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22. Mr. Gow : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to complete the review of the workings of the inter- governmental conference set up under the Anglo-Irish Agreement.
23. Mr. McCusker : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the completion of the review of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.
33. Mr. Ashdown : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the progress of the review of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.
Mr. Tom King : I have had discussions with Irish Ministers about the review of the workings of the intergovernmental conference under article 11 the Anglo-Irish Agreement at the meetings of the conference on 2 November, 14 December and 8 February.
36. Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received concerning the review of the operation of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.
Mr. Tom King : I have received a number of contributions from members of the public, political parties
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and other interested bodies in response to my invitation to them to submit views on the working of the intergovernmental conference under article 11 of the agreement. Contributions are still coming in. They will all be carefully considered.Proscribed Organisations
16. Mr. Maginnis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes he has recently considered making to the list of paramilitary and associated organisations presently proscribed under the Emergency Provisions (Northern Ireland) Act.
Mr. Ian Stewart : The status of a number of organisations in Northern Ireland is kept under close review.
Students (Age Participation)
17. Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give the age participation rate for students from Northern Ireland in higher education in 1979, the latest such figure and his projection for the year 2000 ; and if he will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : The age participation rate in Northern Ireland in 1979-80 was 16.3, and in 1986-87 was 20.6. No projection has yet been made for the year 2000.
These figures incorporate both a continuing improvement in the academic standards achieved by school leavers in Northern Ireland and an increased willingness to enter higher education.
Criminal Justice (Pressure Groups)
19. Mr. John Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he last met a pressure group in the criminal justice field ; and what was discussed.
Mr. Ian Stewart : The Secretary of State regularly meets representative groups in Northern Ireland to discuss a wide range of issues. If the hon. Member has a specific group in mind, I will endeavour to provide the particulars requested.
Century Newspapers (Transfer)
20. Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received about the proposed transfer of ownership of Century Newspapers to Thomson Regional Newspapers ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Viggers : My right hon. Friend has received two representations about the proposed transfer of ownership which has been referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission by my right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
Watercourses (South Antrim)
21. Mr. Clifford Forsythe : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the designated watercourses within the South Antrim constituency.
Mr. Viggers : The list of designated main, minor and urban watercourses within the South Antrim constituency is lengthy, and I will write to the hon. Gentleman with the requested information.
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Education Pressure Groups
24. Mr. Henderson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent representations he has received from education pressure groups.
Dr. Mawhinney : I have received a large number of representations, written and oral, on a wide range of educational topics. These include representations on the proposals on education reform, school development proposals, the consultative paper on the public library service, the introduction of a student loans scheme, the transfer procedure and funding for the provision of sport, recreation, arts, museums, libraries, youth and community services. I have had meetings with representatives from interested groups on many of these subjects.
28. Mr. Ted Garrett : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent representations he has received from education pressure groups.
Dr. Mawhinney : I have received a large number of representations, written and oral, on a wide range of educational topics. These include representations on the proposals on education reform, school development proposals, the consultative paper on the public library service, the introduction of a student loans scheme, the transfer procedure and funding for the provision of sport, recreation, arts, museums, libraries, youth and community services. I have had meetings with representatives from interested groups on many of these subjects.
29. Ms. Armstrong : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent meetings he has held with education pressure groups.
Dr. Mawhinney : During the past three months I have met various representatives from education pressure groups. These have included the Association of Head Teachers in Secondary Schools, the National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers, the National Association of Head Teachers (NI), the Association of Governing Bodies of Grammar Schools in Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Youth Forum, the Northern Bishops and a delegation from Ballymena boys and girls high schools.
Criminal Justice
25. Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he last met the judiciary in Northern Ireland to discuss criminal justice in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Ian Stewart : The Secretary of State has not met the judiciary for this purpose.
Prison Reform
26. Mr. Bidwell : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he last met a pressure group campaigning for a reform of the prison system.
Mr. Ian Stewart : My right hon. Friend and I meet various statutory and other bodies with an interest in prison matters from time to time. The last such occasion when prison matters were raised was not by a pressure group but during a meeting between my right hon. Friend and the statutory Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights on 16 January 1989.
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Terrorism Legislation
27. Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received from the judiciary in Northern Ireland concerning the Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1988 and the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Bill 1988.
Mr. Tom King : Any representation which I might receive from judges in Northern Ireland would be confidential.
