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10 Downing Street
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Prime Minister if she will provide a detailed breakdown of the £975,000 due to be spent in 1988-89 on refurbishment, restorations, electrical and security improvements and general maintenance at No. 10 Downing street.
The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave on 29 July 1988 at column 628.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Prime Minister why she will not provide an analysis of the £213,318 from public funds spent to date in 1988-89 on furnishings and decoration in No. 10 Downing street.
The Prime Minister : This information is not readily available and a detailed analysis can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Entertainment Costs
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Prime Minister if she will provide details of the changes made in estimating entertainment and other costs associated with her office.
The Prime Minister : Like other Government Departments, my office has been improving and refining its management accounting system. The most recent change was the introduction, in 1987-88, of delegated budgeting which has enabled expenditure to be estimated, and costs allocated more precisely.
Media (Accounts)
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Prime Minister whether all media organisations sending representatives accompanying her on official transport on visits abroad have settled their accounts.
The Prime Minister : It is too soon to expect all these accounts to have been settled.
Policy Unit
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Prime Minister what was the total cost to public funds of scrapping the Central Policy Review Staff ; and what has been the cost of the Prime Minister's policy unit in each year since its inception.
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The Prime Minister : In the last full year of its operation (1982- 83) the estimated cost to public funds of the Central Policy Review Staff was £1,109,000 . Its abolition involved no costs to public funds ; indeed, it represented a saving of this amount. The costs of the Prime Minister's policy unit, on a comparable basis, in each year since its inception is as follows :
|£
---------------------------
1979-80 |37,669
1980-81 |59,366
1981-82 |63,846
1982-83 |93,633
1983-84 |154,923
1984-85 |220,234
1985-86 |270,610
1986-87 |327,979
1987-88 |311,110
1988-89<2> |349,527
<1> Based on number of
staff in post.
<2> Estimate.
President Reagan (Official Gifts)
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Prime Minister if she will give a description and the cost of each of the official gifts she has given to President Reagan since 1981.
The Prime Minister : No. The customary practice is to give official gifts to Heads of Government, Heads of State, and small numbers of officials on the occasion of each visit to a country, but it is not considered appropriate to give details of these.
Hospitality
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Prime Minister how many Labour hon. and right hon. Members have received hospitality at No. 10 Downing street in the past year.
The Prime Minister : Twenty right hon. and hon. Labour Members have received hospitality at 10 Downing street between 29 November 1987 to 29 November 1988.
President Waldheim
Mr. Robertson : To ask the Prime Minister if she has received any recent communications connecting President Waldheim of Austria with war crimes involving British citizens ; and if she will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : I have nothing further to add to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces to the right hon. learned Member on 30 November 1988.
Trevor Clay
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Prime Minister whether she has requested the Public Appointments Unit to consider Trevor Clay for appointment.
The Prime Minister : The Public Appointments Unit maintains a list which currently contains over 5,000 names of people from all walks of life who might be considered for public appointments. It would be inappropriate to comment on individuals who have been nominated in confidence, but nominations submitted to my office from whatever source would be referred to the unit as a matter of course.
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Foreign Travel
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Prime Minister what has been the cost to public funds in real terms in every year since 1979 of foreign travel undertaken by her and those accompanying her ; and if she will give the amount spent in real terms in the same number of years prior to 1979.
The Prime Minister : The cost to public funds in real terms in every year since 1979 of my foreign travel and of those accompanying me is as follows :
|Constant prices 1986-87
------------------------------------------------------------------------
<2>1979-80 |253,894
1980-81 |187,828
1981-82 |713,388
1982-83 |627,140
1983-84 |247,269
1984-85 |453,848
1985-86 |472,953
1986-87 |447,066
1987-88 |404,414
<3>1988-89 |393,582
Information on expenditure in years prior to 1979 cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.
Notes :
Billing delays prevent some costs from being shown in the financial year in which the services were provided. The figures, therefore, do not necessarily reflect when the expenditure was actually incurred.
From May 1979.
Estimate.
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WALES
Nurses
Mr. Livsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much money has been allocated by his Department to each Welsh county area health authority for payments to nurses as a result of their regrading.
Mr. Grist : The information requested is as follows :
District Health Authority |£m<1> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Clwyd |6.7 East Dyfed |3.5 Pembrokeshire |1.2 Gwent |8.0 Gwynedd |3.6 Mid Glamorgan |9.6 Powys |1.8 South Glamorgan |7.7 West Glamorgan |6.4 Note: <1> The figures quoted differ in the case of some authorities from those provided in the reply to the hon Member for Cardiff, North (Mr. Jones) on 4 November, as at columns 781-82, as they include the distribution of the £500,000 which was provided to meet the cost of other consequential changes arising from the review body award.
