| Previous Section | Home Page |
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many of the jobs lost in Docklands since 1981 were held by residents of Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Newham, Lewisham and Greenwich; (2) if he will give an estimate of the proportion of construction jobs in the London Docklands Development Corporation area in 1988 that are held by residents of Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Newham, Lewisham and Greenwich; (3) how many of the newly created jobs in the London Docklands Development Corporation area since 1981 have been taken by (i) women, (ii) people from ethnic minority groups and (iii) people who were previously unemployed; and how many are part-time jobs.
Mr. Trippier : This information is not collected, or could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Column 349
Canary Wharf
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total amount of capital allowances that the developers of Canary wharf are eligible to claim.
Mr. Norman Lamont : I have been asked to reply.
No information on expenditure is yet available for this development but commercial confidentiality will almost certainly preclude publication of figures.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Prisons
Mr. Irving : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was (a) the original estimated cost and (b) the actual cost of Wayland, Stocken, Thorn Cross, Full Sutton, Littlehey, Mount, Swaleside and Garth prisons.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The information requested is set out in the table. Figures for original estimated construction cost vary from establishment to establishment in the light of location, individual requirements and the date of assessment. No uprating of these figures for inflation has been made. By contrast, actual costs take account of inflation, as well as changes in price during the course of the contract, changes in content, or circumstances such as bad weather which may cause delay.
Prison |Original Estimated Cost|Actual Cost
|£ millions |£ millions
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wayland |15.10 |22.60
Stocken |11.92 |13.16
Thorn Cross |7.80 |11.56
Full Sutton |17.80 |29.85
Littlehey |12.96 |29.80
Mount |17.60 |24.90
Swaleside |21.73 |27.34
Garth |20.70 |41.15
Mr. Irving : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated cost of Brinsford, Lindholme II, Whitemoor, Bullingdon, Woolwich, Lancaster Farms, Milton Keynes, Swaleside II, Banstead, Ashford, Doncaster, Hewell Grange, Teesside, Kirkham and Rochdale prisons.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The information requested is set out in tables A and B. Table A refers to those projects where the main construction contract has been let and where it is thus possible to provide a reasonably accurate estimate of costs. Table B relates to projects where the main construction contract has yet to be let and consequently the estimated costs shown are liable to fluctuate depending on the price levels pertaining at the time the contract is let. The cost estimates in both tables which are at current 1988-89 price levels include, where appropriate, VAT and site purchase costs and are subject to adjustment to reflect agreed cost increases in the construction industry.
Column 350
Table B --------------------------------------- Lancaster Farms |45.00 Swaleside II |65.00 High Down (Banstead) |75.00 Doncaster |65.00 Hewell Grange |55.00 Holme House Farm (Teeside) |45.00 Ashford, Kirkholme and Rochdale- These projects are at an early stage of planning and it is not possible to estimate with accuracy overall project costs.owever, as these projects are to be modelled on the new prison design brief they are likely at current price levels (excluding any site purchase costs) to costin the region of £55-60 million each.
Table B --------------------------------------- Lancaster Farms |45.00 Swaleside II |65.00 High Down (Banstead) |75.00 Doncaster |65.00 Hewell Grange |55.00 Holme House Farm (Teeside) |45.00 Ashford, Kirkholme and Rochdale- These projects are at an early stage of planning and it is not possible to estimate with accuracy overall project costs.owever, as these projects are to be modelled on the new prison design brief they are likely at current price levels (excluding any site purchase costs) to costin the region of £55-60 million each.
Missing Persons
Miss Lestor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated number of missing persons under 18 years of age.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. and learned Member for Leicester, West (Mr. Janner) on 5 December 1988 at column 30 .
Criminal Injuries (Compensation)
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average current delay in dealing with criminal injuries compensation claims.
Mr. John Patten : Information in this form is not available, but the percentage of cases resolved by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board within certain periods of registration is shown in paragraph 6 of its latest annual report (Cm. 536), copies of which are in the Library.
The figures for 1987-88 are :
|Per cent.
----------------------------------------
Up to three months |1.5
Three to six months |2.6
Six to nine months |6.7
Nine to 12 months |20.0
Over 12 months |69.2
Metropolitan Police (Property)
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of properties in the Greater London area owned by the Metropolitan police which are empty ; how many are surplus to requirements ; how many are being repaired ; how many are planned to be sold ; how many are leased to local councils, giving the figures by London borough ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 351
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that on 1 January 1989 there were 409 empty properties owned by the Metropolitan police in the Metropolitan police district. Of these, 102 were surplus to requirements and are planned to be sold. The remaining 307 are either being repaired or are due for repair.
