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Mr. Sainsbury : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Renfrew, West and Inverclyde (Mr. Graham) by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 29 November at column 565 and the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Eccles (Miss Lestor) on 29 November at column 567 .
Nitroglycerine
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what priority he accords within the requirements of the defence industrial base for ammunition to the retention of a United Kingdom-based capability to manufacture nitroglycerine.
Mr. Sainsbury : Nitroglycerine is an essential component of many types of ammunition. It is available from a number of United Kingdom and NATO sources. We monitor these sources on a continuing basis to ensure that our requirements will be met.
Procurement Contracts
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated total amount of cost overruns against original estimates on current procurement contracts.
Mr. Sainsbury : Original estimates are, by their very nature, provisional calculations. They will not relate precisely to the scope of work which is contracted for after detailed specifications are agreed. They are not, therefore, susceptible to direct comparison. The majority of defence contracts are now placed at firm, non-variable prices or, otherwise, with provisions to limit the Ministry's liability, or in the case of cost-plus percentage fee arrangements, with a maximum price. Once prices are agreed and contracted for, the liability for cost overruns would rest with the contractor.
Nuclear Test Veterans
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if body scans will be made available to British nuclear test veterans, who are concerned about the prospects of their being contaminated by nuclear fall out during British nuclear tests in the 1950s in the Pacific ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury : We have no plans to offer scans in a whole body monitor. Participants who are concerned about their health are advised to consult their GP.
Death on the Rock"
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter from the Second Permanent Under- Secretary of State, K. C. MacDonald to Lord Windelsham and Richard Rampton QC, regarding the programme "Death on the Rock" produced by Thames Television.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I shall consider doing so when Lord Windlesham's report is published.
Column 537
Service Men (Re-enlistment)
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any ex-service men who have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment have been re-enlisted ; and what is his policy on such appointments.
Mr. Neubert : Records are not kept in a way which would allow us readily to identify whether any ex-service men with a prison record have been re-enlisted. Applications for re-enlistment are considered against the same criteria as are those applying to join for the first time. Any individual applying to join the armed services is obliged to declare any previous unspent convictions. While the general policy is not to accept for service those who have an unspent conviction involving a term of imprisonment, each case is considered on its own merits and there is provision for exceptions to be made.
Republic of Ireland
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is policy with regard to members of the armed forces not on duty crossing into the Republic of Ireland.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Only the following categories of Regular service personnel are permitted to take leave of absence in the Republic of Ireland : those domiciled in the Republic up to the time of their enlistment ; those who have a spouse or parents, or in the absence of the latter, a brother, sister or child domiciled in the Republic ; and those who have urgent private affairs to settle in the Republic, which cannot be dealt with other than by a personal visit. Permission to visit the Republic can be given only by the commanding officer of the service man concerned. Service men who breach these regulations are dealt with by the service authorities.
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what basis the Irish Government agree to the armed forces crossing into the Republic of Ireland, as referred to in his answer to the hon. Member for Brent, East of 6 May, Official Report, columns 619-20.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The details of arrangements between the two Governments concerned regarding cross-border security co-operation are confidential.
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions, in each year from 1982 to the current date, members of the armed forces on duty have crossed into the Republic of Ireland, distinguishing between land and air crossings.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The numbers of occasions when members of Her Majesty's forces on duty have crossed into the Republic of Ireland since 1982 is as follows :
|Ground |Air |Total
----------------------------------------
1982 |17 |28 |45
1983 |13 |18 |31
1984 |16 |15 |31
1985 |14 |13 |27
1986 |31 |19 |50
1987 |34 |21 |55
1988 |15 |35 |50
|-------|-------|-------
Total |140 |149 |289
On the vast majority of occasions the border was crossed as a result of navigational error ; these incidents were notified to the Irish Government. On the remaining occasions, the border was crossed with the agreement of the Irish Government.
Printed Material
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of all printed material designed and printed at Army headquarters Northern Ireland and disseminated to the public from 1979 to the current date.
Mr. Neubert : I am aware of only one such document, entitled "Complaints against Members of HM Forces", which is available to the public at Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary locations. I will place a copy in the Library.
