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Royal Mint

Ms Stuart: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will require the Royal Mint to publish financial information separately covering its three distinct business streams of (a) UK circulating coins, (b) overseas coin production and (c) non-coin products. [80652]

Ruth Kelly: The provision of the information requested would place the Royal Mint at a competitive disadvantage. Exemption 7 (Effective management and operations of the public service) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information applies.

Ms Stuart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date the Royal Mint informed his Department that it was to end its consortium agreement with the Royal Mint. [80653]

Ruth Kelly: It would be improper at present to comment on this issue, as it relates to the court case brought by the Birmingham Mint against the Treasury. Exemption 4 (Law enforcement and legal proceedings) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information applies.

Ms Stuart: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to meet (a) directors and (b) union representatives from the Birmingham Mint to discuss the policy decision by the Royal Mint to end its consortium with the Birmingham Mint. [80654]

Ruth Kelly: Because of the court case brought against the Treasury by the Birmingham Mint, Ministers should not meet Directors or Union representatives of the Birmingham Mint. Exemption 4 (Law enforcement and legal proceedings) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information applies.

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Ms. Stuart: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what reporting procedures his Department puts in place to ensure that the Royal Mint is not using its monopoly position in UK coin production to cross subsidise its other business units. [80657]

Ruth Kelly: The Treasury has shareholder oversight of the Mint's sales and cost base, and sets demanding conditions for the UK coinage contract.

It would be improper at present to comment further on this issue, given that it may have a bearing on the case brought against the Treasury by the Birmingham Mint, which is currently before the courts. Exemption 4 (Law enforcement and legal proceedings) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information applies.

Ms. Stuart: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what return on capital the Royal Mint made in each year since 1990. [80658]

Ruth Kelly: The return on Capital made by the Royal Mint in each year since 1990 is included in the table below.

Return on average capital employed

	Actual return (percentage)
1990–91	27.9
1991–92	21
1992–93	23.1
1993–94	32.0
1994–95	28.3
1995–96	18.3
1996–97	14.1
1997–98	22.3
1998–99	9.1
1999–2000	0.5
2000–01	0.7
2001–02	26.4

Ms Stuart: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what return on capital the Treasury expects the Royal Mint to make in each year from 2002 to 2005. [80659]

Ruth Kelly: The Treasury expects the Royal Mint to make a return on capital of 11 per cent. within the period from 2001/2 to 2005/6.

Tax Processing

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library the underlying data for the basket of outputs referred to in his answer on tax processing of 5 November, Official Report, column 211W; and if he will make a statement. [80638]

Dawn Primarolo: I have done so today.

Voluntary Work

Sue Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates his Department has made of the value of voluntary sector work to the economy in each year since 1997. [80409]

John Healey: The contribution of general charities to GDP was £4.5 billion in 1997; £4.7 billion in 1998; £5.0 billion in 1999; £5.3 billion in 2000; and £5.8 billion in 2001.

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The contribution of non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH) to GDP was £19.6 billion in 1997; £21.1 billion in 1998; £22.2 billion in 1999; £23.0 billion in 2000; and £24.3 billion in 2001.

Neither set of estimates takes into account the value of unpaid work to general charities.

ADVOCATE GENERAL

Devolution

30. Angus Robertson: To ask the Advocate-General what devolution issues have been raised since 23 October under the Scotland Act 1998. [81434]

31. Mr. Alan Reid : To ask the Advocate-General what devolution issues have been raised with her since 22 October, under the Scotland Act 1988. [81435]

33. Mr. Weir: To ask the Advocate-General what devolution issues have been raised since 23 October under the Scotland Act 1998. [81437]

34. Mr. Salmond: To ask the Advocate-General what devolution issues have been raised since 23 October under the Scotland Act 1998. [81438]

The Advocate-General for Scotland: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Lady, the Member for Perth (Annabelle Ewing), column 152.

32. John Robertson: To ask the Advocate-General how many devolution cases she has dealt with since September. [81436]

The Advocate-General for Scotland: Since 1 September, 65 devolution issue cases have been intimated to me.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Welsh Language

54. Mr. Simon Thomas To ask the President of the Council if he will make statement on his plans for the presentation of evidence in the Welsh language to select committees. [81519]

Mr. Bradshaw: Select Committees may take oral evidence in the Welsh language. Written evidence must be submitted in the English language, though it is understood that the Welsh Affairs Committee frequently receives memoranda prepared in both languages.

Parliamentary Language

55. Mr. Chris Bryant : To ask the President of the Council what plans he has to propose reforms to the rules on parliamentary language. [81520]

Mr. Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend has no immediate plans at present to reform the rules of parliamentary language, but hopes that the Modernisation Committee may look at this matter soon. He recognises the concern of many Members

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about the more archaic elements of our parliamentary language and the impression they give to the public. 8/Parliamentary Calendar

58. Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the President of the Council, what assessment he has made of the public's reaction to the recently announced changes to the Parliamentary Calendar and timings of sittings of the House. [81523]

Mr. Bradshaw: Our impression is that the public's reaction to the recently announced changes has been generally favourable, and that the end to late evening sittings has been particularly welcomed. The YouGov poll in anticipation of the vote in the House on these matters showed a nine to one majority of the public in favour of the change to sitting hours and September sittings.

Westminster Hall

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the President of the Council what representations he has received on the seating arrangements in Westminster Hall. [81515]

Mr. Robin Cook: There have been four parliamentary questions on the seating in Westminster Hall since June 2001, three of them from my hon. Friend. I have also received letters from six hon. Members on this subject since the House returned in October, one of them from my hon. Friend.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Security

57. Brian White: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the cost and benefits were of the new security measures between Norman Shaw North and Portcullis House. [81522]

Mr. Kirkwood: As I am sure the hon. Gentleman will understand, it is long-standing practice not to comment on the details of security expenditure or arrangements on the Parliamentary Estate

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Magistrates Courts Central Council

40. Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when she last met representatives of the Magistrates' Courts Central Council. [81471]

Yvette Cooper: I last met with representatives of the Central Council of Magistrates' Courts Committees on 11 November 2002.

Domestic Violence

41. Judy Mallaber: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what action her Department is taking to help victims of domestic violence. [81472]

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43. Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, if she will make a statement on further steps to tackle domestic violence that are under consideration by her Department. [81475]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government remain committed to tackling domestic violence.

An inter-Ministerial group set up last November is working across Government on five key areas for action. My Department is responsible for leading work on improving the interface between the criminal, civil and family law. We aim to identify ways to make the process less distressing for victims, by working with stakeholders and voluntary organisations at local and national level to develop a more integrated approach that tackles the impacts of domestic violence as part of the justice process.

In order to inform our work in this area, I set up an advisory group to bring together the full range of stakeholders involved in dealing with domestic violence and to act as a sounding board and reality check for our policy proposals.

This group will also assist the Department in its work, in liaison with the Home Office, on the Government's consultation paper setting out proposals for the prevention of domestic violence.

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