---

Advertising

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the expenditure was per campaign for the five most expensive media advertising campaigns his Department undertook in the past five parliamentary Sessions including the current parliamentary Session in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland; and for the last two parliamentary Sessions and the current Session, when each advertising campaign (i) began and (ii) ended in (A) Scotland, (B) England, (C) Wales and (D) Northern Ireland; [37396]

(2) what the cost was of media advertising in each of the past five parliamentary Sessions including the current Session, for his Department in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland; and for the last two parliamentary Sessions and the current parliamentary Session, what the media advertising expenditure was per month in (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland. [37408]

Angela Eagle: For details of the Home Department's five largest campaigns I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner) on 28 January 2002, Official Report, column 87W.

During the financial year 1999–2000 the timing of major campaigns was as follows:

Electoral Registration: August 1999


European Elections: May 1999


Fire Safety: Chip Pan Safety—September 1999; Pilot for Fire Escape Routes—March 2000


Police Recruitment: Special Constables—February 2000; Fast Stream—on-going.

During the financial year 2000–01 the timing of major campaigns was as follows:

Police Recruitment: August 2000—on-going


Fire Safety Escape Routes: September 2000


Vehicle Crime: September 2000—on-going


Electoral Registration: February 2001


Postal Voting: March 2001.

These campaigns cover England and Wales. The single exception to this was the campaign that ran to inform people about new voting procedures at the time of the European parliamentary elections in 1999, which also covered Scotland and Northern Ireland. All the Department's major campaigns deploy advertising on satellite TV and, for this medium, coverage is not restricted to England and Wales. Separate records of campaign expenditure in each country within the United Kingdom are not kept.

Work Permits

Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's policy is on issuing work permits to Lithuanian citizens; and if he will make a statement. [27830]

12 Mar 2002 : Column 975W

Angela Eagle: There is not a differential between nationalities when considering a work permit application. The decision is determined by whether the application meets the criteria of the work permit arrangements.

Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits were issued by the Government in each of the last three years to Lithuanian citizens; and if he will make a statement. [27831]

Angela Eagle: The number of work permits issued to Lithuanian citizens in each of the last three years is 101 for 1999, 124 for 2000 and 411 for 2001, the total being 636.

Global Crossing

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the dates of meetings that (a) special advisers and (b) Ministers in his Department have had since 1 January 1999 with representatives of Global Crossing; and if he will make a statement. [34057]

Mr. Blunkett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by myself on 8 February 2002, Official Report, column 1248W.

Reception Centres

Mr. Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the capacity of reception centre accommodation; and what financial provision he has made for this purpose. [22138]

Angela Eagle [holding answer 10 December 2001]: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced in his statement to the House on 29 October 2001 plans for establishing induction centres, accommodation centres and removal centres. The estimated capital cost of providing the necessary facilities is £250 million over the next two years. Decisions about the long-term mix of facilities will be taken in the light of the emerging evidence about what works.

Money Laundering

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reports the National Criminal Intelligence Service received in respect of UK financial institutions being involved in money laundering activities relating to money transferred out of Serbia and the former Yugoslavia; and if he will make a statement. [39005]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The National Criminal Intelligence Service has received reports in which Serbia and the former Yugoslavia are referred to in financial disclosures made by United Kingdom financial institutions. However the contents of such reports are confidential.

Manslaughter

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the interdepartmental working group on the reform of manslaughter has met; how many further meetings of the group are expected; when he expects the group to finalise its report and proposals; when he expects to publish the digest of responses to the consultation paper; who is represented on the interdepartmental group; and if he will make a statement on progress. [37956]

12 Mar 2002 : Column 976W

Beverley Hughes [holding answer 27 February 2002]: The interdepartmental working group was attended by representatives from: the Home Office, the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Attorney-General's Office, the Law Commission, the Cabinet Office, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Health and Safety Executive, the Department of Health, the National Health Service Executive Headquarters, the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Food Standards Agency. Since the end of the consultation period, September 2000, the group as a whole has met three times. There were also several formal and informal meetings to take forward specific issues attended by the relevant representatives. There will be no further meeting of the entire group and I hope to receive their report in the near future.

We will be publishing a digest of the responses to the consultation paper shortly.

Genetically Modified Animals

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what safeguards the Government have in place to ensure the well-being of genetically modified animals being produced and maintained for experiments; and if he will make a statement; [41983]

(2) what procedures are in place to regulate the transgenesis process used to create genetically modified animals; and if he will make a statement; [41982]

(3) what (a) percentage and (b) proportion of genetically modified animals, which were killed during experiments, were classed as failures in those experiments in each year since 1987; [41981]

(4) if he will amend the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to provide greater protection for genetically modified animals. [41980]

Angela Eagle [holding answer 11 March 2002]: The production, maintenance and use of genetically modified animals for experimental and other scientific purposes, once they are beyond a specified stage in their foetal, larval or embryonic forms, are controlled under the terms of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

For a decision to be made on whether and on what terms a licence might be granted to produce, breed or use genetically modified animals, the 1986 Act requires the same considerations to be taken into account as for genetically normal animals. These are that the likely benefits of the programme are weighed against the likely adverse effects on the animals concerned (the cost/benefit assessment), and that there are no alternatives which either replace animal use entirely, reduce the number of animals needed or refine the procedures to minimise pain and suffering (3Rs). Licence applicants must also demonstrate that the procedures are for a permitted purpose and are likely to achieve the stated objectives.

It is not always possible to predict the likely welfare effects of novel genetic modifications. However, project licence authorities are framed to permit only apparently healthy genetically modified animals to be produced or maintained unless, and exceptionally, a specific scientific justification is made and accepted for the production of genetically modified animals whose welfare is expected to be compromised.

12 Mar 2002 : Column 977W

Detailed codes of practice, produced under authority of the 1986 Act and laid before Parliament, set the minimum standards of housing and care for all animals produced and used in regulated procedures. Compliance with these standards is a condition of project licences, and is monitored by the Animal (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate.

The Government are satisfied that the 1986 Act, and related guidance and codes of practice, adequately caters for the welfare of transgenic/genetically modified animals used in scientific procedures, and that there is no need in that respect to amend it to provide for separate or additional controls.

Since 1988 annual statistics published by the Home Office have contained information on the overall use of genetically modified animals in scientific procedures. The detail provided has increased over the years, and the latest publication entitled "Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2000" (Cm 5344) contains a great deal of related data (copies are available in the Library). The annual statistics do not record technical failures, and there is no other centrally held data on that. Information on the success rate of the techniques used is, however, widely published in scientific literature.

---