Sir Raymond Gower : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of clinical nursing and midwifery staff have been assimilated to each of the new clinical grades by each district.
Mr. Peter Walker : The information requested is given in the following table :
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Nurses Clinical Grading Review-Wales Percentage of all clinical staff assimilated to each of the new clinical grades District Health |Total |A |B |C |D |E |F |G |H |I authority |WTE |per cent |per cent. |per cent. |per cent. |per cent. |per cent. |per cent. |per cent. |per cent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gwent |4,133.22 |28 |2 |4 |20 |19 |7 |15 |2 |3 Mid Glamorgan |4,715.16 |21 |7 |5 |22 |17 |7 |15 |3 |2 West Glamorgan |2,996.54 |17 |3 |8 |17 |26 |9 |17 |2 |2 South Glamorgan |4,237.68 |26 |6 |4 |20 |19 |8 |14 |2 |3 Clwyd |3,162.18 |24 |3 |6 |19 |18 |10 |15 |3 |3 Pembrokeshire |660.99 |23 |2 |11 |17 |20 |10 |14 |3 |0 East Dyfed |1,951.18 |28 |2 |11 |14 |18 |7 |15 |2 |3 Gwynedd |1,878.24 |24 |3 |9 |12 |25 |5 |17 |2 |3 Powys |1.052.42 |29 |10 |18 |6 |9 |13 |12 |2 |0 Totals |24,787 |24 |4 |7 |18 |19 |8 |15 |2 |3 Note: Due to rounding totals may not balance exactly.
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the total cost of the Pembrokeshire coast national park in each year since 1984 ; what was the annual supplementary grant provided by his Department
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to Dyfed county council in each of these years for the park ; and what was the percentage by which the supplementary grant was increased in each of these years.Mr. Wyn Roberts : The information requested in respect of the Pembrokeshire coast national park is as follows :
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Financial year |Total net expenditure by|National Parks |Percentage increase of
|park |Supplementary Grant paid|National Park
|by Welsh Office for park|Supplementary Grant on
|previous year
|(£'s) |(£'s) |(per cent.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1984-85 |888,675 |622,500 |6.22
1985-86 |927,025 |663,000 |6.51
1986-87 |1,033,057 |715,955 |7.99
1987-88 |1,289,664 |807,075 |12.73
1988-89 |<1>1,460,420 |888,300 |10.06
<1> Estimated expenditure.
Housing
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from Preseli-Pembrokeshire district council in 1988 concerning the housing stock in its district ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : In common with all Welsh local authorities Preseli- Pembrokeshire district council submits to the Department annually its housing services investment programme for the forthcoming financial year. The authority reacted quickly and positively following the publication of the Welsh house condition survey earlier this year and is liaising with the Department on a strategic approach which will help address the outstanding housing issues in the area.
DEFENCE
Property and Land
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the property and land his Department holds in the Nottingham, North constituency.
Mr. Freeman : The Ministry of Defence has no land holdings in the Nottingham, North constituency.
Bullying
Miss Widdecombe : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the allegations of bullying at Bassingbourn barracks, Hertfordshire, in respect of Wayne Beal and other recruits.
Mr. Freeman : The special investigation branch of the Royal Military Police are investigating the allegation of bullying at the Queen's Division depot at Bassingbourn that involve Private Wayne Beal and three other recruits. Once these are completed, I shall write to my hon. Friend.
Miss Widdecombe : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how he will ensure that members of the armed services who are bullied by non- commissioned officers can complain to senior officers without subsequent victimisation.
Mr. Freeman : I can assure my hon. Friend that there will be no victimisation of any soldiers, especially young recruits, who speak out about bullying or mistreatment. All officers are well aware of their fundamental responsibility for the well-being of their soldiers and of the serious nature of these matters and are alert for such offences occurring. They will undoubtedly assist with passing complaints forward to commanding officers whose duty it is to investigate all such complaints.
Competitive Tendering
Mr. Chapman : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what have been the financial savings to his Department since the introduction of competitive tendering.
Mr. Sainsbury : The Department's commercial approach to defence procurement, including the greater emphasis on competition, has achieved substantial cost
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savings. Eleven examples were included in the 1988 statement on the Defence Estimates where savings of some £105 million had resulted. It is however, difficult to estimate the savings resulting from competitive tendering in the absence, in some instances, of information as to the price that would have been achieved without competition. In addition, the wide range of circumstances where competition can be used to make it impossible to calculate the cumulative savings made since the adoption of this commercial approach in the early 1980s. Competition has also promoted the more efficient use of industrial resources which has contributed to the recent considerable export successes of British industry.Career Opportunities (Army)
Mr. Franks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make an announcement of additional measures to increase public awareness of the career opportunities which the Army has to offer.
