Order Book Part 1

House of Commons

Session 1999-2000
Publications on the internet
The Order Book

Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on Tuesday 4 April 2000

Here you can browse the Written Questions for answer on Tuesday 4 April, 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 4th APRIL

1
N   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what plans he has to introduce a comprehensive record system for dog exports; and if he will make a statement.

(117018)

2
N   Mr Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):    To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for regulatory reform; and if he will make a statement.

(117418)

3
   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to her Answer of 28th March, Official Report, column 76W, if she will list the meetings between Lord Levy and (a) ministers and (b) officials within her Department on government business other than in his capacity as the Prime Minister's personal envoy delivering messages in the Middle East.

(117783)

4
N   Mr Robert Maclennan (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross):    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if she will list the expenditure incurred by her Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies on (a) the setting up and (b) the operation of web sites, indicating the cases in which the expenditure has been above that budgeted; and if she will list for each web site (i) the topics that have been covered, (ii) the current average number of hits per month and (iii) the estimated expenditure on each web site for each of the next three years.

(116203)

5
N   Mr Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for regulatory reform; and if he will make a statement.

(117420)

6
N   Mr David Faber (Westbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his oral Answer of 27th March, Official Report, column 10, on a new national athletics stadium, for what reasons he informed Radio 5 Live on 2nd March that he took the decision to earmark at least £60 million specifically for athletics and the future of athletics.

(117711)

7
N   Mr Andrew George (St Ives):    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to provide support for regional cultural distinctions.

(116162)

8
N   Mr Robert Maclennan (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross):    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will list the expenditure incurred by his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies on (a) the setting up and (b) the operation of web sites, indicating the cases in which the expenditure has been above that budgeted; and if he will list for each web site (i) the topics that have been covered, (ii) the current average number of hits per month and (iii) the estimated expenditure on each web site for each of the next three years.

(116202)

9
   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what security clearance has been awarded to Lord Levy in respect of his meetings with the Chief of Defence staff.

(117775)

10
N   Mr Ian Bruce (South Dorset):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what effect the announcement by 3COM that they are to quit the high-end networking market will have on his Department's existing and planned computer systems.

[R] (117623)

11
N   Mr Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for regulatory reform; and if he will make a statement.

(117413)

12
N   Mr Jonathan R. Shaw (Chatham and Aylesford):    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he will provide the information promised in his Answer to the honourable Member for Chatham and Aylesford of 27th July, Official Report, column 205W, concerning the number of former Chatham Dockyard workers who have received compensation under the no-fault scheme.

(117664)

13
N   Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, if he will make a statement about the current responsibilities of his Department towards supporting the language and educational development of children under two years of age with a recognised hearing loss.

(117364)

14
N   Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, how many teachers undertook a mandatory course to train as a teacher of the deaf on a self-funding basis in each of the past five years.

(117366)

15
N   Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what studies he has made of the relative attractiveness and cost of study at United Kingdom higher education institutions compared with those in (a) developed anglophone countries and (b) other members of the European Union, for overseas students (i) in receipt of and (ii) without bursaries from public funds.

(117363)

16
N   Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, how many teachers enrolled on mandatory courses leading to a qualification as a teacher of the deaf in each of the last five years.

(117365)

17
N   Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what response he has made to the Audit Commission's report, Fully Equipped, on the provision of disability equipment and services.

(117367)

18
N   Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham and Sale West):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his Answer of 27th March, Official Report, column 42W, if it is the Government's policy to (a) support or (b) oppose the exemptions from EU employment law which are being sought by UEFA in its negotiations with the European Commission.

(117625)

19
N   Mr Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for regulatory reform; and if he will make a statement.

(117421)

20
   Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, if he will ensure that the Connexions Service will be available to all 13 to 19 year olds and that the level of support available to young people will not be less than that provided by the Careers Service at present.

(117780)

21
   Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, to what extent he intends that the role of career guidance professionals will be maintained and enhanced as a result of the Learning and Skills Bill [Lords].

(117781)

22
   Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, how he will ensure that the knowledge and experience developed by career guidance practitioners will be used by the Connexions Service.

(117779)

23
   Mr Archie Norman (Tunbridge Wells):    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what estimate his Department has made of the increased demand for school places in the South East that will come about as a result of the building of an additional 215,000 dwellings in the South East by 2005.

(117792)

24
N   Mr Hilary Benn (Leeds Central):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will make a statement on anti-social behaviour in properties owned by private landlords.

(116140)

25
N   Mr Crispin Blunt (Reigate):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what is his estimate of the number of new houses that can be accommodated on brownfield sites in Surrey.

(116154)

26
N   Mr David Chaytor (Bury North):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what plans he has to ensure that the Government fulfils its commitments under the Ospar agreement in respect of radioactive discharges; and if he will make a statement.

