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Organ Register

Ms Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will break down by region for each of the last 12 months the additions to the organ register. [236]

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Jacqui Smith: The information is shown in the table.

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New applications to the Organ Donor Register where signature date between 1 June 2000-31 May 2001, by NHS region

					Thousand
Month of registration	Northern and Yorkshire	Trent	Eastern	London	South East
2000
June	13.3	11.1	12.4	14.7	20.4
July	18.4	9.9	10.6	12.9	17.3
August	21.1	5.9	7.9	10.3	19.2
September	32.0	21.8	23.2	24.8	50.7
October	17.9	15.5	17.5	19.4	29.4
November	12.1	10.3	11.3	13.5	17.8
December	9.1	8.5	9.0	10.2	13.5
2001
January	13.2	12.1	13.9	15.0	20.7
February	12.4	10.4	13.5	13.0	18.0
March	14.3	12.1	15.6	15.7	22.3
April	10.4	9.0	11.2	11.4	16.5
May	10.0	8.8	10.2	11.3	15.9
Total number	184.2	135.4	156.3	172.2	261.7
Percentage of new applications	11.8	8.6	10.0	11.0	16.7
Percentage of ODR total	10.0	8.8	9.4	10.9	14.8
Percentage population	10.8	8.7	9.0	12.0	14.5

Month of registration	South West	West Midlands	North West	Wales	Scotland	Northern Ireland
2000
June	13.5	9.8	13.1	4.9	12.6	0.2
July	11.5	8.6	11.7	4.3	10.5	0.4
August	16.3	5.3	7.8	2.5	7.2	0.2
September	35.7	16.9	26.7	8.6	18.7	0.2
October	21.0	14.1	17.3	6.7	16.5	1.0
November	12.3	8.7	11.3	4.2	10.6	0.8
December	8.8	6.5	8.3	3.1	8.3	0.5
2001
January	13.3	10.1	13.0	4.8	12.2	0.5
February	12.4	9.0	11.6	4.1	10.6	0.4
March	17.7	13.3	16.5	5.2	12.2	0.9
April	11.1	9.2	11.2	3.5	10.2	0.4
May	10.5	7.7	9.5	3.4	8.1	0.2
Total number	184.1	119.2	158.0	55.3	137.7	5.7
Percentage of new applications	11.7	7.6	10.1	3.5	8.8	0.4
Percentage of ODR total	10.1	7.4	11.0	5.4	9.6	1.7
Percentage population	8.3	9.0	11.2	5.0	8.7	2.8

Notes:

1. NHS region has been defined by postcode and figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.

2. Total number of registrations on Organ Donor Register at 25 June 2001 is 8.8 million.

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Work-related Stress Disorders

Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what further action the Government are intending to take to tackle work-related stress disorders. [415]

Dr. Whitehead: I have been asked to reply.

The Health and Safety Commission has a comprehensive strategy and programme of work to prevent work-related stress and hence the disorders arising from it.

In partnership with other agencies, both within Government and outside, it will develop clear, agreed standards of good management practice for preventing a range of work-related stressors; better equip health and safety inspectors to handle the issue in their routine work; facilitate a more comprehensive approach to managing work-related stress; run a publicity drive to help educate employers about what they can and should be doing to prevent work-related stress; and develop yardsticks against which employers' performance can be measured.

As part of this strategy, new guidance from the Health and Safety Executive called "Tackling Work-related Stress--a Managers' Guide to Improving and Maintaining Employee Health and Well-being", was published on 25 June 2001. A copy of the guidance has been placed in the Library of the House.

TREASURY

Low-sulphur Fuel

Mr. Tynan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the environmental impact of the recent cut in duty on low sulphur petrol and cut in ultra-low sulphur diesel. [606]

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Mr. Boateng: Environmental impacts of the duty cuts for ultra-low sulphur petrol (ULSP) and ultra-low sulphur diesel (ULSD) announced in Budget 2001 are summarised in Table 6.2 of the "Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report 2001". Further information about the promotion of low sulphur fuels through fiscal measures is to be found in the Customs and Excise paper, "Using the tax system to encourage cleaner fuels: the experience of ultra-low sulphur diesel", published in November 2000.