Army Information Services
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a table showing the annual expenditure by his Department on the Army information services from 1972 to the current date.
Mr. Neubert : The Army information services is the name by which the public relations unit in Northern Ireland is known. The major expenditure is that of salaries and associated costs. Approximate figures for the years 1983 to 1988 are as follows :
Year |£ ------------------------ 1983-84 |216,000 1984-85 |230,000 1985-86 |240,000 1986-87 |122,000 1987-88 |130,000 1988-89 |140,000
The reduction in costs in 1986 onwards is as a result of a cut in staff numbers following a review of public relations numbers. Details for earlier years or more detailed costings cannot be provided without disproportionate cost.
Overseas Educational Institutions
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide details of the funding of educational institutions overseas in support of the defence programme, referred to in his answer of 23 May to the hon. Member for Brent, East, Official Report, column 40.
Mr. Sainsbury : The defence research programme sponsors two contracts with educational institutions overseas at a total annual value of £70,000.
Project Clockwork Orange
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received concerning the project known as Clockwork Orange.
Mr. Neubert : The hon. Member has made various representations. As the hon. Member was advised in a letter dated 15 August 1988 from the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, we are aware of no evidence that a plan by this name ever existed.
Column 539
Captain Fred Holroyd
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when was the special confidential report relating to Captain Fred Holroyd (retired) written in June 1975, subsequently amended, as referred to in his written answer of 28 March to the hon. Member for Brent, East, Official Report, column 363 ; on whose authority this was done ; and when Captain Holroyd was informed of this amendment.
Mr. Neubert : As the reply given on 20 July 1988 at columns 709-10 to my hon. Friend the Member for Keighley (Mr. Waller) by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces makes clear, following Captain Holroyd's appeal to the Army board of the Defence Council, the Army board directed that all references to a mental problem be removed from his confidential report. Captain Holroyd was informed of this direction in March 1976.
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date Captain Fred Holroyd (retired) was informed of the findings of the full medical board which sat on 1 July 1975, as referred to in his written answer to the hon. Member for Brent, East, of 28 March, Official Report, column 362.
Mr. Neubert : Our records show that Captain Holroyd was aware of the findings of the medical board during an interview with the assistant adjutant general on 12 August 1975. We believe that he was informed orally immediately after the Board on 1 July, since this is normal practice.
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date Captain Fred Holroyd (retired) was informed of the findings of the special confidential report initiated on 5 June 1975, as referred to in his written answer of 28 March, to the hon. Member for Brent, East Official Report, column 362.
Computer Hacking
Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if, pursuant to his answer of 13 December 1988, there have been any attempts to interfere with unclassified systems by any computer hacker.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Two such attempts have been detected. Both were defeated by security precautions.
EMPLOYMENT
Tourism
Sir John Farr : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) whether the grant facilities outlined in European Community Document 8794/88 (Proposal for Action Programme of European Tourism Year 1990) will (a) become available before 1990 and (b) be available for holiday cottage development ;
(2) when the European Economic Community tourist grant will be made available for the first time in the United Kingdom ;
(3) when the European Economic Community tourist grant will be available to the owners of holiday accommodation ; and when the final financial details of the scheme will be known.
Column 540
Mr. Lee : The funds available under the action programme for European Tourism Year are available for assisting approaches to the promotion of off-season, cultural, rural and social and other forms of tourism and tourism by young people. The Commission will have 2.5 million ecu (about £1.6 million) available in 1990 to contribute up to 40 per cent. of the cost of projects, from anywhere in the Community, which it selects for assistance. All the methods for applying for financial assistance have yet to be finally decided. The Commission intends to start considering applications in 1989.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will enable the English Tourist Board to be a party to the tourist policy review.
Mr. Lee : The English Tourist Board and the British Tourist Authority have been involved fully with the review which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on July 18. The boards' chairmen, each individual member of the boards, and board officials have been seen by the review team. The review team have also received written submissions from the boards.
Workplace Nurseries
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether the Government have any plans to reduce or eliminate tax liability for company employees who use the workplace nurseries.