Fibre-Optic Links (EC)
31. Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received regarding the provision and modernisation of fibre-optic links in Northern Ireland to improve links with the European Community ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Viggers : I have not received any such representations. Under the STAR programme we have agreed with the European Community that funding will be available from the European regional development fund for :
(i) an optical fibre ring within Northern Ireland ;
(ii) an optical fibre link from Northern Ireland to Great Britain ; and
(iii) an optical fibre link between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Security
32. Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the current security situation.
34. Mr. Leigh : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the security position in Northern Ireland.
40. Rev. Ian Paisley : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the security situation in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Tom King : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Londonderry, East (Mr. Ross).
Privatisation
35. Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in implementing Her Majesty's Government's policy on privatisation in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Viggers : Negotiations are continuing with parties interested in acquiring Harland and Wolff. An information memorandum was issued on 10 January to a selected number of possible acquirers of Shorts and more detailed discussions will take place with them. The Government are at present considering a report by consultants on the options available for privatising Northern Ireland Electricity, and it will make its proposals known in due course.
Police-Military Co-operation
37. Mr. Cyril D. Townsend : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he is taking steps to improve
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the level of co-operation between police and military in Northern Ireland ; and what assessment he has made of whether there are sufficient joint headquarters.Mr. Tom King : Close co-operation between the police and Army is essential if anti-terrorist operations in Northern Ireland are to be fully effective. This matter is kept under careful review and is regularly discussed at security meetings under my chairmanship. The Chief Constable of the RUC and the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland have recently established a number of joint operations rooms in order to enhance the present high level of co-operation. Others will be in operation shortly.
Republic of Ireland (Ministerial Meetings)
38. Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will next have meetings with Ministers of the Government of the Republic of Ireland ; and what matters will be discussed.
Mr. Tom King : I met Irish Ministers at the meeting of the intergovernmental conference in London yesterday ; a copy of the joint statement issued after the meeting, which also lists the subjects discussed, has been placed in the Library.
Terrorism
39. Mr. Flannery : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the steps he is taking within the Province to combat the ability of terrorist groups to act outside the Province.
Mr. Tom King : The Royal Ulster Constabulary and Garda Siochana maintain close liaison to combat terrorism. In particular the Chief Constable of the RUC, the Commissioner of the Garda Siochana and senior members of both forces have regular discussions on security matters under the auspices of the Anglo-Irish intergovernmental conference. There is also regular contact between the RUC and other law enforcement agencies in Britain, United States of America and Europe.
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about Libya's sponsorship of IRA terrorism.
Mr. Tom King : We have firm evidence that Libya has been responsible in the past for supplying substantial quantities of weapons and explosives to the Provisional IRA. This connection has been well illustrated during the last three years by recoveries of arms both in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland which can clearly be traced back to Libyan origins.
Both this Government and the Irish Government are committed to working together unremittingly to deny the terrorists and their weapons a hiding place anywhere in Ireland. It is also vital to maintain and increase
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international co-operation in the fight against state-sponsored terrorism in our efforts to prevent further weapons of death and destruction reaching their destination in Ireland, or elsewhere. It is a credit to the security forces on both sides of the border that a significant quantity of Libyan supplied arms and explosives have been recovered in recent years.Conway Mill
Mr. Greg Knight : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will indicate the Government's policy on public funding of projects in Conway Mill with particular regard to applications for assistance from the International Fund for Ireland.
Mr. Tom King : Government policy on the payment of public funds to community groups, where there is evidence that such payments could directly or indirectly further the aims of a paramilitary organisation, is set out in the parliamentary statement of 27 June 1985 by the then Secretary of State. The nature and extent of paramilitary influence within Conway Mill is such that this policy has been applied to groups operating in or out of the Mill. Whilst I have reviewed the situation I am satisfied from the information available to me that influence remains such as to justify the continued withholding of funds to such groups in accordance with the terms of the parliamentary statement.
Article 3 of the bilateral agreement of 18 September 1986 between the Governments of the United Kingdom and Ireland on the International Fund for Ireland provides that disbursements from the Fund shall be consistent with the economic and social policies and priorities of the respective Governments. I have accordingly indicated to the board of the fund that it would be inconsistent with the social and economic policies of this Government if the fund were to provide assistance to any body operating in or out of Conway Mill.
It is, on the other hand a most important aspect of our policies to stimulate development and activity in the more deprived areas of Belfast, including, of course, west Belfast. In this context, we welcome the initiatives taken by the International Fund for Ireland, within its programmes, to provide extra help for disadvantaged areas, including west Belfast. I understand that they have further proposals to that end under consideration.
Public Housing
Mr. McCusker : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list all the public authority housing built in Northern Ireland since 1960 which has been demolished, or is scheduled for demolition, by district council area.