Fifteen other properties are leased by the Metropolitan police to London borough councils as follows :
|Number
-----------------------------------
Bromley |1
Greenwich |1
Harrow |8
Kingston upon Thames |2
Sutton |2
Wandsworth |1
Wandsworth Prison (Rule 43)
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of inmates on rule 43 in Wandsworth prison on 1 January.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The number was 391.
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the forensic science service has refused to carry out tests on samples and tissue from suspected AIDS sufferers.
Ayten Mete
Mr. Sedgemore : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will give full details of the reasons for the refusal of the immigration officer to allow Ayten Mete
(EAT/RLE/135/89) from Turkey to visit her relatives ;
(2) if he wil instruct the immigration officer to reconsider his refusal to allow Ayten Mete to visit her relatives in Britain ; (3) if he will make a statement about the immigration officer's refusal to allow Ayten Mete from Turkey to visit her relatives in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Renton : Ayten Mete was refused entry at Gatwick in accordance with the immigration rules because the immigration officer was not satisfied that she was genuinely seeking entry for the period of her visit as stated by her. It will be open to her to exercise her right of appeal abroad.
Following the introduction on 3 January of new guidelines on the handling of representations by right hon. and hon. Members in immigration cases which were fully debated in this House on 10 November, I am not prepared to instruct the immigration officer to reconsider his decision, nor to take any other action not in accordance with those guidelines.
Mr. Ishan Barbouti
Mr. Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the residential status in the United Kingdom of Mr. Ishan Barbouti.
Mr. Renton : He has refugee status and has been settled here with no conditions attached to his stay since 1984.
Column 352
Mr. Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is in possession of the contract for the building of a pharmaceutical plant at Rabta, Libya lodged by Mr. Ishan Barbouti with his Department along with an application for citizenship in June 1987.
Mr. Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what inquiries he has received from the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany in relation to Mr. Ishan Barbouti.
Passengers (Embarkation Cards)
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what powers he requires passengers leaving the United Kingdom to complete embarkation cards ; what questions passengers are required to answer ; what penalties are imposed on those passengers who refuse to answer all or any of the questions ; what officials issue and collect these cards ; and how the information collected is stored.
Mr. Renton : The power to require passengers embarking in the United Kingdom to produce an embarkation card is contained in paragraph 5 of schedule 2 to the Immigration Act 1971, as applied by the Immigration (Landing and Embarkation Cards) Order 1975. The embarkation card asks passengers to give their full name, sex, date and place of birth, nationality, occupation, address in the United Kingdom and passport number. Immigration officers require certain passengers to produce to them completed cards upon embarkation. To this end, an officer may issue a card to a passenger on his arrival in the United Kingdom ; cards are also available from other sources such as carrying companies. A person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to complete and produce an embarkation card if so required is liable on conviction to a fine of up to £1,000, or to imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. The information contained on cards filled in by passengers in controlled categories is initially stored on computer and is retained on microfiche.
Citizenship
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he does not allow those who assist applicants to apply for British citizenship also to act as referees for their application ; when this ruling was reached ; and what action was taken to advise applicants and their representatives of the ruling.
Mr. Renton : It has always been a requirement that referees should be independent of the applicant. Solicitors and agents are excluded. This is explained in the guide given, with the applications form, to all applicants for naturalisation.
Drink-driving
Mr. Hind : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has reviewed the continuing need for the non-statutory blood or urine option in drink-drive cases ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hurd : The average take-up rate for the non-statutory option fell from 36 per cent. in April 1984 to
Column 353
around 14 per cent. by the end of 1985, and has remained at about that level ever since. The last full year for which statistics are available is 1986, when almost 8,000 motorists exercised the non-statutory option. Of these, only some 20 or so cases have been identified where the analysis of the blood or urine specimen produced a reading below the prescribed limit. This can largely be attributed to delays between providing the breath and blood or urine samples. As Sir William Paton found in his report on the monitoring of evidential breath testing machines in 1986, there is nothing to suggest that evidential breath testing machines are not reliable. I have therefore decided that the non-statutory option should be discontinued. This should allow significant savings in police costs.Attacks on Women
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes of (a) rape, (b) sexual harassment of women and (c) sexual attacks on women have been committed in the county of South Yorkshire during 1987 and 1988 to date ; on how many such occasions the victims were attended to by a woman police surgeon ; and if he has any plans to increase the number of women police surgeons employed.
Mr. John Patten [holding answer 19 January 1989] : There is no legal offence of sexual harassment ; the available information on recorded sexual offences is given in the following table. Such information is published annually in table 3.1 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales", supplementary tables, volume 3, a copy of which is in the Library. I understand from the South Yorkshire police that 22 victims in 1987 and 11 victims in 1988 were attended by women police surgeons. The employment of civilian staff is a matter for individual chief officers of police.
