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Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total number of surplus school places available for removal represented by decisions made by him or pending in respect of proposals for the closure or reorganisation of schools.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : The number of surplus places planned to be taken out of use following my approval of statutory school reorganisation proposals since May 1986 is 103,500. In addition substantial numbers of surplus places have been removed as a result of other action by LEAs, such as removing temporary classrooms, rationalising split sites, and mothballing surplus classroom accommodation. The remainder of the question can be answered only at disproportionate cost.
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Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to announce his decisions in respect of applications for grant-maintained status.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my hon. Friend gave on 24 January at column 476.
Medical Students (Top-up Loans)
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations have been received concerning the introduction of top-up loans for medical students ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : About 200--mostly from hon. Members, who will receive a full reply.
Examination Statistics
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Pembroke on 13 February, Official Report, column 5, concerning A-level, O-level and CSE examinations sat and achieved as a percentage of the year group, when the information requested will be available on the same basis as was provided on 11 January 1988, Official Report, columns 42-46.
Mrs. Rumbold : The information given in the table is presented in terms of leavers from maintained schools in England in 1986-87. This is on the same basis as provided to my hon. Friend in the Official Report for 11 January 1988, columns 42-46 for the year 1985-86.
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|c|School leavers 1986-87 maintained schools only|c|
<1>Percentages
Attempting Achieving
Total leCSErs (0O-level A-level <2>lower A-level passes
grades <3>higher
grades
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
London boroughs
Barking |2.38 |75.8 |59.7 |9.0 |76.3 |40.8 |7.5
Barnet |3.23 |64.5 |76.9 |32.3 |74.3 |66.2 |30.1
Bexley |3.25 |72.1 |66.5 |17.9 |81.1 |49.4 |16.2
Brent |3.06 |91.3 |70.5 |18.1 |89.4 |57.5 |11.8
Bromley |2.74 |81.5 |86.5 |26.0 |85.8 |58.2 |21.7
Croydon |4.25 |79.4 |67.5 |14.7 |81.0 |49.8 |14.1
Ealing |3.31 |82.4 |63.5 |17.3 |78.6 |46.6 |15.1
Enfield |3.31 |79.1 |75.6 |17.1 |81.4 |49.9 |13.9
Haringey |2.08 |78.5 |76.2 |12.7 |77.5 |40.2 |11.0