Mr. Needham : This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, and the chief executive has advised me that the information requested is as follows :
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|Dwellings
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Antrim Borough Council
Parkhall Estate | 4
Stiles Estate | 4
Armagh District Council
Drumarg Park | 6
Ballymena Borough Council
Doury Road | 14 including 4 Flats
Ballykeel Estate | 5
Belfast City Council
Ballysillan/Benview |200 Flats and Maisonettes
California Close | 58 Flats and Maisonettes
Divis |699 Flats and Maisonettes
Eglinton Street | 65 Flats and Maisonettes
Moyard |308 Flats and Maisonettes
Sherbrook Way/Upper Townsend Street |225 Flats and Maisonettes
Springhill Estate |194
Sheridan Street | 30 Flats and Maisonettes
Turf Lodge |294 Flats and Maisonettes
Unity |315 Flats and Maisonettes
Springmartin | 19
Manor Street | 19
Forthriver Road | 32 Flats
Carrickfergus Borough Council
Greenisland Estate | 1
Craigavon Borough Council
Churchill Park, Portadown |100
Ennis Close, Lurgan | 81 Flats and Maisonettes
Ardowen, Brownlow | 40
Drumbeg North, Brownlow | 4
Drumbeg South, Brownlow | 14
Legahory Green, Brownlow | 81
Rathmore, Brownlow |272
Rosmoyle, Brownlow |116
Maylinn, Brownlow |194
Derry City Council
Rossville |178 Flats
Meenan Square | 15 Flats
Carranbane Walk | 5 Flats
Moyola Drive | 24 Flats
Down District Council
Dreenan Place, Downpatrick | 13
Dungannon District Council
Ballygawley Road, Dungannon | 6
Fermanagh District Council
Derrin Park, Enniskillen | 48 Maisonettes
Lisburn Borough Council
Drumbeg Drive, Old Warren | 7
Newry and Mourne District Council
Derrybeg Park, Newry | 30
Newtownabbey Borough Council
Derryhill, Rathcoole | 20 Flats
Erskine Park, Ballyclare | 11
North Down Borough Council
Bloomfield Estate, Bangor | 1
Strabane District Council
Drumrallagh Estate | 7
Deaf People (Services)
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many qualified social workers with specialist training for work with people who are deaf are currently employed in Northern Ireland by (a) health and social services boards, (b) voluntary organisations and (c) other bodies ; how many have completed training in each of the last five years ; what action he is taking to increase their number ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Needham [holding answer 8 February 1989] : The numbers of qualified social workers with training for work with deaf people currently employed in health and social services boards are shown in the table :
|Number
-----------------------
Eastern |12
Southern |3
Western |1
Northern |4
Information is not held centrally on the numbers employed in voluntary organisations and other bodies.
In each of the years 1984 and 1985, one member of staff completed a post qualifying course. No post qualifying training has been available since the closure of the course at Moray house, Edinburgh, in 1985, but the Department of Health will be providing financial assistance for the development of a course at the Open university, which is expected to start in 1991. Considerable interest is already being expressed in Northern Ireland in an Open university course.
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many interpreters for the deaf are employed by public bodies in Northern Ireland ; how many have been trained in each of the last five years ; what action he is taking to increase their number ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 8 February 1989] : There are no interpreters for the deaf employed on a full-time basis by public bodies in Northern Ireland. There are, however, four qualified interpreters who provide a service to the deaf in addition to their normal employment or duties. Two other people (not employed by public bodies) have passed stage III examinations in communication skills set by the Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People, and it is expected they will go on to undertake specialist interpreters training. A local branch of the Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People was set up in Northern Ireland in 1987 with the help of a £35,000 seeding grant from the Department of Health and Social Services. It is working in partnership with health and social services boards to improve the communication skills of staff and there are now over 20 classes providing courses for a range of interests including social workers, nurses, day centre staff, other professionals and interested members of the public. British sign language courses have increased in number, and the first lip reading course was held last September.
Police and Criminal Evidence Order
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to complete his deliberations on the proposed draft Police and Criminal Evidence Order 1988.
Mr. Ian Stewart : Since some responses to the proposal for a draft Police and Criminal Evidence Order published last July were not received until towards the end of the year, I am still in the process of considering them. I expect to complete the task within the next few weeks.
Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to lay the Police and Criminal Evidence Order before the House.
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Mr. Ian Stewart : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen.)
After consideration of responses is completed, some time will be needed for checking and printing the text, but I hope the whole process will not take more than two or three months in all.