Mr. Norman Lamont : I have been asked to reply.
No.
Vacancies (Coventry)
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish an analysis of known job vacancies at (a) the jobcentre and (b) the careers office, for 16 to 18-year-olds for the Coventry area.
Mr. Cope : Information on job vacancies is not specifically kept for 16 to 18-year-olds.
On 4 November 1988 there were 100 unfilled job vacancies at the Coventry careers office and 479 unfilled job vacancies at the jobcentre. As some employers use both services there could be some duplication in those figures.
Cuprinol Ltd.
Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when the Health and Safety Executive study into pentachlorophenol, lindane and TBTO at Cuprinol Ltd. in Frome, Somerset, will be completed ; and whether a copy of the findings will be placed in the Library.
Mr. Nicholls : The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is not carrying out a study into pentachlorophenol, lindane and TBTO at Cuprinol Ltd. Frome. However, an independent committee of inquiry has been set up by Cuprinol Ltd. and HSE is awaiting the report of that committee before considering what further action, if any, is required.
A review of lindane is to be carried out by the Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP). This was agreed in November 1988, evidence is to be forwarded in the first instance to HSE by March 1989, and the review is expected to take one or two years. The ACP is also currently carrying out a review of TBTO, which is due to be completed this year.
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Pentachlorophenol
Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will place in the Library copies of the evidence relating to the carcinogenic effects of pentachlorophenol on humans.
Mr. Nicholls : There are likely to be several hundred articles on the toxicity of pentachlorophenol, which could be relevant to an assessment of its possible carcinogenic effects, published in various scientific journals from different countries. I regret that all this material could be identified and obtained only at disproportionate cost but if the hon. Member has any particular items in mind I should be glad to arrange for the relevant articles to be obtained.
Compulsory Training
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will set up an inquiry into the possibility of establishing a compulsory residential training scheme for minors of no fixed abode operated in co- operation with personnel seconded from the armed services.
Mr. Cope : We have no plans to do so.
Job Clubs
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make available the results of the spring 1988 postal survey of ex-job club members ; if he will indicate how many of those surveyed were (a) in permanent, full-time jobs, (b) unemployed and (c) in jobs paying more than £120 per week ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lee : Copies of the report "Job Clubs--Report on the Postal Survey of Individuals who joined Job Clubs in Autumn 1987" have been lodged in the House of Commons Library.
The survey was a follow-up of a sample of people who joined job clubs between 14 September and 23 October 1987. At the time of the survey, 11 per cent. were still in job clubs, 87 per cent. had left and the destination of the remaining 2 per cent. was unclear. Of those who had definitely left job clubs, 57 per cent. had left to go into a job or self-employment and a further 14 per cent. had gone into community programme, full-time education or training. Of those who left for a job or self-employment, 58 per cent. described themselves as in permanent, full-time jobs.
At the time of the survey (some six months after joining job clubs) 43 per cent. of all leavers were still in jobs and 40 per cent. described themselves as unemployed.
Thirty one per cent. of those entering permanent, full-time jobs were earning over £120 a week.
The survey showed that the majority of those who leave without a job do so very early on and that after one week the proportion of people leaving for jobs increases up to three weeks' stay (69 per cent.) and then declines gradually up to nine to 13 weeks' stay (60 per cent.). These results demonstrate that it is worth giving job clubs a chance and that persistence pays off.
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many job clubs have been (a) established, and (b) closed or withdrawn since the start of
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the programme, giving the information separately for those run by (i) the employment service and (ii) external agencies ; how many job club members have found jobs or other positive outcomes and how many members have now been attending their job club for over six months.Mr. Lee : Information on the numbers of job clubs established and closed or withdrawn since the start of the programme is only available at disproportionate cost.
At 25 November 1988 1,220 job clubs were open. Of these 536 were run by employment service staff, mainly based in jobcentres, with 684 run by other organisations working to an annual contract. Since April 1986, when central records began, 121,494 job club members have found jobs and a further 31,268 have gone into other positive outcomes such as employment training, a place on community programme, or the enterprise allowance scheme. Records are not kept of the number of members who have been attending job clubs for over six months. However, the job club postal survey which was carried out in March 1988 found that around six months after joining 11 per cent. of respondents were still in job clubs.
