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Identity Card Scheme
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning the introduction of a national identity card scheme.
Mr. John Patten : We receive a steady flow of correspondence and comments from right hon. and hon. Members and the public on the introduction of a national identity card scheme. The Association of Chief Police Officers has been asked for its views on the introduction of national identity cards and we will consider its response together with other views on the subject.
Police National Computer
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the maximum delays being experienced in the transfer of annual records of convictions on to the police national computer.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The definitive record of convictions which is used to supply information to the courts is maintained on microfiche by the national identification bureau. It is updated continually and a conviction would normally be recorded on the microfiche record within 10 days of its notification to the bureau. In normal circumstances, local forces would inform the bureau of the result of a conviction within two months.
The convictions application on the police national computer is a limited record of the convictions of those who first offended in 1981 or later Details of relevant convictions may take up to six months to be recorded on this application, depending on the circumstances.
Parking Enforcement
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward proposals to transfer parking enforcement functions in London from the Metropolitan police to the London boroughs.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I am awaiting the report of the parking enforcement working party which has reviewed the effectiveness, efficiency and acceptability of the existing arrangements for parking enforcement. I understand that proposals for extending the role of local authorities in parking enforcement are among the issues being considered by the working party.
Breath Tests
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list by police force the following infomation relating to the Christmas period of 1987 (a) the number of breath tests, (b) the number of
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breath tests which were positive, (c) the percentage of breath tests which were positive, (d) the number of personal road traffic injury accidents, and (e) the number of fatal road traffic accidents.Mr. Douglas Hogg : The information requested on breath tests is published in table 6 of Home Office "Statistical Bulletin" issue 23/88-- "Statistics of breath tests, England and Wales 1987", a copy of which is in the Library. I understand from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport that the information requested on road accidents is as shown in the table.
Road accidents involving personal injury
England and Wales, 19-31 December 1987 Number of accidents
Police force area |All accidents involving|Fatal accidents
|injury
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon and Somerset |145 |4
Bedfordshire |69 |-
Cambridgeshire |71 |5
Cheshire |107 |1
Cleveland |61 |1
Cumbria |47 |3
Derbyshire |94 |2
Devon and Cornwall |178 |1
Dorset |63 |2
Durham |51 |2
Essex |195 |2
Gloucestershire |67 |3
Greater Manchester |298 |6
Hampshire |217 |2
Hertfordshire |99 |1
Humberside |118 |3
Kent |162 |5
Lancashire |152 |9
Leicestershire |93 |2
Lincolnshire |85 |2
London, City |5 |-
Merseyside |187 |5
Metropolitan |1,203 |18
Norfolk |100 |3
Northamptonshire |65 |5
Northumbria |120 |5
North Yorkshire |72 |-
Nottinghamshire |109 |2
South Yorkshire |132 |5
Staffordshire |125 |-
Suffolk |78 |2
Surrey |125 |2
Sussex |147 |5
Thames Valley |207 |6
Warwickshire |59 |3
West Mercia |116 |3
West Midlands |177 |2
West Yorkshire |233 |5
Wiltshire |72 |2
Dyfed Powys |54 |1
Gwent |33 |-
North Wales |72 |-
South Wales |129 |2
|------ |----
England and Wales |5,992 |132
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Rape
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many crimes of rape have been committed in the Greater Manchester area during 1987 and 1988 to date ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : 110 rapes were recorded by the Greater Manchester police in 1987 and 118 rapes were recorded in the period 1 January to 30 September 1988. Annual figures are published in table 3.1 of "Criminal statistics, England and Wales, Supplementary tables, Volume 3".
Dog Fights
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to amend the Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act 1988 so that persons who organise, aid and abet or watch dog fights face either a prison sentence or community care orders to assist such bodies as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on conviction ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have no proposals for amending the present law. Organising or attending a dog fight is an offence under the Protection of Animals Act 1911. The maximum penalty for organising a dog fight is six months imprisonment or a fine of £2,000 or both. The maximum penalty for attending a dog fight is a fine of £1,000. With imprisonable offences, where the offender is aged 16 or over, the courts may make a community service order. The work performed under the order is a matter for the probation service. It may include work with a voluntary body like the RSPCA.
