Parliamentary Questions - Written Replies

WHEEL CASH: Loans are to be offered to civil servants to enable them to buy bicycles, Stephen Dorrell, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, said. Departments would be allowed to determine the conditions 'on which advances of salary to assist civil servants in the purchase of bicycles for home to office travel are made'.

ENVIRONMENT: Sir George Young, Housing Minister, said environmental assessments would be required in some cases for the following: trout farms, water treatment plants, wind generators, motorway service areas and golf courses.

BUSINESS TODAY - Commons: backbench debates on Somalia; textile industry policy; media coverage of terrorism in Northern Ireland; commercial courts delays; Council Standard Spending Assessment; defence industry redundancies; NHS convalescent care; rural postal services. Lords: Crown Proceedings (Armed Forces) Bill, Third Reading. Mink Keeping Order. Package Holidays Regulations. Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries (Repeals) (Northern Ireland) Order. Firearms (Northern Ireland) Order (Amendment) Regulations. Environmental Information Regulations. Both Houses rise for the Christmas recess until 11 January (Commons) and 18 January (Lords).