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Krebs Report

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his oral statement of 1 February 2001, Official Report, column 519, if all 10 triplets are running as specified in the Krebs report. [150330]

Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 13 February 2001]: As I informed the House on 1 February 2001, Official Report, column 519, all 10 triplets are in place. Initial proactive culling has been carried out in seven of them. Surveying is in progress in the other three, which are due to be proactively culled later this year. This is in line with the timetable set by the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB, which is overseeing the trial.

Over-30-months Scheme

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the level of payments made through the OTMS in each year of the scheme's existence. [150244]

14 Feb 2001 : Column: 143W

Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 13 February 2001]: The table shows actual OTMS expenditure for financial years 1996-97 to 1999-2000 and the forecast expenditure for 2000-01.

£ million

	Purchase costs	Disposal costs	Total
1996-97(2)	670	188	858
1997-98(2)	288	144	432
1998-99(2)	264	116	380
1999-2000(2)	265	129	394
2000-01(3)	265	136	401

⁽²⁾ Outturn

⁽³⁾ Forecast

Pesticides

Mr. Livsey: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list (a) the national rules concerning data requirements in respect of applications for the approval of pesticides that were in place in 1990 and (b) amendments to the rules made since then, including the dates of such amendments; and if he will place copies of the rules and amendments in the Library. [149356]

Ms Quin: In 1990, the UK national rules on data requirements concerning applications for the approval of pesticides were set out in the "Data Requirements for Approval under the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986" issued in October 1986. Amendments to the rules made since then include: in June 1992 a major addition in the form of Part One of "The COPR Handbook"; in December 1996, this was incorporated into "The Registration Handbook"; and in April 1999 the issue of a Volume II (last updated in December 1999) to the Registration Handbook.

In June and December 2000, revised electronic versions of Part One, Part Two and Part Three of "The Registration Handbook" were placed on PSD's website www.pesticides.gov.uk as "The Application Handbook" and "The Data Requirements Handbook". Part Four of "The Registration Handbook" is under revision, but is currently available only as hard copy.

Copies of these documents (including printouts of those available electronically) have been placed in the House Libraries. "The Registration Handbook", "The Application Handbook" and "The Data Requirements Handbook" are in their most up to date form, incorporating all the amendments made to them. Copies of all of the original pages superseded by these amendments could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

I will write to the hon. Member with further details and place copies of my letter in the Libraries of the House.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Flags

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if it is the (a) policy and (b) practice of Her Majesty's Government to fly the flag of the country

14 Feb 2001 : Column: 144W

of a visiting Head of State (i) over and (ii) on a flag pole within, the precincts of a building which is being visited by a Head of State (1) officially, (2) privately and (3) who is temporarily resident in Northern Ireland. [150307]

Dr. Reid: The Government's policy and practice is to comply with the Flags Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 which state that where a Government building is visited by a foreign Head of State during an official visit, the flag of that Head of State's country may be flown in addition to the Union flag, where a second flag pole makes this possible.

Special Advisers

Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the special advisers working for him will relinquish their posts when the next general election is called. [149312]

Dr. Reid: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 13 February 2001, Official Report, column 130W.

Advertising Campaigns

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list for (a) 1996-97, (b) 1997-98, (c) 1998-99, (d) 1999-2000 and (e) 2000-01, (i) his Department's total spending on advertising campaigns, (ii) the cost of each individual advertising campaign and (iii) the criteria that were established to gauge the effectiveness of each campaign; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of each campaign based on these criteria. [142712]

Dr. Reid: The information requested is outlined as follows:

Year	£
1996-97	135,938.07
1997-98	477,726.16
1998-99	887,303.00
1999-2000	330,630.95
2000-01	44,804.71

Although these figures incorporate the total publicity/ advertising budget, there was an on-going campaign during the period in question, the mood/referendum campaign, which culminated with the May 1998 Good Friday Agreement referendum.

The criterion used to evaluate the effectiveness of the campaign was the response in voter turnout when compared to other recent votes.

For example, the average turnout in Northern Ireland constituencies at the May 1997 general election was 67.42 per cent. while the turnout for the referendum was 81 per cent., a 20 per cent. increase. An on-going assessment of the campaign, which was carried out by the advertising company, showed the general public to be very aware of the choices they faced, proving the effectiveness of the campaign itself.

14 Feb 2001 : Column: 145W

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Hinduja Brothers

Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the occasions on which (a) Ministers and (b) officials received (i) formal and (ii) informal representations concerning Iran from (A) the Hinduja brothers and (B) their representatives and representatives of their companies since 2 May 1997. [148385]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 5 February 2001]: It is not the normal practice of the Government to release details of meetings or discussions by officials with private individuals or companies. The Foreign Secretary, accompanied by an official, discussed India and Iran with GP Hinduja before and after the Foreign Secretary's visit to India in April 2000. The discussion focused on commercial opportunities for UK business in both countries. There was no mention of the question of nationality.

Departmental Expenditure Limit

Ms Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has to amend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office departmental expenditure limit/running cost limit for 2000-01. [150691]

Mr. Wilson: The information is as follows:

Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate for Class VII Vote I, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office departmental expenditure limit for 2000-01 will be increased by £42,289,000 from £1,210,333,000 to £1,252,622,000 and the running cost limit has been increased by £1,797,000 from £531,982,000 to £533,779,000. This is the net effect of:


(i) a transfer of £16,000 to the Ministry of Defence (Class VI, Vote 2), in respect of our final contribution to the grant-in-aid to the Atlantic Council of the UK;

(ii) an increase of £5,441,000 in respect of an adjustment for Overseas price movements;

(iii) a transfer of £1,920,000 to the Cabinet Office (Class XVII, Vote 2) for drugs assistance programmes;

(iv) a transfer of £880,000 to the Cabinet Office (Class XVII, Vote 2) for revisions to charging regime;

(v) an increase in both running costs and appropriations in aid of £1,248,000 in respect of increased receipts from OGD's;

(iv) a transfer of £32,000 from BBC monitoring service to the Cabinet Office (Class XVII, Vote 2);

(vii) an increase in both running costs and appropriations in aid of £5,300,000 to reflect an increase in our VAT recovery forecast;

(viii) a decrease of £5,500,000 in both capital expenditure and A-in-A for FCO Estates Rationalisation;

(ix) a PES transfer of £1,500,000 to the MOD representing the FCO's contribution to the enhanced package for the Sierra Leone Army;

(x) a PES transfer of £168,000 from the War Pensions Agency to cover the costs of medical examinations for overseas pensioners;

(xi) additional provision of £39,808,000 on Section B for UK contributions to United Nations Missions in the former Yugoslavia (includes UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo) and the former Soviet Union, United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (Iraq), United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observer Mission, United Nations Mission for the Referendum on Western Sahara, United Nations Transitional Authority in East Timor, United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, United Nations Observer Mission in

14 Feb 2001 : Column: 146W

the Democratic Republic of Congo, United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, the United Nations International Criminal Tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the European Community Monitoring Mission and Western European Union Police Mission in Albania. This is partially offset by an increase of £344,000 in appropriations-in-aid in respect of non-baseline peacekeeping and by £10,761,000 from Section E, General VAT Refunds;

(xii) The supplementary estimate is also required to note an increase in Section C, to reflect PES transfers of £46,000 to the Cabinet Office (Class XVII, Vote 2) and £52,000 to the Cabinet Office (Class XVII, Vote 1);

(xiii) The supplementary estimate is also required to note an increase of £1,998,000 of Section D, in respect of an adjustment for Overseas Price Movement for the British Council.

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