Mr. Freeman : At present, I have nothing to add to the reply that I gave to the hon. and learned Member for Fife, North-East (Mr. Campbell) on 9 November at column 184.
Woolwich Arsenal
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further consideration he has given to the possible release of surplus land at Woolwich Arsenal ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : I shall be writing to the hon. Gentleman in the next few days with a map of the area to be released, as promised in my answer on 31 October 1988 at column 531.
Directorate-General of Quality Assurance
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he now expects to be able to announce a decision on the future location of the headquarters of the directorate-general of quality assurance.
Mr. Sainsbury : Ministers are currently considering the results of an investment appraisal concerning the future location of the directorate- general of defence quality assurance.
Guatemala (Incident)
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Royal Navy ship was involved in an incident involving a Guatemalan gunboat in Guatemalan waters on 20 November ; whether shots were fired ; what action he has taken ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : The RN ship involved was the hydrographic vessel HMS Fawn. The incident took place not in Guatemalan territorial waters but while Fawn was conducting a hydrographic survey in international waters to the north of a median line between Belize and Guatemala. Shots were fired in the vicinity of HMS Fawn : it is not known whether these were aimed at her or were intended simply as a warning. A diplomatic protest has been made to the Guatemalan Government. The survey will, of course, continue.
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NORTHERN IRELAND
Community Policing
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the present level of community policing in the Braniel and Belvoir estates in the Strangford constituency ; and if he will make a statement on the future of policing in these two estates.
Mr. Ian Stewart : In each of the Braniel and Belvoir estates, daily attention is given by a local neighbourhood constable. Passing attention is given by divisional mobile patrol vehicles. Deployment of the RUC is a matter for the Chief Constable but I understand that there is no intention at present to alter the level of police cover in these estates.
Maintained Schools
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will introduce the legislation relating to the establishment of the new Council for Catholic Maintained Schools separately from the overall Order in Council for changes in the education system in Northern Ireland ;
(2) whether the forthcoming legislation relating to the establishment of the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools will restrict itself to (a) procedures for the appointment, promotion, dismissal and disciplining of teachers, (b) procedures to centrally appoint and employ all teachers in Roman catholic maintained schools and be responsible for their deployment and (c) the oversight of schools management and co-ordinate planning and rationalisation within the maintained schools sector, as outlined in the document issued on 30 July 1987 by the Northern Ireland information service ; (3) whether the functions proposed for the education and library boards in relation to maintained schools, as outlined in the document "Education in Northern Ireland--Proposals for Reform," remain unaffected by the establishment of the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools ; and whether he will make it his policy in any future legislation that this body will have advisory functions only.
Dr. Mawhinney : It remains the Government's intention that the legislation to establish the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools will be included in the proposal for a draft Order in Council which will give effect to the education reforms for Northern Ireland. The draft order will describe the proposed functions of the council and its publication next year will provide an opportunity for further consultation.
Students
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many EEC students are now receiving grants to attend universities and centres of higher education in Northern Ireland ; what is the total estimated cost of these grants ; how many of these EEC students come from the Republic of Ireland ; and if he will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : Exact figures are not yet available. However, approximately 90 EEC students (of whom 88 come from the Republic of Ireland) are currently receiving discretionary grants, consisting of fees only, to attend universities and centres of higher education in Northern
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Ireland. In addition to these, some 1,030 EEC students in these institutions are not charged fees, in accordance with the arrangements announced in this House on 1 July 1986 by the then Secretary of State for Education and Science. It is not possible to say precisely how many of the latter came from the Republic of Ireland, but it is known that the overwhelming majority are from that country. The total estimated costs of these grants and forgone fee income is around £655,000.Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many undergraduates are at (a) University of Ulster and (b) Queen's university, Belfast ; how many students from other EEC countries attend each of these universities ; and, of these, how many from the Republic of Ireland attend each of the universities.
Dr. Mawhinney : Provisional information for the 1988-89 academic year is as follows :
|Total |Other EC<1> |Republic of Ireland
|(a) |(b) |(c)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
University of Ulster
Full-time |7,781 |59 |828
Part-time |2,017 |- |51
Queen's University
Full-time |6,699 |4 |191
Part-time |773 |4 |6
<1> Excluding United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.
Note: Figures in columns (b) and (c) are included in column (a).