Certain sexual offences recorded by the police in South Yorkshire Number Offence |1987 |1988<1> ---------------------------------------------- Rape |73 |51 Indecent assault on a female |357 |272 <1> January to September.
Football Matches (Arrests)
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will detail the total number of arrests within English and Welsh grounds during league and cup matches as a percentage of total attendances ;
(2) if he will detail the arrests which took place at English and Welsh football matches during 1987-88 on the same basis as in the reply of the Secretary of State for Scotland to the hon. Member for Cunninghame, North (Mr. Wilson) of 13 January, Official Report, columns 785-86 ;
(3) if he will arrange for the statistics of arrests within English and Welsh football grounds to be compiled on the same basis as those for Scotland.
Mr. Douglas Hogg [holding answer 19 January 1989] : The available figures for arrests at matches in England and Wales do not distinguish between those made in and near the grounds ; and they relate only to Football League matches. For these I refer the hon. Member to the reply by
Column 354
my hon. Friend the Minister for Sport on 19 December to a question from the hon. Member for Derbyshire, North-East (Mr. Barnes) at columns 55-58. The total number of arrests as a percentage of those attending Football League matches in England and Wales during the 1987-88 season was 0.03. I do not propose to ask the Association of Chief Police Officers to change the basis of their collection of statistics. It would result in the loss of comparative data for earlier seasons and exclude arrests directly connected with matches where they did not occur within the confines of grounds.THE ARTS
Departmental Staff
Mr. Sean Hughes : To ask the Minister for the Arts what is the number of staff in his office, by grade, in receipt of local pay additions outside London and the south-east economic planning region ; what are the different amounts paid to staff by grade ; whether this figure varies due to location ; what qualifying period of scale-related criteria is used ; and whether this varies by location.
Mr. Luce : None. The Office of Arts and Libraries is located in central London.
Royal Opera House
Mr. McNamara : To ask the Minister for the Arts what was the average subsidy per individual attending performances at the royal opera house, Covent Garden, during 1988.
Mr. Luce : The overall average subsidy per capita was £21.81 in the financial year 1987-88. The Royal Opera gave 147 performances to a total audience of 284,000 at an average subsidy per capita of £22.94. The Royal Ballet gave 113 performances to a total audience of 203,000 at an average subsidy per capita of £20.25.
HEALTH
Medical Negligence and Accidents
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he plans to meet representatives of the British Medical Association to discuss the treatment of victims of medical accidents and medical negligence.
Mr. Mellor : They have not requested such a meeting.
Silicosis
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the incidence of silicosis per 1,000 population in (a) County Durham, (b) west midlands and (c) Surrey in the last year for which figures are available.
Mr. Freeman : Information about the incidence of silicosis is not available centrally. Silicosis is not separately identified within hospital in-patient inquiry data but is included under
pneumoconiosis. In 1985 the estimated number of in-patient cases treated in NHS hospitals with a main diagnosis of pneumoconiosis was 640. Sample numbers are too small for reliable estimates to be made below national level.
Column 355
The annual report of the Health and Safety Commission in its tables of cases of occupational diseases awarded benefit includes figures on those suffering from pneumoconiosis. A copy of the report is in the Library.NHS Technical Staff
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has any plans to review the salaries of technical staff working within the National Health Service.
Mr. Mellor : The pay of technical staff is a matter for negotiation in the professional and technical staffs B Whitley council. We understand that the management side of the council is currently reviewing the grade structures of a number of technical staff groups.
Listeria
Mrs. Wise : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has commissioned on the increase in listeriosis.
Mr. Freeman : The public health laboratory service is conducting a national survey of retailed and National Health Service cooked chilled food for the presence of listeria, and is undertaking detailed studies to assess the role of contaminated food in causing human cases of listeriosis. In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food have commissioned urgent research into areas such as the cooking conditions required to kill listeria monocytogenes in poultry meat, and the physical aspects of microwave cooking. As soon as the appropriate scientific evidence is available from these and other outside studies, we will consider together with MAFF whether any further action is required.
General Practitioners (London)
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners there are in each of the regional health authorities covering Greater London.
Mr. Mellor : The information requested is collected for family practitioner committees, which are not necessarily conterminous with health authority boundaries, and aggregated by region. Figures for the Thames regions at 1 October 1987 are as follows :
Number of unrestricted general
medical practitioners
|Number
--------------------------------
South East Thames |1,933
South West Thames |1,537
North East Thames |1,992
North West Thames |1,971
Exhaust Fumes
Mr. Bidwell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has any estimate of National Health Service costs due to lung disease cases attributable to inhaling exhaust fumes.