London Labour Market Surveys
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what independent technical and academic advice his Department received before commissioning, and as part of the London labour market surveys referred to in the recent White Paper "Employment for the 1990s".
Mr. Cope : My Department's professional staff are trained and experienced in survey design. They are in regular contact with professional colleagues in the academic world and in independent research and survey organisations. The two London labour market surveys referred to in the White Paper "Employment for the 1990s" (Cm 540) were designed and undertaken by reputable professional survey companies, IFF Research Ltd. and the Harris Research Centre Ltd. Full details of the results and the methods used were published by HMSO in the report entitled "The London Labour Market", a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what independent assessment was made of the final report of the London labour market surveys.
Mr. Cope : In publishing the final report of the two London labour market surveys last November under the title "The London Labour Market", and by including in the report full tabulations of the survey results and details of the methodology used, my Department has made the report available for independent assessment by anyone who wishes to read it.
Community Projects
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many projects for disabled people, children, elderly people and the environment face closure as a result of the switch to employment training and his proposals to establish training and enterprise councils ; how many community programme jobs will disappear ; and what level of funding to local community projects will be lost.
Mr. Nicholls : Detailed information on individual projects is not readily available and could be obtained only
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at disproportionate cost. However, every effort has been made to ensure that suitable community programme projects have been able to continue under employment training.The establishment of training and enterprise councils will improve the quality and suitability of training opportunities for employment training clients, equipping them with the skills necessary to meet the demands of the local labour markets. As at present, the training course includes training on projects which meet the needs of disabled people, children, the elderly, and the environment.
Training Programmes
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the quantifiable performance indicators he refers to in paragraph 5.21 of the "Training for Employment" White Paper.
Mr. Nicholls : A range of quantifiable and meaningful performance indicators for employment training is being developed by the training agency along the lines outlined in the White Paper. These will be published in due course.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give a local breakdown of (a) unfilled vacancies on the YTS and (b) those young people disqualified from benefit after termination of their bridging allowance.
Column 544
Mr. Cope : The number of unfilled YTS places on 30 November 1988, the latest available date, for each of the Training Agency regions is given in the table.
|Number
-----------------------------------------
South East |16,100
London |10,200
South West |12,300
West Midlands |23,400
East Midlands |15,000
Yorkshire and Humberside |10,800
North West |15,700
Northern |7,500
Wales |4,200
Scotland |13,700
Great Britain |129,100
Since 16 and 17-year-olds on bridging allowance while waiting to take up a YTS place have no entitlement to income support, the question of disqualification following the termination of that allowance does not arise.
Mr. Henderson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many employment training scheme places have been filled in each month since the scheme's inception in each area for which employment statistics are collated ; and what is the national total.
Mr. Nicholls : The information requested is provided in the following tables.