Harrow |1.63 |90.3 |89.0 |9.0 |84.0 |65.0 |7.4
Havering |3.55 |87.4 |79.4 |14.9 |85.3 |53.4 |12.9
Hillingdon |2.79 |87.7 |71.7 |14.4 |89.9 |51.1 |11.8
Hounslow |2.46 |78.7 |71.6 |14.4 |81.6 |52.0 |13.5
Kingston upon Thames |1.31 |74.3 |80.1 |26.6 |80.3 |60.5 |23.4
Merton |2.00 |74.3 |68.4 |15.5 |83.0 |54.1 |15.5
Newham |2.88 |78.0 |57.7 |11.5 |77.8 |47.3 |9.9
Redbridge |2.68 |75.3 |71.0 |22.6 |75.8 |55.1 |20.4
Richmond upon Thames |1.69 |86.7 |81.4 |0.7 |85.9 |65.2 |0.0
Sutton |2.00 |60.5 |80.0 |34.3 |78.2 |68.1 |33.7
Waltham Forest |2.03 |80.3 |67.4 |8.5 |75.8 |32.0 |6.3
Inner London |23.55 |76.1 |55.5 |11.7 |74.6 |43.1 |10.4
West Midlands
Birmingham |16.52 |81.7 |66.3 |12.1 |80.5 |43.3 |10.3
Coventry |4.61 |87.9 |74.4 |16.7 |84.6 |50.9 |13.9
Dudley |4.65 |89.7 |77.1 |8.3 |86.9 |52.6 |8.3
Sandwell |4.81 |83.2 |61.1 |9.0 |82.2 |39.1 |7.8
Solihull |3.62 |91.5 |83.8 |23.3 |87.2 |60.5 |20.9
Walsall |4.81 |79.3 |71.0 |14.6 |79.0 |49.4 |12.4
Wolverhampton |4.27 |84.5 |74.4 |12.1 |81.8 |42.2 |9.0
Merseyside
Knowsley |2.49 |79.9 |66.0 |7.1 |76.3 |39.2 |4.1
Liverpool |6.80 |77.0 |68.9 |14.4 |74.1 |39.1 |12.3
St. Helens |2.75 |84.2 |77.4 |19.6 |78.4 |54.3 |18.0
Sefton |5.04 |82.1 |84.4 |18.2 |78.4 |59.1 |16.0
Wirral |5.29 |80.2 |79.9 |19.5 |79.3 |51.6 |17.8
Greater Manchester
Bolton |4.56 |87.4 |83.6 |17.2 |83.8 |56.2 |14.7
Bury |2.86 |84.4 |90.9 |18.2 |82.1 |63.1 |16.1
Manchester |6.89 |73.6 |67.7 |15.3 |72.1 |43.0 |13.7
Oldham |3.27 |85.9 |70.2 |10.9 |84.6 |43.3 |8.9
Rochdale |3.30 |81.7 |80.0 |15.2 |80.8 |49.4 |11.0
Salford |3.34 |83.9 |78.3 |15.7 |81.6 |45.4 |12.9
Stockport |4.32 |82.9 |83.9 |19.6 |78.0 |55.1 |17.4
Tameside |3.73 |88.4 |80.8 |12.5 |85.6 |51.8 |9.9
Trafford |2.72 |84.5 |83.8 |19.4 |85.4 |59.8 |18.7
Wigan |5.76 |88.2 |89.3 |15.5 |86.3 |58.7 |14.2
South Yorkshire
Barnsley |3.92 |85.4 |77.8 |10.8 |83.2 |38.3 |10.3
Doncaster |4.75 |83.9 |80.4 |16.0 |82.8 |46.9 |13.1
Rotherham |4.51 |82.9 |74.8 |13.1 |84.4 |40.7 |11.7
Sheffield |8.45 |85.4 |80.8 |13.0 |82.8 |47.7 |11.6
West Yorkshire
Bradford |7.22 |84.9 |79.7 |13.3 |80.0 |45.6 |11.7
Calderdale |2.95 |82.9 |80.8 |16.6 |83.4 |48.8 |12.7
Kirklees |6.00 |88.2 |84.5 |15.7 |84.3 |47.9 |13.7
Leeds |9.99 |87.7 |80.3 |11.6 |82.6 |46.3 |11.2
Wakefield |5.09 |88.5 |74.4 |7.9 |84.5 |45.6 |5.4
Tyne and Wear
Gateshead |3.31 |79.4 |58.8 |13.4 |77.8 |40.7 |11.4
Newcastle upon Tyne |3.23 |75.4 |63.3 |13.5 |76.4 |39.7 |11.0
North Tyneside |2.94 |77.4 |77.5 |20.2 |82.9 |49.9 |17.2
South Tyneside |2.15 |91.9 |63.7 |9.3 |91.4 |47.8 |8.3
Sunderland |5.02 |87.0 |73.0 |10.2 |86.6 |46.3 |8.2
Counties
Avon |12.32 |84.9 |62.1 |17.0 |86.5 |54.1 |14.9
Bedfordshire |7.47 |89.7 |80.9 |18.9 |87.7 |58.1 |16.9
Berkshire |9.59 |82.2 |65.7 |20.5 |86.4 |57.5 |18.8
Buckinghamshire |8.35 |70.3 |68.1 |22.4 |79.3 |64.3 |21.4