SCOTLAND

Constituency Boundaries

Mr. Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if the Boundary Commission for Scotland has decided when to start a general review of constituencies in Scotland. [1796]

Mrs. Liddell: The Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 requires the Boundary Commission for Scotland to submit its next general report between December 2002 and December 2006 and within these limits the Commission has discretion when to start a general review. The Commission, in the exercise of its discretion, will give notice in the Edinburgh Gazette tomorrow, 29 June 2001, of its intention to commence forthwith a general review of constituencies in Scotland.

Regulation of Care (Scotland Bill)

Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans she has to use her powers of intervention under the Scotland Act 1998 in relation to the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Bill. [1920]

Mrs. Liddell: The Scottish Parliament made a number of amendments to other enactments at Stage 2 of the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Bill, including an amendment to the Finance Act 2000. That amendment relates to a reserved matter, and is outwith the

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Parliament's legislative competence. I will rectify this by means of an Order to be made shortly under Section 107 of the Scotland Act. The use of this approach has the full agreement of the First Minister of Scotland.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Foot and Mouth

15. Sir Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on foot and mouth. [584]

Margaret Beckett: The outbreak continues in a small number of areas in the country and the average number of confirmed outbreaks is now between four to five cases per day. It is vitally important that we continue to bear down on the disease and that all concerned maintain the highest standards of biosecurity on and around farms.

18. Lawrie Quinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement about the impact of recent foot and mouth outbreaks on the rural economy of the North Yorkshire moors with special reference to the measures proposed to regenerate small local businesses in the North Yorkshire national park. [589]

Margaret Beckett: As I saw on my visit to North Yorkshire earlier this week, foot and mouth disease has had a major impact on the wider rural economy, and particularly on important tourist areas such as the North Yorkshire Moors. We are helping small rural businesses in these areas through deferral of tax and VAT, hardship rate relief and through the regional development agency Business Recovery Fund.

26. Mr. McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what is the total sum of money made available in compensation payments, to date, to farmers as a result of the foot and mouth outbreak. [603]

Margaret Beckett: Up to 21 June, a total of £803 million has been paid out to farmers in Great Britain in compensation for slaughter of animals and destruction of other items, as a result of the foot and mouth outbreak.

27. Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it her policy to establish a public inquiry into the Government's handling of foot and mouth disease. [604]

Margaret Beckett: It is right that we consider carefully the issues connected with the foot and mouth outbreak. The question of whether there should be a public inquiry as such, is one for the Prime Minister.

David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many premises classified as infected with foot and mouth disease in each county of (a) England and (b) Scotland have proved not to be infected; and how many cattle and sheep were involved. [785]

Mr. Morley: An infected premises is one where foot and mouth disease has either been diagnosed by a vet on the farm, supported by convincing clinical evidence, or where disease is found after testing. However, a negative

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laboratory result does not necessarily mean that the disease was not present and does not change the status of an infected premises confirmed on clinical diagnosis.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of the foot and mouth crisis on the veterinary sector. [344]

Mr. Morley: No formal assessment has been made, but it is evident that the situation is mixed. Some veterinary surgeons operating in large animal practices will have been unable to carry out much of their normal work because of foot and mouth disease restrictions. However, many of those affected will have carried out work related to the outbreak on behalf of this Department.

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will commission an inquiry into the 2001 foot and mouth outbreak. [574]

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will initiate a public inquiry into the cause and handling of the foot and mouth epidemic. [586]

Mrs. Beckett: It is right that we consider very carefully the issues connected with the foot and mouth outbreak. The question of whether there should be a public inquiry as such, is one for the Prime Minister.

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