Protection of Animals
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance is issued to chief constables to implement the Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act 1988 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Home Office Circular 80/1988, of which a copy is in the Library, was issued on 1 September this year. It notified Chief Officers of Police and courts of the coming into force of the Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act 1988.
Prisoners
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average amount of time spent by a prisoner in his cell each day ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : This information is not collated centrally. The daily routine for prisoners varies widely depending on the role of the establishment and other factors. The prisons board statement of the functions of establishments makes clear to governors that a continuing objective is to enable prisoners to spend the maximum possible time out of their cells.
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have the opportunity of working or learning new skills in prison ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Douglas Hogg : The most recent figures available provide estimation of the number of prisoners engaged in work, education or training courses during 1987, based on the average number so employed per weekday in male establishments. There are no available figures for female establishments. The figures are detailed in the table :
|Numbers
--------------------------------------------
Vocational/Trade Training |2,460
Other Full-time Education |3,590
Pre-release Courses |440
Industrial Farms or Gardens |10,140
Other Work |15,190
Total |31,820
The opportunities for prisoners to participate are subject to constraints such as the availability of work, staffing requirements, existing facilities and regimes in establishments and the suitability of inmates for particular activities.
The prison department attaches great importance to training, education and work experience for inmates as this helps individuals reach their full potential and eventually to play a more constructive role in custody and after release.
In addition to the acquisition of accredited skills in vocational training courses, further consideration is presently being given to the greater integration of learning opportunities and work experience.
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to allow private companies to employ prisoners in prison ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have no plans for private companies directly to employ prisoners in prison workshops. Under the existing arrangements, a significant source of employment for prisoners is light assembly work for private companies, with the prison service providing the labour in prison workshops, but the private companies supplying the materials and equipment and distributing the finished goods.
Domestic Assaults
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ask police forces in England and Wales to provide his Department with regular information regarding the number of reported domestic assaults each year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten [holding answer 7 December 1988] : Information on recorded offences of domestic violence is published in the annual reports of some police forces, for example the annual reports of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. Information for England and Wales on domestic violence was published in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales" in 1979 and 1980. However, this was judged to be incomplete because not all police forces recorded domestic violence separately. An ad hoc survey of violent crime (including domestic assaults) recorded by the police is currently being undertaken and the results will be evaluated in 1989.
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WALES
Community Care
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidelines his Department has issued to health authorities with regard to remedying the problems of community care in cases where the transition from institutions to the community is costing more than anticipated.
Mr. Grist : Our strategic planning guidance requires health authorities to develop services flexibly so as to ensure that they meet identified needs appropriately and cost-effectively. Additional Welsh Office funding under the all-Wales mental handicap strategy is based on approved county plans which set out the costs of proposals and the sources for meeting them. These plans are subject to annual review and are amended as necessary. We propose similar arrangements in our consultation document on the development of services for those suffering from mental illness.
Mental Health
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list by health authority the amount of money spent on mental health services each year since 1979, the percentage increase in real terms and the percentage of overall spending on health services, both in the National Health Service and in the private sector.
Mr. Grist : The information requested cannot be provided, since only limited data on mental health services' expenditure within the National Health Service in Wales is available for the years before 1987-8 and information on health-care spending within the private sector is not collected by the Department.
The more comprehensive information now available on NHS spending on mental health services in 1987-88 is as follows :
National Health Service mental health services expenditure:
1987-88<1>
District health authority |Mental health services' |Total as a percentage of
|expenditure<2> |overall district health
|authorities' services
|expenditure
|(£000) |(per cent.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |7,974 |0.99
East Dyfed |7,649 |0.95
Gwent |13,923 |1.73
Gwynedd |4,384 |0.55
Mid Glamorgan |18,563 |2.31
Pembrokeshire |768 |0.10
Powys |5,587 |0.70
South Glamorgan |12,070 |1.50
West Glamorgan |6,396 |0.80
|---- |----
Wales |<2>77,315 |9.63
<1> The figures presented are provisional at this stage.