Cambridgeshire |8.37 |86.8 |78.6 |15.8 |85.1 |54.3 |14.5
Cheshire |15.24 |86.3 |85.4 |17.9 |82.9 |55.8 |15.5
Cleveland |9.50 |85.0 |68.8 |16.3 |81.1 |50.3 |14.8
Cornwall |7.20 |86.0 |62.8 |16.2 |86.3 |58.1 |14.8
Cumbria |6.99 |85.8 |74.8 |16.9 |84.7 |54.8 |16.0
Derbyshire |14.41 |87.6 |66.4 |12.3 |86.0 |50.0 |11.0
Devon |12.84 |86.7 |63.9 |12.9 |88.9 |53.8 |12.1
Dorset |8.23 |80.9 |64.6 |15.0 |86.9 |57.7 |13.4
Durham |9.34 |82.5 |67.0 |11.9 |82.6 |51.7 |10.2
East Sussex |7.56 |80.2 |68.0 |19.4 |82.4 |51.6 |17.5
Essex |21.52 |86.5 |75.3 |14.8 |84.1 |55.5 |13.2
Gloucestershire |6.83 |81.2 |64.8 |17.0 |84.7 |56.6 |15.5
Hampshire |22.99 |86.7 |62.8 |14.4 |88.6 |57.9 |12.8
Hereford and Worcester |9.28 |86.1 |81.6 |16.9 |82.2 |56.5 |15.6
Hertfordshire |13.68 |86.3 |80.4 |21.1 |84.9 |61.6 |19.3
Humberside |13.78 |85.7 |73.3 |15.4 |82.6 |48.8 |13.5
Isle of Wight |1.64 |83.7 |50.3 |14.3 |85.2 |47.7 |13.6
Kent |21.87 |74.6 |66.4 |17.9 |84.0 |52.2 |16.4
Lancashire |20.59 |84.6 |79.4 |9.2 |82.2 |51.8 |8.3
Leicestershire |12.40 |85.0 |70.4 |20.2 |83.4 |49.8 |17.3
Lincolnshire |8.52 |78.6 |71.9 |17.3 |81.9 |53.6 |16.2
Norfolk |9.91 |81.9 |68.7 |10.5 |79.7 |50.3 |9.7
North Yorkshire |10.06 |85.1 |81.1 |19.5 |82.3 |57.7 |17.3
Northamptonshire |8.74 |87.8 |70.9 |13.2 |86.5 |47.0 |11.8
Northumberland |4.49 |87.4 |77.3 |19.5 |86.1 |60.7 |17.8
Nottinghamshire |15.35 |88.0 |71.6 |13.1 |87.4 |46.7 |11.6
Oxfordshire |7.67 |84.3 |67.7 |18.7 |86.7 |59.1 |16.1
Shropshire |6.84 |88.1 |84.6 |16.3 |88.2 |54.9 |14.3
Somerset |6.03 |88.7 |62.1 |9.4 |90.8 |51.1 |8.1
Staffordshire |15.72 |83.5 |77.4 |14.4 |82.4 |51.5 |13.4
Suffolk |8.62 |88.7 |77.9 |15.2 |86.4 |50.1 |14.0
Surrey |11.78 |79.4 |82.1 |27.4 |85.6 |62.5 |25.6
Warwickshire |6.63 |86.6 |77.4 |20.1 |86.9 |56.9 |17.8
West Sussex |9.40 |87.3 |71.8 |20.9 |88.6 |62.4 |19.6
Wiltshire |7.35 |88.8 |61.7 |11.2 |86.2 |48.8 |9.7
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total England |671.20 |83.6 |72.4 |15.6 |83.4 |52.0 |13.9
Source: School leavers sample survey. Data subject to sampling error.
<1> Excludes examination attainments at tertiary colleges or other further education
establishments.
<2> O level grades D, E, CSE grades 2 to 5.
<3> O level grades A to C, CSE grade 1.
University of Wales Registry
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much recurrent grant was awarded to the University of Wales registry for each of the years of its existence.
Mr. Jackson : Recurrent grants made to the Welsh registry on the advice of the University Grants Committee since 1979-80 are listed below. Information about previous years is available from "Statistics of Education --Volume 6" and, for the years before 1966-67, "Returns from Universities and University Colleges".