(117154)

27
N   Mr Tony Colman (Putney):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what actions the Government is planning to take to protect the pension rights of employees who are transferred out of local government as a result of the termination of an agency agreement, with particular reference to employees currently being transferred to Severn Trent plc; if the Government will ensure that employees are offered a bulk transfer of past service rights from the Local Government Pension Scheme to the new employer's pension scheme; and if it will amend the LGPS Regulations urgently to permit an agreement enabling staff to remain in the LGPS.

(117601)

28
N   Mr Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for regulatory reform; and if he will make a statement.

(117412)

29
   Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody (Crewe and Nantwich):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what progress his Department has made with the publication of the European Directive on Pedestrian Protection; and what assessment he has made of the effect of its provisions on reducing road casualties.

(117777)

30
N   Mr Robert Maclennan (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will list the expenditure incurred by his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies on (a) the setting up and (b) the operation of web sites, indicating the cases in which the expenditure has been above that budgeted; and if he will list for each web site (i) the topics that have been covered, (ii) the current average number of hits per month and (iii) the estimated expenditure on each web site for each of the next three years.

(116200)

31
   Mr Archie Norman (Tunbridge Wells):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, how many houses his Department expects to be built in the South East and East Anglia regions in (a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) 2002.

(117786)

32
   Mr Archie Norman (Tunbridge Wells):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his oral statement of 7th March, Official Report, column 865, on planning, what number and density of dwellings was used in the calculations underlying his conclusion that his new housing targets would use no more land than the SERPLAN proposals.

(117796)

33
   Mr Archie Norman (Tunbridge Wells):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what discussions he had with South East county council leaders before deciding that housing targets for the South East would be set on a five yearly basis.

(117793)

34
   Mr Archie Norman (Tunbridge Wells):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what forecast his Department has made of the effect on car traffic in the South East in terms of mileage of journeys undertaken of the building of 215,000 additional dwellings by 2005.

(117790)

35
   Mr Archie Norman (Tunbridge Wells):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what forecast his Department has made of the effect on total water consumption in the South East of the building of an additional 215,000 dwellings in the South East by 2005.

(117791)

36
   Mr Archie Norman (Tunbridge Wells):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what his Department estimates to be the available brownfield land for development in the South East; and what proportion of this he expects to be available for housing development.

(117785)

37
N   Mr Colin Pickthall (West Lancashire):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what guidance his Department gives to local authority environmental health officers about dealing with householders whose homes have high levels of radon.

(117155)

38
N   Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what plans he has (a) to hold a public meeting in Gloucestershire and (b) to inform the local parish council, about the GM crop trials being conducted in Laverton, Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement about these trials.

(117663)

39
N   Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham and Sale West):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimates his Department has made of net migration of inhabitants from city centres in each of the last five years.

(116146)

40
N   Mr Ian Bruce (South Dorset):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what effect 3COM's announcement that they are to quit the high-end networking market will have on his Department and the Inland Revenue's existing and planned computer systems.

[R] (117621)

41
N   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton and Cheam):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many pensioners pay tax and at what rates; and how many (a) paid no tax before the Budget and (b) are paying no tax after the Budget.

(117517)

42
   Mr Martin Caton (Gower):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Inland Revenue National Contributions Office began charging a fee for the provision of their own employment details to members of the public.

(117776)

43
N   Mr Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for regulatory reform; and if he will make a statement.

(117422)

44
N   Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much of the revenue from rises in the rate of landfill tax announced since May 1997 will go to (i) the Exchequer and (ii) local environmental causes.

(117762)

45
N   Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to hypothecate the revenue from landfill tax to environmental protection measures.

(117712)

46
N   Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of medical insurance policies held by the over 60s which have not been renewed since the abolition of tax relief.

(117715)

47
N   Mr Matthew Taylor (Truro and St Austell):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the (a) total liabilities outstanding under PFI contracts and (b) net public debt over the period 2000-01 to 2004-05 if PFI liabilities were accounted for as debt; and if he will make a statement.

(117368)

48
N   Mr Matthew Taylor (Truro and St Austell):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in employment face a marginal income tax rate of 10 per cent; how many of those are (a) in part-time employment and (b) women; and if he will make a statement.

(117411)

49
N   Mr Matthew Taylor (Truro and St Austell):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if the estimates of government receipts in his Budget statement include revenue raised from the sale of mobile phone licences; and if he will make a statement.

(117369)

50
N   Mr David Willetts (Havant):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list the figures for the (a) total assets, (b) total liabilities, and (c) net worth of the public sector, referred to in paragraph 2.70 of the Red Book, HC 346, for each year from 1990-91 to 2004-05.