Mr. Freeman : Information on cases of lung disease resulting from inhalation of exhaust fumes is not collected centrally ; no estimate of costs is therefore available.
Column 356
Radiation
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations he has received since the publication of the report on the incident in radiotherapy department at the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital and the implementation of the recommendations contained in it concerning (a) the grading of the post of the head of department, (b) the number of physicists employed and (c) levels of supervision required to maintain safety ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : None. It is for Exeter health authority to make appropriate arrangements for the effective management of the radiotherapy department at the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many oral parliamentary questions he has answered by written reply because the question was not reached at Question Time, for the most recent year for which figures are available.
Mr. Mellor : Since it was created in July 1988 the Department of Health has answered oral questions on two occasions. Up to the end of 1988, 161 oral questions were tabled to the Secretary of State for Health, of which 137 received a written reply.
Prior to the division of the Department of Health and Social Security, a total of 950 oral questions were tabled to the Secretary of State for Social Services during the 1987-88 Session. Of these, 822 received a written reply.
These figures do not include oral questions which were subsequently withdrawn, unstarred or transferred to other Departments.
Oswestry District Hospital
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there are any proposals to sell the Oswestry district hospital.
Mr. Freeman : We understand that officers of Shropshire health authority have been approached by a number of parties interested in purchasing the Oswestry district hospital when it is closed. Disposal of the site is a matter for the district and regional health authorities. The hon. Member may wish to write to the chairman of Shropshire health authority for further information.
Abortions
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many private sector clinics and hospitals performing late abortions were inspected to ensure that they have immediate access to resuscitation equipment in the event that the child is born alive in each year since 1967 ; and how many in each year were found to be contravening this requirement ;
(2) how many National Health Service clinics and hospitals performing late abortions were inspected, to ensure that they have immediate access to resuscitation equipment in the event that the child is born alive, in each year since 1967 ; and how many in each year were found to be contravening this requirement.
Mr. Freeman : Inspection of equipment within NHS premises is a matter for individual health authorities.
Column 357
In the private sector formal requirements that resuscitation equipment should be available on the premises were introduced in 1976 and since that time places approved to perform late abortions have received at least one visit a year from departmental medical and nursing officers in which its availability is monitored. We have no record of any contravention of this requirement.In addition, health authorities have a statutory duty under the Nursing Homes and Mental Nursing Homes Regulations 1984 to inspect private hospitals not less than twice in every period of 12 months to ensure that they provide and maintain adequate medical, surgical and nursing equipment.
AIDS
Mr. Harris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has yet received the second report on AIDS and drug misuse from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mellor : The council submitted its report on 10 January. We intend to publish the report quickly and make copies widely available.
Thalassaemia
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money is given by his Department for research into the prevention and treatment of thalassaemia.
Mr. Freeman [holding answer 16 January 1989] : The Department is not directly funding research into the prevention and treatment of thalassaemia.
The main agency through which the Government support medical and related biological research is the Medical Research Council (MRC), which receives a grant-in-aid from the Department of Education and Science. I understand that the MRC is funding a number of research projects into the prevention and treatment of thalassaemia.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Personal Allowances
Mr. Robert G. Hughes : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the rise in real terms of the married man's personal allowance during the period 1974 to 1979, and the period 1980 to 1988.
Mr. Norman Lamont : Between 1973-74 and 1978-79, the married man's income tax allowance fell, in real terms, by just over 5 per cent. Since then it has been increased by almost 28 per cent. The real increase since 1979-80 has been 25 per cent.
Personal Taxation
Mr. Allen : To as the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much a person on average earnings pays as a proportion of his total income in all direct and indirect taxes including value-added tax and national insurance.
Mr. Norman Lamont : It is estimated that a married man on average earnings with no children currently pays 39.5 per cent. of his earnings in income tax, national insurance contributions and indirect taxes (excluding local authority rates).
Column 358
Budget (Representations)
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received in advance of the Budget.
Mr. Norman Lamont : My right hon. Friend has received a large number of representations covering a variety of proposals.
Heavy Fuels Duty
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total revenue received, in the last year for which figures are available, from the duty on heavy fuels used in power stations.
Mr. Lilley : I regret that the information is not readily available.
Exchange Rate Policy
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the latest exchange rate policy.
Mr. Lilley : The Government's policy is unchanged. The need to reduce inflation is paramount and a firm exchange rate is essential to achieve this objective.
Inflation
Mr. Illsley : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many countries in the European Community have a lower rate of inflation than the current rate in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Lilley : The latest available figures suggest that nine European Community countries have a lower rate of inflation than the current rate in the United Kingdom.
| Next Section
| Home Page |