Academic years |£000 --------------------------------------------- 1979-80 |1,325 1980-81 |1,788 1981-82 |1,933 1982-83 |1,940 1983-84 |1,987 1984-85 |2,119 1985-86 |2,199 1986-87 |2,272 1987-88 |2,412 1988-89 |2,421
Teachers' Pay and Conditions
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the second report of the interim advisory committee on school teachers' pay and conditions will be published.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : It is being published today. Its main recommendations are :
a 6 per cent. increase in the main pay scale for teachers from 1 April 1989.
a 7 per cent. increase in the value of the five rates of incentive allowances from 1 April 1989.
a 7.5 per cent. increase in the salaries of the 55,000 Heads and Deputies from 1 April 1989.
an extra 9,500 incentive allowances for the 1989-90 academic year, on top of the additional 18,000 already planned.
a 5.6 per cent. increase in London allowances from 1 July 1988. I propose to accept the committee's recommendations in full. I am today initiating the consultation required by section 3(1) of the Teachers' Pay and Conditions Act 1987 by writing to the relevant local authority associations, teacher unions and bodies representing the interests of the governors of voluntary schools, setting out my proposals. The text of the letter is as follows :
Teachers pay and conditions of employment
1. On 14 September 1988 I asked the Interim Advisory Committee on School Teachers' Pay and Conditions to
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examine and report to me on certain issues. I enclose a copy of the Committee's report which is being published today. The Committee's recommendations are summarised in Chapter 9 of its report. I propose to make an Order giving effect to the recommendations referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 below. But before I take a decision on what provision the Order should make, I invite your views. This letter therefore initiates the consultation required by Section 3(1) of the Teachers' Pay and Conditions Act 1987.2. I propose to accept the Committee's recommendations that (
(i) the salaries of all qualified teachers should be raised by a uniform 6 per cent. to the figures set out in paragraph 4.13 of the Committee's report with effect from 1 April 1989 ;
(ii) the salaries of unqualified teachers should be raised by the same percentage (paragraph 4.13). The allowance for teachers of the visually impaired and hearing impaired would also be increased by 6 per cent. ;
(iii) the spot salaries for Heads and Deputies should be increased by 7.5 per cent. with effect from 1 April 1989 (paragraph 4.21) ; (
(iv) the rates of the London area allowances should be increased by 5.6 per cent. with effect from 1 July 1988 (paragraph 5.16) ; (
(v) the value of each of the incentive allowances should be increased by 7 per cent. with effect from 1 April 1989 (paragraph 4.34) ;
(vi) the planned number of incentive allowances should be expanded from September 1989 by 9,500 (5,000 extra A allowances ; 2,500 B allowances ; 1,500 C allowances and 500 D allowances) : (paragraphs 4.31 and 4.32). There will need to be some consequential revisions to the limits relating to incentive allowances in Annex A to Appendix I of the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document 1988 (paragraph 4.33).
3. The Committee makes a number of other recommendations which would require amendments to the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document 1988 (the 1988 Document) :
a. that teachers returning to regular full-time or part-time teaching should be paid on re-entry at no lower point on the mainscale than when last employed as a regular full-time or part-time teacher (paragraph 5.21) ;
b. that, contingent upon the introduction of the proposed licensed teacher arrangements, there should be discretion for local authorities or governors, as appropriate, to pay licensed teachers at either qualified or unqualified rates (paragraph 5.26) ;
c. that local authorities (and, at the appropriate point, governors of schools with delegated budgets) should be given discretion to accelerate a teacher's progression to the top of the main scale (paragraph 5.29) ;
d. that once the necessary regulations under Section 218 of the Education Reform Act have been made, a teacher who is awarded Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) retrospectively should be entitled to receive back pay from any authority he/she has worked for from the date from which his/her qualification runs, to make good any difference between what he/she was actually paid
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up to the point when QTS was awarded and what he/she would have been entitled to as a qualified teacher (paragraph 5.41) ; e. that the discretions over pay and conditions currently exercised by local education authorities set out in Appendix I of the report should be transferred to governing bodies of schools with budgets delegated under Chapter III of Part I of the Education Reform Act 1988 (paragraph 7.24) and that the decision on whether it is "reasonably practicable to provide a supply teacher" should transfer to the governors in those schools where the governing body have been made responsible, under the relevant LMS scheme, for managing the arrangements for providing supply teachers (paragraph 7.26) ; f. that the functions, both mandatory and discretionary, currently allocated to LEAs under the 1988 Document should be allocated to governing bodies of grant maintained (GM) schools (paragraph 7.28) ;g. that where a GM school was formerly a voluntary school, a head teacher should carry out his-her professional duties in accordance with any trust deed applying to the school (paragraph 7.29) ;