(116851)

51
N   Mr David Willetts (Havant):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will set out the figures underlying Chart 3, on long-term youth unemployment, in the Treasury paper, The Goal of Full Employment: Employment Opportunities for all Throughout Britain, published in February.

(116852)

52
N   Mr David Willetts (Havant):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to Table 4.2 of the Red Book, HC346 p. 79, how many families experienced marginal deduction rates of (a) 55 per cent., (b) 50 per cent., (c) 45 per cent. and (d) 40 per cent. or more (i) before the 1998 Budget and (ii) after the 2000 Budget.

(116853)

53
N   Mr Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for regulatory reform; and if he will make a statement.

(117423)

54
N   Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the cost was to diplomatic posts in Brazil of the recent visit by the Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions.

(117768)

55
N   Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what modes of transport were used by the Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions during his recent visit to Brazil.

(117770)

56
N   Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what role was played by diplomatic posts in Brazil in the recent visit by the Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions.

(117769)

57
N   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton and Cheam):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many beds are currently available at the National ME Centre.

(117515)

58
N   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton and Cheam):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people are currently waiting for a bed at the National ME Centre; and for what periods of time they have been waiting.

(117516)

59
N   Mr Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for regulatory reform; and if he will make a statement.

(117415)

60
N   Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what were the estimated (a) deficits and (b) surpluses of Buckinghamshire Health Authority and NHS Trusts in Buckinghamshire at 31st March.

(116557)

61
N   Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham):    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost of converting all hospital wards in West Sussex to single sex wards; what funds he will make available for such purposes; and whether the funds will be in addition to general health authority funding levels already announced.

(117716)

62
N   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what research his Department has conducted into the possible link between animal abuse and child abuse; and if he will make a statement.

(116933)

63
N   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his Answer of 7th March, Official Report, columns 567-8W, on animal experiments, how many of the nine project licences awarded in 1998 to allow procedures to be carried out on dogs were awarded in order to fulfil legislative requirements; and, for each project licence awarded for this reason, what was the legislative requirement in question.

(116935)

64
N   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions in (a) 1998 and (b) 1999 licences were awarded to allow procedures to be carried out on dogs to satisfy non-United Kingdom and non-European Union legislative requirements which required (i) more dogs to be used and (ii) dogs to be used in procedures involving more pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm, than the corresponding UK/EU legislative requirements, identifying in each case the (1) non-EU and (2) UK or EU legislative requirements.

(116934)

65
N   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if wild-caught monkeys destined for use in experiments are tested for (a) Ebola, (b) SIV and (c) Hepatitis; and if he will make a statement.

(117019)

66
N   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times Huntingdon Life Sciences has been inspected by his Department's inspectors in the last three years, broken down between (a) announced and (b) unannounced visits; and if he will make a statement.

(117020)

67
N   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many wild-caught baboons Huntingdon Life Sciences have used to date; and if he will make a statement.

(117021)

68
N   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the establishments within the United Kingdom licensed to use wild-caught baboons since May 1st 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(117022)

69
N   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many animals and of what species are held at the Huntingdon Life Sciences sites at (a) Huntingdon and (b) Occold; and if he will make a statement.

(117023)

70
N   Mr Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for regulatory reform; and if he will make a statement.

(117424)

71
N   Mr Roger Gale (North Thanet):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list, for each month since January 1998, (a) the number of processed asylum applicants removed from the United Kingdom and (b) the number of processed asylum applicants whose claims have been rejected and who have not been traced.

(117253)

72
   Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green and Bow):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Somali nationals previously granted exceptional leave to remain and who have submitted upgrade applications for full refugee status have received a decision on their case in each month since the House of Lords judgement on the Adan case.

(117794)

73
   Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green and Bow):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications received from Somali nationals in each of the years 1998 and 1999 were upgrade applications from an applicant previously granted exceptional leave to remain.

(117795)

74
N   Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers had registered with each local authority in England and Wales at the most recent date for which figures are available.

(117659)

75
N   Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to make regulations to specify that no further asylum seekers may be placed in particular local authority areas; which local authority areas he intends to specify; and if he will make a statement

(117656)

76
N   Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what target he has set for his Department to reply to letters from honourable Members about immigration, nationality and asylum cases; in how many cases his Department has met that target in the last year; and if he will make a statement.

(117652)

77
N   Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much accommodation each regional consortium has secured on behalf of the National Asylum Seekers Support Agency.

(117654)

78
N   Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to set maximum limits to the number of asylum seekers which any individual local authority should be expected to support.

(117657)

79
N   Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of travel documents lost by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in the last three years.

(117653)

80
N   Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if it is his policy to deport from the United Kingdom asylum seekers who are convicted of aggressive begging; and if he will make a statement.