<2> The figures in respect of mental health services relate to hospital services' expenditure and
community health services' expenditure (where this can be separately identified) in respect of the
mentally ill, the mentally handicapped,childand adolescent psychiatry and psychotherapy. The hospital
services' figures relate only to direct clinical
and diagnostic services to the patients and therefore do not include any attribution of expenditure in
respecg of general services such as administration, transport, hotel services or estate management.
Similarly the community health servives, figures relate only to the nursing element of community
services for these client groups.
Source: District Health Authorities Financial Returns.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the methods of monitoring the use of the proceeds from the sales of National Health Service buildings used for the mentally ill and mentally handicapped ; and if he will seek to ensure that these proceeds are put back into those services rather than the regional budget.
Mr. Grist : County plans, produced by Social Services and health authorities and other interests provide the basis for the development of services under the all-Wales mental handicap strategy and make clear the source of investment. Similar arrangements are proposed in our draft proposals for the future development of services for those suffering from mental illness. In addition, the strategic, operational and capital plans of district health authorities provide details of the proposed use of Health Service resources, and their source, including capital receipts.
Sheep Premium
Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with European Economic Community agriculture Ministers about the future of the sheep variable premium scheme ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Walker : My right hon. Friend, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, represents the United Kingdom at the Council of Ministers (Agriculture) which has twice considered the European Commission's proposals for review of the sheepmeat regime. The negotiations, are as yet at an early stage.
Fertilisers
Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans to further restrict the use of nitrogen fertilisers in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Walker : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for St. Ives (Mr. Harris) on 24 November 1988 by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
Bovine Somatotropin
Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with farm animal welfare groups in Wales regarding long-term use of the milk production hormone bovine somatotropin ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Walker : None. Last year, the Farm Animal Welfare Council consulted a wide range of interests, including animal welfare organisations, on the welfare implications of using bovine somatotropin. The council has drawn attention to certain longer term aspects of animal welfare where further information is required. These are being considered in ongoing field trials.
Research and Development
Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with both the
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farming unions in Wales regarding his proposals to cut his Department's budget on research and development ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Peter Walker : My noble Friend, the Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, has had discussions with the farming unions and other representatives of the industry about the Government's proposals to withdraw public funding from near market research and development. My officials have also had contacts with the farming unions. The Welsh Office has no budget for agricultural research and development.
Water Authority
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many professional staff are employed in the legal department of the shadow National Rivers Authority unit of the Welsh water authority.
Mr. Grist : This information is contained in Welsh Water's summary scheme of organisation for the Welsh regional unit of the National Rivers Authority, a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House on 2 December 1988.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Caerphilly, on 5 December, Official Report, column 22, what was the value of the land sold by the Welsh water authority for each year since 1983.
Mr. Grist : The information is more readily available on a financial rather than a calendar year basis. The receipts from land sold by Welsh Water since 1 April 1983 are as follows :
!
|£
---------------------------------
1983-84 |319,385
1984-85 |351,676
1985-86 |199,097
1986-87 |758,266
1987-88 |204,095
1988 to date |302,486
|-------
Total |2,135,005
NATIONAL FINANCE
Government Revenue
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when was the last surplus of central Government revenue over expenditure ; if he will express it in 1988 prices ; what is the latest forecast for the current year in 1988 prices ; and if he will forecast the likely change in (a) money supply and (b) the national debt in the current year.
Mr. Lilley : Before 1987-88, the public sector was last in surplus in 1969-70, when the surplus amounted to £0.6 billion, equivalent to £3.8 billion at 1988-89 prices. For the latest forecasts of the public sector surplus and growth of the money supply I refer the hon. Member to the autumn statement, paragraphs 20.2 and 2.48 respectively. To estimate the likely change in the national debt in the current year would involve revealing forecasts of items which by convention the Government never publish.