h. that salary safeguarding on a discretionary basis and discretionary safeguarding on London allowance and social priority allowance should apply in both directions between a GM school and its former maintaining authority (paragraph 7.31) ;
i. that the provision in relation to cover at sub paragraph 35(9)(b)(ii) of the 1988 Document should be amended in the direction of wording suggested by the Professional Association of Teachers (paragraph 8.9) ;
j. that the reference to payment for midday supervision at paragraph 23 of the 1988 Document should be deleted (paragraph 8.14) ;
k. that the reference to education legislation in the "overriding requirements" section of head teachers' conditions of employment--paragraph 27(i) of the 1988 Document--should be updated to include the Education Reform Act 1988 (paragraph 8.24) ;
l. that specific reference should be made in both head teachers' and school teachers' conditions of service to the Basic (including National) Curriculum, and, in the case of head teachers, to the collective worship requirements of the Education Reform Act (paragraph 8.25).
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I propose to accept all these recommendations.4. The Order I propose to make to give effect to all of the above would do so by bringing into effect a new School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document. The Committee's remaining recommendations do not require changes to the 1988 Document : I do not therefore propose to change the Document in response to those recommendations. Nor is it intended to revise the RSG settlements for 1989-90 on account of the proposals set out in paragraphs 2 and 3 above. The cost will be offset in part by the greater than expected reduction in the employers' contributions to the Teachers' Superannuation Scheme which I announced on 10 February.
5. Any comments on the proposals set out above and on any other matters raised in the report are invited by 10 March. If you would like to express your views in a meeting would you let my office know of this as soon as possible so that any meetings can take place before Easter.
6. Following these consultations a new School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document will be prepared. There will then be opportunity to comment on the precise wording of the amendments prior to the publication of the new Document and the laying before Parliament of an Order which will give effect to its provisions.
7. The Interim Advisory Committee say that they hope it will be possible for a copy of the report to be seen by teachers in every maintained school. Enough copies of the report are being sent to each local education authority for a copy to be circulated in each school.
Assisted Places Scheme
Mr. Ian Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about the level of parental contributions to the fees of pupils in the assisted places scheme in 1989- 90.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : Subject to the usual consultations and to parliamentary approval, the parental contribution scales will be adjusted upwards for the school year 1989-90 as set out below. In addition the allowance against parental income in respect of each dependent child other than the assisted place holder is to be increased to £1,000.
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Y |c|Percentage|c| Part of relevant income |One assisted pupil |Each of two assisted |Each of three assisted to which specified |pupils |pupils percentage applies --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That part which exceeds £7,418 but does not exceed £8,066 |9 |6.75 |5.25 That part (if any) which exceeds £8,066 but does not exceed £8,725 |12 |9.00 |7.00 That part (if any) which exceeds £8,725 but does not exceed £10,032 |15 |11.25 |8.75 That part (if any) which exceeds £12,043 but does not exceed £14,668 |24 |18.00 |14.00 That part (if any) which exceeds £14,668 |33 |24.75 |19.25
Clinical Academic Staff (Pay)
Mr. Key : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether additional funds will be provided for the universities in 1989-90 in respect of pay for clinical academic staff.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : Subject to parliamentary approval of the relevant Estimate, an additional £2.8 million will be provided in grant to the Universities Funding Council in 1989-90 in respect of pay for clinical academic staff. This increase takes account of the increase in funding for the hospital and community health service in respect of the recommendations of the Doctors and Dentists Review Body. It will be charged to the Reserve and so will not add to the public expenditure planning total.