(117655)

81
N   Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the earliest date of a letter from an honourable Member which has yet to be dealt with by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's ministerial case-handling team.

(117651)

82
N   Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what investigation he has carried out into allegations of abuse at Portland Young Offenders Institute; and if he will make a statement.

(117661)

83
N   Mr Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which Minister in her Department has responsibility for regulatory reform; and if she will make a statement.

(117426)

84
N   Mr Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for regulatory reform; and if he will make a statement.

(117425)

85
N   Mr Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for regulatory reform; and if he will make a statement.

(117419)

86
N   Mr Robert Maclennan (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross):    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will list the expenditure incurred by his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies on (a) the setting up and (b) the operation of web sites, indicating the cases in which the expenditure has been above that budgeted; and if he will list for each web site (i) the topics that have been covered, (ii) the current average number of hits per month and (iii) the estimated expenditure on each web site for each of the next three years.

(116201)

87
N   Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many paramilitary offences have been committed since the signing of the Belfast Agreement by (a) republican and (b) loyalist organisations, broken down by specific offence; and if he will make a statement.

(117662)

88
   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Prime Minister, on what date Lord Levy signed the Official Secrets Act.

(117774)

89
   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Prime Minister, if he will list those persons who have undertaken foreign visits on his behalf since May 1997, giving in each case details of the countries visited and the purpose of each visit.

(117773)

90
   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his Answer of 22nd February, Official Report, column 852W, what further visits since 22nd February have been undertaken by Lord Levy on his behalf.

(117784)

91
   Mr Archie Norman (Tunbridge Wells):    To ask the Prime Minister, when he will reply to the letter of 13th March from the honourable Member for Tunbridge Wells regarding the Deputy Prime Minister.

(117789)

92
N   Mr Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for regulatory reform; and if he will make a statement.

(117417)

93
N   Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many asylum seekers have registered with each local authority in Scotland at the most recent date for which figures are available.

(117658)

94
N   Mr Ian Bruce (South Dorset):    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, what effect 3COM's announcement that they are to quit the high-end networking market will have on his Department's existing and planned computer systems.

[R] (117622)

95
N   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton and Cheam):    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, how the £145 million for uprating lower and upper capital limits for income support is calculated; and if it includes any revision of the tariff income.

(117518)

96
N   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton and Cheam):    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, what estimate he has made of the number of beneficiaries of the uprating of the lower and upper capital limits for income support; and on what assumptions.

(117519)

97
N   Mr Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for regulatory reform; and if he will make a statement.

(117414)

98
N   Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead):    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, what plans he has to vary the rate of support for mortgage payments for income support claimants.

(117602)

99
N   Steve Webb (Northavon):    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, if honourable Members will receive details of his take-up campaign for the minimum income guarantee in addition to that contained in press releases.

(117603)

100
N   Mr David Willetts (Havant):    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, what recent discussions he has had with the banking industry concerning the automated credit transfer of benefits.

(116854)

101
N   Mr David Willetts (Havant):    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, what the telephone numbers are for each of the helplines run by his Department; how many people work on each helpline; and how much each helpline has cost to run on a monthly basis.

(117714)

102
   Norman Baker (Lewes):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his Answer of 20th March, Official Report, column 413W, if he will list the meetings between Lord Levy and (a) ministers and (b) officials within his Department on government business other than in his capacity as the Prime Minister's personal envoy delivering messages in the Middle East.

(117782)

103
N   Mr Ian Bruce (South Dorset):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what effect the announcement by 3COM that they are to quit the high-end networking market will have on Government departments' existing and planned computer systems.

[R] (117624)

104
N   Mr Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for regulatory reform; and if he will make a statement.

(117427)

105
N   Ms Linda Perham (Ilford North):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many (a) e-mails, (b) letters and (c) other responses he has received on the issue of car pricing from members of the (i) public, (ii) consumer groups and (iii) industry since September 1999.

(117713)

106
N   Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans he has to issue a statement informing retailers of the legal requirements regarding the sale of goods in imperial and metric measures; and if he will make a statement.

(117660)

107
N   Mr Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for regulatory reform; and if he will make a statement.

(117416)

108
N   Mr Chris Pond (Gravesham):    To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what provision he intends to make to improve protection of householders against incompetent and dishonest builders; and if he will make a statement.

[Question Unstarred] (116166)

109
   Mr Archie Norman (Tunbridge Wells):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimates his Department has made of the level of migration from the London area to the South East region in each of the last 10 years.

[Transferred] (117787)

110
   Mr Archie Norman (Tunbridge Wells):    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what forecast his Department has made of the population growth in the South East Planning Region in the next five years.

[Transferred] (117788)