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Platinum Coins
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has regarding the amount and value of platinum coins held off-shore by British investors in order to avoid payment of value added tax ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 8 December 1988] : None.
Single Parents
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many single parents are expected to claim the additional personal income tax allowance for 1988-89 and how many are widows ; how many single parents claim one-parent benefit and how many widows with children receive a child dependency addition in respect of how many children ; to what extent these two benefits have been increased to take account of the reduction in the real value of child benefit and the effect of inflation on the amounts payable in March 1986 ; and if he will bring up to date the benefit figures quoted in paragraph 4.10 of Cmnd. 9756.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I have been asked to reply.
It is estimated that 470,000 lone parents, including 60,000 widows, will claim the additional personal income tax allowance in 1988-89. There are some 670,000 lone parents claiming one parent benefit. In March 1988 there were 61,176 widows claiming child dependency additions in respect of 92,086 children. These benefits have been increased in line with the increase in the index of retail prices since March 1986. No account has been taken of changes in the real value of child benefit.
The current rate of one parent benefit is £4.90 weekly (£5.20 from April 1989). Widowed mother's allowance is £41.15 weekly and the child dependency addition £8.40 for each child (£43.60 and £8.95 respectively from April 1989).
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is his estimate of the number of single parents and the number of their children ; how many are widows and with how many children ; how many are covered by one-parent benefit and the child dependency addition and at what cost to Revenue ; whether either or both of these benefits are taxable ; and how many single parents claiming the additional personal income tax allowance do not claim one-parent benefit or child dependency addition, and at what saving to the Revenue ;
(2) what is his estimate of the number of single parents and the number of their children ; how many are widows and with how many children ; how many are covered by one-parent benefit and the child dependency addition and at what cost to the revenue ; whether either or both of these benefits are taxable ; and how many single parents claiming the additional personal income-tax allowance do not claim one-parent benefit or child dependency addition, and at what saving to the revenue.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I have been asked to reply.
The latest available statistics on the numbers of lone parents and their children, provided by OPCS, are for 1984 when there were 940, 000 lone parents with 1.5 million children. These figures include 98, 000 widows with 147,000 children.
In 1984-85 565,000 lone parents received one parent benefit at a cost of £120 million. No statistics are kept on
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the numbers of lone parents among recipients of child dependency additions, which are payable with certain national insurance benefits on the basis of the claimant's contribution record. One parent benefit and child dependency additions are not subject to taxation. A total of 460,000 lone parents, including 70,000 widows, qualified for the additional personal income tax allowance in 1984-85. Statistics are not kept on how many of these were or were not also claimants of one parent benefit or child dependency additions.NORTHERN IRELAND
Nurses (Grading)
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many nursing staff there are at Belvoir hospital ; how many of the staff have now been advised of their grades ; and how many appeals against their grades have been received.
Mr. Needham : There are 280 nursing staff employed at Belvoir hospital, all of whom have been advised of their grades. No formal appeals have been received but 48 nurses have been involved in informal discussions with management about their grades.
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the value of the salary increase payable to a night sister expressed as a percentage increase over salary received prior to re-grading.
Mr. Needham : As a result of the clinical regrading review for nurses, midwives and health visitors, night sisters can be placed on one of three new pay scales. The value of the salary increase expressed as a percentage over salary received prior to re-grading for each payscale is as follows :
Scale |Range of percentage pay
|increase
------------------------------------------------------------------------
F |4.2-13.3
G |16.0-33.6
H |27.9-49.4
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many nursing staff there are at Ards hospital ; how many staff have now been advised of their grades ; and how many appeals against their grades have been received.
Mr. Needham : There are 293 nursing staff employed at Ards hospital, all of whom have been advised of their grades. No formal appeals have been received but 42 nurses have been involved in informal discussions with management about their grades.
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many nursing staff there are at Forster Green hospital ; how many of the staff have now been advised of their grades ; and how many appeals against their grades have been received.