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Children (Employment)
Mr. Archer : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many prosecutions have been taken out as a result of investigations by education welfare officers in each year since 1973 for alleged offences in connection with the employment of children ; how many employers have been so prosecuted ; with what result ; and what was (a) the highest, (b) the average and (c) the lowest penalty imposed following a conviction.
Mr. Freeman : I have been asked to reply.
Information about alleged offences in connection with the employment of children does not separately identify prosecutions taken out as a result of investigations by education welfare officers.
The available figures relating to prosecutions and fines for all forms of employment are as follows :
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Industrial UndertakingsProsecutions by the Health and Safety Executive under
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Section 1 of the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act 1920 and concerning the illegal employment of children.Column 323
------------------------------------------------------------------- 1981 |3 |4 |4 |150 |50 |75 1982 |3 |4 |4 |480 |15 |178 1983 |3 |3 |3 |400 |100 |200 1984 |2 |6 |6 |600 |50 |233 1985 |4 |8 |6 |1,000|10 |242 1986 (January to March) |2 |4 |4 |150 |100 |138 1986-87 (April to March) |3 |11 |9 |300 |25 |208 1987-88 (April to March) |2 |<1>2 |<2>2 |300 |<3>- |150 <1>Fines imposed as the result of information laid. <2>Provisional. <3>Guilty but absolute discharge.
Agricultural Undertakings
Information laid by Her Majesty's agricultural inspectorate
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against persons at work who put at risk children under the age of 16 by the contravention of legislation applicable to agricultural activities.Column 323
Fines imposed (£)
Year |Informations laid |Convictions |Highest |Lowest |Average per conviction
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1981 |52 |47 |300 |15 |60
1982 |31 |26 |400 |15 |116
1983 |18 |17 |200 |35 |73
1984 |16 |14 |500 |30 |118
1985 |27 |26 |1,000 |25 |177
1986 |25 |21 |400 |10 |85
1987 |18 |16 |250 |50 |78
1988 |3 |3 |25 |25 |25
(January-March)
Note: Figures from 1973 are not readily available.
Non-industrial undertakings
Figures notified to the Home Office for proceedings under Sections 18, 19 and 20 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 :
Fine (£)
Year |Proceedings|Highest |Lowest |Average
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |23 |50 |5 |16
1980 |26 |50 |3 |12
1981 |24 |100 |5 |22
1982 |17 |20 |3 |14
1983 |11 |50 |10 |24
1984 |12 |50 |20 |26
1985 |11 |50 |10 |35
1986 |2 |100 |40 |70
1987 |8 |500 |10 |154
NORTHERN IRELAND
RUC (Deaths)
Mr. McCusker : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of the RUC and RUCR were killed as a result of road traffic accidents during (i) 1986 and (ii) 1987 ; how many were killed by terrorists in the same period ; and of those killed during 1986, 1987 and 1988, how many were killed whilst on duty.
Mr. Ian Stewart : The information is as follows :
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Road traffic accTerrorism
|Total |On duty|Total |On duty
------------------------------------------------
1986 |8 |2 |12 |8
1987 |3 |nil |16 |10
1988 |11 |1 |6 |4
Extradition
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions since 1979 his Department has made extradition applications for terrorist or other offences ; and how often, by whom and for what reasons such requests have been rejected.
Mr. Ian Stewart : Information about extradition applications under the backing of warrants procedure with the Republic of Ireland is contained in the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Londonderry, East (Mr. Ross) on 13 December Official Report, column 516 . In addition, five requests for extradition to the Republic of Ireland were made during 1988, of which one was granted and the remainder are pending.
Information on extradition applications to other countries is not held centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost. The number is likely to be small.
DEFENCE
Nuclear Stockpile
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for
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Sheffield, Central (Mr. Caborn) on nuclear weapons, the level of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's nuclear stockpile referred to therein is defined by (a) total explosive capacity, (b) collective lethality based on explosive capacity and accuracy or (c) number of deliverable warheads.Mr. Archie Hamilton : The nuclear stockpile referred to in the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Central (Mr. Caborn) on 30 January at column 31 is defined in terms of the number of nuclear warheads stockpiled in Europe.