Column 543
Employment training: filled places by area office
Filled places as at:
Area office |30 September 1988|28 October 1988 |25 November 1988 |16 December 1988
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South East Region
Berkshire and Oxfordshire |223 |372 |483 |563
Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire |623 |853 |1,001 |1,110
Essex |455 |642 |772 |1,006
Hampshire and Isle of Wight |1,005 |1,315 |1,523 |1,730
Kent |760 |1,068 |1,365 |1,521
Surrey |146 |200 |267 |289
Sussex |587 |714 |842 |928
London Region
Inner London North |1,280 |2,258 |3,043 |3,484
Inner London South |956 |1,268 |1,698 |1,936
London East |832 |1,098 |1,421 |1,593
London North |897 |1,271 |1,813 |2,100
London South |389 |431 |614 |613
London West |248 |431 |631 |758
South West Region
Avon |484 |642 |1,037 |1,230
Devon and Cornwall |1,627 |2,209 |2,939 |3,535
Dorset and Somerset |598 |876 |1,058 |1,273
Gloucester and Wiltshire |278 |539 |708 |797
West Midlands Region
Birmingham and Solihull |1,228 |2,086 |2,998 |3,555
Coventry and Warwickshire |551 |838 |1,134 |1,280
Dudley and Sandwell |926 |1,231 |1,410 |1,589
Staffordshire |769 |1,296 |1,748 |2,051
The Marches, Hereford and Worcester |616 |980 |1,279 |1,590
Wolverhampton and Walsall |863 |1,263 |1,672 |1,874
East Midlands and Eastern Region
Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire |309 |489 |835 |1,035
Derbyshire |726 |1,154 |1,520 |1,702
Leicestershire and Northamptonshire |707 |1,015 |1,352 |1,530
Lincolnshire |428 |540 |673 |802
Norfolk and Suffolk |755 |1,188 |1,404 |1,786
Nottinghamshire |973 |1,318 |1,785 |1,929
Yorkshire & Humberside Region
Bradford, Calderdale & Kirklees |1,400 |1,676 |2,506 |2,925
Humberside |2,016 |2,662 |3,267 |3,542
North Yorkshire & Leeds |907 |1,424 |2,154 |2,474
Sheffield & Rotherham |1,490 |2,294 |3,024 |3,461
Wakefield, Doncaster & Barnsley |1,561 |2,126 |2,913 |3,389
North West Region
Cheshire |850 |1,298 |1,699 |1,958
Cumbria |235 |382 |600 |773
Lancashire |1,465 |1,865 |2,420 |2,773
Central Manchester |1,346 |1,809 |2,372 |2,500
Greater Manchester North |714 |1,103 |1,469 |1,677
Greater Manchester East |848 |1,224 |1,589 |1,747
Merseyside |1,210 |2,197 |3,264 |3,889
Northern Region
Cleveland |1,520 |2,247 |2,984 |3,444
County Durham |898 |1,629 |2,259 |2,538
Northumberland, North Tyneside &
Newcastle |954 |1,130 |1,538 |2,022
Sunderland, South Tyneside & Gateshead |1,053 |2,063 |2,886 |3,538
Wales
Dyfed & West Glamorgan |944 |1,518 |1,943 |2,283
Gwent |198 |621 |868 |1,051
Gwynned, Clwyd & Powys |436 |993 |1,251 |1,582
Mid & South Glamorgan |735 |1,305 |1,934 |2,351
Scotland
Ayrshire, Dumfries & Galloway |451 |700 |1,060 |1,408
Central & Fife |753 |974 |1,267 |1,567
Glasgow City |836 |1,201 |1,621 |2,052
Grampian & Tayside |739 |1,078 |1,256 |1,409
Highlands & Islands |161 |214 |287 |340
Lanarkshire |406 |748 |1,104 |1,311
Lothian & Borders |490 |992 |1,558 |2,005
Renfrew, Dunbarton & Argyll |525 |701 |942 |1,197
Employment training: filled places by area office
Filled places as at:
Area office |30 September 1988|28 October 1988 |25 November 1988 |16 December 1988
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South East Region
Berkshire and Oxfordshire |223 |372 |483 |563
Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire |623 |853 |1,001 |1,110
Essex |455 |642 |772 |1,006
Hampshire and Isle of Wight |1,005 |1,315 |1,523 |1,730
Kent |760 |1,068 |1,365 |1,521
Surrey |146 |200 |267 |289
Sussex |587 |714 |842 |928
London Region
Inner London North |1,280 |2,258 |3,043 |3,484
Inner London South |956 |1,268 |1,698 |1,936
London East |832 |1,098 |1,421 |1,593
London North |897 |1,271 |1,813 |2,100
London South |389 |431 |614 |613
London West |248 |431 |631 |758
South West Region
Avon |484 |642 |1,037 |1,230
Devon and Cornwall |1,627 |2,209 |2,939 |3,535
Dorset and Somerset |598 |876 |1,058 |1,273
Gloucester and Wiltshire |278 |539 |708 |797
West Midlands Region
Birmingham and Solihull |1,228 |2,086 |2,998 |3,555
Coventry and Warwickshire |551 |838 |1,134 |1,280
Dudley and Sandwell |926 |1,231 |1,410 |1,589
Staffordshire |769 |1,296 |1,748 |2,051
The Marches, Hereford and Worcester |616 |980 |1,279 |1,590