Mr. Needham : There are 81 nursing staff employed at Forster Green hospital, all of whom have been advised of their grades. No formal appeals have been received but 13 nurses have been involved in informal discussions with management about their grades.
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Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland why charge nurses and ward sisters are required to write to the director of nursing services to request positions or positional changes at Purdysburn hospital ; whether this is normal procedure at hospitals within the Eastern Board area ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Needham : Charge nurses and ward sisters are not normally required by the director of nursing services to write to him regarding positions or positional changes at Purdysburn hospital, nor is such a procedure normal practice at any hospital within the eastern board area. Management does however reserve the right to require such requests in writing.
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many nursing staff there are at Purdysburn hospital ; how many of the staff have now been advised of their grades ; and how many appeals against their grades have been received.
Mr. Needham : There are 526 nursing staff employed at Purdysburn hospital, all of whom have been advised of their grades. No formal appeals have been received but 109 nurses have been involved in informal discussions with management about their grades.
Nurses
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many night sisters are employed in East Antrim hospitals.
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many night sisters have been regraded upwards in East Antrim hospitals.
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many nurses at all levels have appealed against the grade allocated to them.
Mr. Needham : There have been no formal appeals by nurses against the grades allocated to them but a number have been involved in informal discussions with management about their grades.
Elected Authorities
Mr. McNamara : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list in the Official Report the anticipated increase in voters in each of the individual assembly seats and district council seats expected as a result of the provision in the Elected Authorities (Northern Ireland) Bill.
Mr. Needham : The Bill brings the local government franchise in Northern Ireland broadly into line with the parliamentary franchise. The franchise for the Northern Ireland Assembly has already been amended in a similar way. On the basis of the current electoral register, the total increase in the number of local government electors would be approximately 10,500.
An analysis of the number of parliamentary electors and local government electors on the current register, by
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constituency, is contained in the report of the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland for 1987-88 (HC 572), a copy of which is in the Library. Comparable information for individual districts could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.Income Support
Mr. Lester : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentage of families with children in Northern Ireland are expected to be (a) entitled to and (b) claiming income support or family credit in 1988-89 and 1989-90.
Mr. Needham : Reliable information on those entitled to these benefits is not available. The available information is as follows :
\ Families with children |Numbers (estimated) |<1>Per cent. under 19 receiving: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Income support: 1988-89 |55,600 |26 1989-90 |55,500 |25 Family credit: 1988-89 |20,000 |9 1989-90 |30,000 |14 <1>Represents the percentage of all families receiving child benefit.
Disabled Persons (Staff)
317. Mr. Sean Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of his Department's staff are classed as disabled.
Mr. Ian Stewart : Within the Northern Ireland Civil Service the number of officers who have identified themselves as being registered as disabled persons under the Disabled Persons Act (Northern Ireland) 1945 was 1.4 per cent. at 1 January 1988.
The Northern Ireland Civil Service, conscious that this percentage may understate the true extent of disabled people among its staff, is currently carrying out an exercise to obtain more accurate statistics. The results of this exercise are expected to be available next year.
None of the Home Civil Service staff of the Northern Ireland Office is currrently registered as disabled.
Housng Executive
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what damage, disruptions or losses have been suffered by the Housing Executive in respect of their offices, sites vehicles and housing stock as a result of paramilitary activities.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 8 December 1988] : This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. I am advised by the Chief Executive that the information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
HEALTH
Hospital Beds
Mr. James Lamond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital beds there were in (a) the Oldham health authority area, (b) the Greater
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Manchester area and (c) the rest of the country in May 1979 and at the latest date for which figures are available ; what was the percentage change ; and if he will make a statement.Mrs. Currie : The information requested is shown in the table.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|1979 |1987-88 |Percentage change
Oldham |1,045 |993 |-5
Greater
Manchester |17,618 |16,202 |-8
Rest of England |326,419 |280,575 |-14
Because of advances in medical treatment, periods of in-patient care have reduced and more patients are now treated as out-patients or on a day care basis. The latest figures available centrally show that patient activity increased as follows ;
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