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Graduates
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will estimate the numbers of young people leaving universities and polytechnics and being available for work in each of the next five years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : Future recruitment and, certainly, students' intentions after qualifying, are obviously difficult to predict. A key factor over the next five years is the continuing fall in the traditional student entry age group. However, due to increasing participation rates and greater recruitment of part-time and mature students, numbers generally are projected to hold up against that trend. Indeed, the number of home students at higher education institutions in Great Britain who were under 21 on entry and, on qualifying, would enter the labour market is estimated to grow from nearly 100,000 in 1987 to about 150,000 in 1992.
Special Schools, Bromley
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from the London borough of Bromley about the transfer of Inner London education authority schools for children with special educational needs which are situated in Bromley to that borough ; and whether he has been offered any undertaking by that borough to maintain such schools as special schools if transferred.
Mr. Butcher : The London borough of Bromley has indicated an interest in taking over responsibility for the
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two residential special schools maintained by ILEA which are located in Bromley. My right hon. Friend will take decisions about the allocation of ILEA's residential special schools in the light of discussions currently taking place with all the councils concerned. Any proposal for the discontinuance of one of these schools would require statutory proposals in accordance with the Education Act 1981.Students (Financial Support)
Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his Department's latest estimate of implementing the proposals in the White Paper "Top-Up Loans for Students," Cm. 520 ; and what is the cost of the present system.
Mr. Jackson : The additional costs of top-up loans, net of savings in social security benefit and grant, calculated on the assumption of a constant 3 per cent. rate of inflation, are set out in annex E of the White Paper. When the cost of the proposed access funds is also taken into account, the Government's proposals imply a cumulative additional expenditure of about £850 million at 1990-91 prices by the year 2003, when net savings begin to accrue. Net expenditure on mandatory grants to students in England and Wales in academic year 1988-89, exclusive of fees, is estimated at £523 million in current prices.
Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's full review on student financial support ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : The Government's conclusions in the light of its review of student support were published in the White Paper "Top-up Loans for Students" (Cm. 520).
Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list those organisations which submitted (a) oral evidence and (b) written evidence to his Department's review on student financial support.
Mr. Jackson : I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 28 July 1988 (cols. 403-4 ). The British Medical Association was mistakenly omitted from the list of organisations provided.
Student Unions
Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish in the Official Report the terms of reference of his Department's review of student unions ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend to my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Mr. Janman) on 18 April, at column 292. There are no other terms of reference for the review.
Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list by grade the personnel currently employed on his Department's review of student unions.
Mr. Jackson : The Department's current work on student unions is being undertaken by a team of officials which includes student affairs among its normal responsibilities. The team comprises the following officers :
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|Number
---------------------------------------
Grade 5 |1
Grade 7 |1
Higher Executive Officer |1
Executive Officer |1
Administrative Officer |1
City Technology College (Bradford)
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the feasibility study being conducted into the Bradford city technology college is to be completed ; who was commissioned to conduct the study and at what fee ; what were the terms of reference for the study ; and if, when complete, he will place a copy of the study in the Library.
Mrs. Rumbold : The study is being carried out by the architects and building branch of the DES. Its purpose is to examine the costs of various options as to size and make-up and to study more generally the feasibility and costs of systems building for new CTC developments. The study is expected to be completed in January. Such studies are confidential to the Department and the sponsor.
TRANSPORT
British Rail
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will revise his quality of service objectives for British Rail to prevent overcrowding on trains between Halifax and Leeds ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : Quality standards on PTE-supported services are entirely a matter for the PTE.
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, when he next meets the chairman of British Rail, he will discuss updating the railway station at Sowerby Bridge.
Mr. Portillo : That is a management matter for BR and the West Yorkshire PTE.
Accident Statistics
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many deaths on Britain's roads are associated with the taking of alcohol.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : Too many, even though the numbers are falling.
In 1986, the latest year for which full figures are available, there were about 950 deaths in crashes where at least one of the drivers or riders had a blood/breath alcohol level above the legal limit. In addition, 30 per cent. (approximately 400 people) of the adult pedestrians killed in road accidents had a blood alcohol level above the legal limit for driving.
It cannot be assumed that alcohol consumption caused every death as we do not collect information on the cause of accidents.
M66 (Portwood-Denton)
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he now expects the M66 from Portwood to Denton to be opened ; and what are the reasons for the delay.
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Mr. Peter Bottomley : By mid-1989. A few weeks delay has been caused by unforeseen difficulties during earthmoving operations and by additional work on the motorway communications.
Dr. Tony Ridley and Sir Keith Bright
Mr. Robert Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if negotiations on severance terms with Dr. Ridley and Sir Keith Bright have been concluded.
Road Traffic Offences
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to bring forward legislation on the recommendations of the North committee on road traffic offences.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : We aim to announce our conclusions on the North report early in the new year. Legislation will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time can be found for it.
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