Wolverhampton and Walsall |863 |1,263 |1,672 |1,874
East Midlands and Eastern Region
Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire |309 |489 |835 |1,035
Derbyshire |726 |1,154 |1,520 |1,702
Leicestershire and Northamptonshire |707 |1,015 |1,352 |1,530
Lincolnshire |428 |540 |673 |802
Norfolk and Suffolk |755 |1,188 |1,404 |1,786
Nottinghamshire |973 |1,318 |1,785 |1,929
Yorkshire & Humberside Region
Bradford, Calderdale & Kirklees |1,400 |1,676 |2,506 |2,925
Humberside |2,016 |2,662 |3,267 |3,542
North Yorkshire & Leeds |907 |1,424 |2,154 |2,474
Sheffield & Rotherham |1,490 |2,294 |3,024 |3,461
Wakefield, Doncaster & Barnsley |1,561 |2,126 |2,913 |3,389
North West Region
Cheshire |850 |1,298 |1,699 |1,958
Cumbria |235 |382 |600 |773
Lancashire |1,465 |1,865 |2,420 |2,773
Central Manchester |1,346 |1,809 |2,372 |2,500
Greater Manchester North |714 |1,103 |1,469 |1,677
Greater Manchester East |848 |1,224 |1,589 |1,747
Merseyside |1,210 |2,197 |3,264 |3,889
Northern Region
Cleveland |1,520 |2,247 |2,984 |3,444
County Durham |898 |1,629 |2,259 |2,538
Northumberland, North Tyneside &
Newcastle |954 |1,130 |1,538 |2,022
Sunderland, South Tyneside & Gateshead |1,053 |2,063 |2,886 |3,538
Wales
Dyfed & West Glamorgan |944 |1,518 |1,943 |2,283
Gwent |198 |621 |868 |1,051
Gwynned, Clwyd & Powys |436 |993 |1,251 |1,582
Mid & South Glamorgan |735 |1,305 |1,934 |2,351
Scotland
Ayrshire, Dumfries & Galloway |451 |700 |1,060 |1,408
Central & Fife |753 |974 |1,267 |1,567
Glasgow City |836 |1,201 |1,621 |2,052
Grampian & Tayside |739 |1,078 |1,256 |1,409
Highlands & Islands |161 |214 |287 |340
Lanarkshire |406 |748 |1,104 |1,311
Lothian & Borders |490 |992 |1,558 |2,005
Renfrew, Dunbarton & Argyll |525 |701 |942 |1,197
Column 545
Table file CW890110.030 not available
Income Support
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many 16 and 17-year-olds, by region, had made applications for income support on the ground of extreme hardship and how many had been granted it at the following dates : 23 and 30 September, 7, 14, 21 and 28 October and 4, 11, 18 and 25 November ; and how many
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at the same dates had been granted income support on the ground of being within exempted categories, shown by category.Mr. Peter Lloyd : I have been asked to reply. The number of applications from 16 and 17-year-olds for income support on grounds of severe hardship and the number of directions to enable benefit to be paid at each of the dates specified are in the following table :
Column 545
DSS Administrative Region
Cumulative totals Week |London North |London South |Midlands |North East |North West |Wales and South West |Scotland |Great Britain
Ending
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
23 September 1988 |Applications Received |21 |11 |25 |35 |33 |31 |54 |210
|Directions Given |18 |8 |20 |25 |19 |20 |33 |143
30 September 1988 |Applications Received |31 |23 |41 |70 |55 |49 |72 |341
|Directions Given |26 |20 |33 |50 |31 |31 |43 |234
7 October 1988 |Applications Received |48 |29 |56 |96 |73 |66 |99 |467
|Directions Given |39 |24 |43 |63 |44 |41 |57 |311
14 October 1988 |Applications Received |59 |43 |64 |118 |89 |78 |139 |590
|Directions Given |47 |36 |50 |77 |56 |50 |79 |395
21 October 1988 |Applications Received |69 |53 |87 |140 |105 |89 |160 |703
|Directions Given |52 |44 |70 |90 |66 |57 |87 |466
28 October 1988 |Applications Received |87 |61 |104 |160 |125 |99 |199 |835
|Directions Given |64 |50 |82 |103 |79 |60 |107 |545
4 November 1988 |Applications Received |98 |72 |117 |182 |139 |108 |227 |943
|Directions Given |71 |56 |92 |118 |83 |66 |121 |607
11 November 1988 |Applications Received |104 |79 |137 |197 |150 |117 |263 |1,047
|Directions Given |77 |63 |106 |128 |92 |74 |147 |687
18 November 1988 |Applications Received |118 |92 |150 |230 |176 |139 |308 |1,213
|Directions Given |86 |69 |114 |152 |107 |90 |184 |802
25 November 1988 |Applications Received |138 |104 |188 |279 |214 |159 |378 |1,460
|Directions Given |101 |75 |143 |184 |137 |104 |236 |980
Notes:
(1) Based on 100 per cent. count of applications received.
