unstarred] (115170)