EMPLOYMENT
Employment Training Scheme (Cheshire)
Mr. Goodlad : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people in Cheshire are now participating in the Government's employment training scheme.
Mr. Nicholls : At 27 January 1989 there were 2,340 trainees on employment training in Cheshire.
Retired People (Re-employment)
Mr. Dykes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will consider initiatives to encourage people at or over the conventional age of retirement to seek re-employment on a part-time or full-time basis.
Mr. Nicholls : The Government have no current plans to introduce initiatives of this nature.
Labour Statistics
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the rate of women's unemployment for 1979 and 1988.
Mr. Lee : The annual average rates of unemployment, consistent with the current coverage, among women in the United Kingdom for the years 1979 and 1988 were 4 per cent. and 8.1 per cent. respectively.
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current rate of unemployment on Merseyside.
Mr. Lee : In December 1988 the unemployment rate for Merseyside was 15.9 per cent.
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the total number of employees in employment who were receiving training in the appropriate survey period from the labour force survey and as a percentage of all employees for each of the standard regions, Scotland and Wales in each of the years 1983 to 1987, inclusive.
Mr. Lee [holding answer 7 February 1989] : Estimates from the 1983 labour force survey of employees receiving training are not available on a comparable basis with later years. Estimates from labour force surveys for the years 1984 to 1987 inclusive, as requested, are shown in the table :
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Employees of Working Age Receiving Job-Related Training-Great Britain, Spring Estimates
thousands and per cent.
1984 1985 1986 1987
Region |thousands|per cent.|thousands|per cent.|thousands|per cent.|thousands|per cent.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |91 |8.7 |95 |9.3 |120 |11.3 |136 |12.6
Yorkshire and Humberside |153 |8.6 |165 |9.4 |178 |10.1 |194 |11.1
East Midlands |137 |9.3 |152 |10.3 |170 |11.3 |156 |10.6
East Anglia |60 |8.4 |82 |11.5 |96 |12.9 |87 |11.6
South East |696 |10.5 |793 |11.8 |799 |11.9 |888 |13.2
South West |160 |10.4 |192 |11.9 |171 |10.8 |204 |12.3
West Midlands |146 |8.0 |170 |9.1 |201 |10.4 |222 |11.7
North West |172 |7.8 |224 |9.9 |216 |9.6 |268 |11.9
Wales |67 |7.7 |74 |8.3 |91 |10.2 |87 |9.7
Scotland |143 |7.9 |144 |7.8 |135 |7.5 |139 |7.7
Great Britain |1,826 |9.2 |2,090 |10.4 |2,177 |10.8 |2,382 |11.7
1. Men aged 16-64, women aged 16-59.
2. Those who in the four weeks prior to interview had taken part in any education or training connected with their
job, or a job that they might be able to do in the future.
Source: Labour Force Surveys.
Employment Training
Mr. Jack : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the part being played by the employment training programme in training the unemployed for jobs in the tourism industry.
Mr. Nicholls : Employment training is playing a valuable part in training unemployed people for jobs in tourism. Several training managers in tourist areas have identified placements with employers in the tourism industry, and are already helping trainees to get training in hotels and catering and related leisure activities. I am pleased with the progress so far.
Safety (Agriculture)
Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will seek to amend the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act to allow for the appointment of safety representatives within the agriculture industry.
Mr. Nicholls : No. The Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 already allow for the appointment of safety representatives within the agriculture industry.
Horse Racing
Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many prosecutions for breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act have been brought against companies involved in the equestrian and horse racing industry in each of the last five years for which records are available.
Mr. Nicholls : During the period 1 April 1983 to 31 March 1988 there were two prosecutions--one in 1986, and one in 1987--brought against companies involved in the equestrian and horse racing industry.
Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many visits have been made to horse racing and equestrian establishments by the health and safety inspectorate, in each of the last five years for which records are available.
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Mr. Nicholls : This information is not separately recorded and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many workers from the equestrian and horse racing industry have been permanently disabled as a result of accidents at work, in each of the last five years for which records are available.
Mr. Nicholls : The information requested is not available.
Disabled People
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to strengthen the quota system for the employment of disabled people.
Mr. Lee : The quota scheme is among the matters being considered in the internal review of services to people with disabilities which my Department has been undertaking.
Channel Tunnel
Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many Health and Safety Executive inspectors are permanently dedicated to all aspects of work on the Channel tunnel ;
(2) how many health and Safety Executive inspectors are based at the Channel tunnel complex of works.
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