(2) Information relates to the number of applications rather than to the number of individual young people involved. Some individuals have made more than one application.
The number of awards of Income Support made to 16 and 17 year olds during September and October 1988 is given in the following table :
DSS Number of awards
Administrative
Region |For a limited period<1>|For an unlimited |Total
|period<2>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
London (North) |27 |57 |84
London (South) |32 |75 |107
Midlands |42 |103 |145
North Eastern |55 |105 |160
North Western |60 |119 |179
Wales and South West |38 |86 |124
Scotland |34 |49 |83
|--- |--- |---
Great Britain |288 |594 |882
<1>"Limited period" awards are those made under Schedule 1A to the Income Support (General Regulations)-limited to the
same period as the Child Benefit extension period.
<2>"Unlimited period" awards are those made under Schedule 1 to the Income Support (General Regulations)-no time limit.
Notes:
1. Information based on 100 per cent. count of awards made up to 31 October 1988 and represents the only information
readily available; weekly information and finer breakdown of categories could be made available only at
disproportionate cost.
2. Information relates to the number of awards rather than to the number of individuals involved. Some individuals may
have had more than one award.
SCOTLAND
Sheriff Courts (Small Claims Procedure)
Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many sheriff courts in Scotland had forms available for issue to the public and practitioners explaining the small claims procedures on 30 November 1988 and which courts did not ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : By 30 November all sheriff courts had had initial deliveries of small claims payment summonses. Small claims summonses for use in the less frequently raised actions of delivery and implement, and general explanatory material about the small claims procedure, were delivered to the courts by early December. Arrangements were also made for supplies of these forms to be issued by the Scottish Courts Administration direct to practitioners and others on request.
Column 548
Chicken Feed
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many plants producing feeding stuffs for chickens are in Scotland.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : There are 23 protein processing plants in Scotland, the products of which may be incorporated into a variety of livestock and poultry feeding stuffs.
Electricity Industry
Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will make available the regularity framework under which the electricity supply industry in Scotland will operate after privatisation.
Mr. Lang : I have today made copies of the draft model licence for the successor companies to the South of Scotland Electricity Board and the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board available to Members of the Standing Committee considering the Electricity Bill, and placed copies in the Library of both Houses accompanied by explanatory notes.
As vertically integrated utilities the Scottish companies will be licensed to generate, transmit and supply electricity. The licence for each company will be granted as a composite document containing the licences for each of these activities.
The licence contains conditions restricting the level of charges and providing for third parties to have access to the transmission and distribution systems of the licensee, conditions relating to technical and operating standards, arrangements for ensuring security of fuel supply, and consultation on employees' health and safety. It also contains conditions prohibiting cross-subsidy or discrimination and makes important provision for aspects of consumer relations and standards of service.
The licence as it will apply to the successor company to the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board contains a condition requiring the licensee to maintain common tariffs in his authorised supply area, pursuant to clause 3(2) of the Electricity Bill. The licensees will be required to provide information to the Director General of Electricity Supply and to pay fees to cover regulatory costs.
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