Low Flying
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all areas, objects, settlements, buildings and installations in the Workington constituency which pilots of low-flying military aircraft are currently advised to avoid, giving in each case the horizontal and vertical limits of avoidance.
Mr. Neubert : The whole of the United Kingdom is open for low flying except for major conurbations, danger areas and certain areas such as civil and military air traffic zones, airports, glider sites, high obstacles, and nuclear power stations. It is not our practice to release details of the United Kingdom low flying system.
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will list the additional restrictions on night low flying introduced following the Tornado mid-air collision in Cumbria on 9 August 1988 ;
(2) if a review of night low flying regulations is being conducted following the collision between two Tornados over Cumbria on 9 August 1988 ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) what additional flow control measures are currently in force for low flying at night, over and above those currently in force for daylight low flying.
Mr. Neubert : Although there was no evidence to suggest that there was anything wrong with the night low flying system itself, following the mid-air collision near Penrith in August 1988, a six-month trial of a revised night low level flying system was introduced with the aim of increasing the co-ordination of activity at night and improving deconfliction procedures. In this system, areas of the United Kingdom are allocated to commands on a nightly basis and commands are responsible for deconflicting their own aircraft. General flow of traffic from sector to sector in each area is in a clockwise direction around the country. Within these sectors aircraft are allowed to fly in any direction except where specifically prevented from doing so. At the end of the trial its effectiveness will be examined and any appropriate changes made.
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when flow control was first introduced for low-flying aircraft in the Keswick area ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Neubert : As an interim measure, following the mid-air collision near Keswick on 17 June 1987, an unidirectional traffic flow system was introduced in the whole of the Lake District. As a result of subsequent work a revised procedure came into operation on 1 September
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1987 which provided separation between aircraft flying along the valley of the A591 between the Grasmere and Bassenthwaite lakes in a north westerly direction only, and others overflying on various routes at higher levels.Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what use is made by RAF Spadeadam of radar information from the national air traffic services radar stations located on (a) Green Lowther, Strathclyde and (b) Knock Fell, Cumbria ;
(2) what is the capacity of the radar equipment at RAF Spadeadam to monitor and control low-flying aircraft movements in low flying area 13.
Mr. Neubert : The arrangements for monitoring and controlling aircraft using Spadeadam range (low-flying area 13) are entirely adequate. Information from the unmanned radar stations at Green Lowther and Knock Fell is not fed directly to RAF Spadeadam.
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent the low flying avoidances marked on military low flying charts are mandatory ; and what sanctions are used to enforce adherence to these restrictions.
Mr. Neubert : Aircrew are instructed not to fly low in avoidance areas unless prior approval has been granted by the Ministry of Defence. The RAF police conducts covert surveys from time to time throughout the United Kingdom in order to establish whether height and other rules are being observed and action is taken, where appropriate, against aircrew found to have infringed regulations.
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice is given to military pilots concerning low flying over or in the immediate vicinity of the town of Keswick.
Mr. Neubert : As the hon. Member is aware, pilots are instructed to avoid overflying the centres of major conurbations and built up areas such as Keswick at low level. Although we cannot guarantee to avoid overflying the outskirts of major towns and smaller communities, pilots will make every effort to avoid populated areas wherever possible.
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many foreign aircrew have infringed the regulations governing the United Kingdom low flying system since 1971.
Mr. Neubert : A record of the number of invesigations revealing infringements of the United Kingdom low flying system regulations by foreign aircrews since 1971 is not held centrally and could not be provided without disproportionate effort.
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the dates and locations of all public meetings on low flying held by (a) the Royal Air Force and (b) his Department over the last five years.
Mr. Neubert : According to available records, the Ministry of Defence has held the following public meetings on low flying over the last five years :
Date and location
1984
23 January--Newton Abbot, Devon
Column 327
15 February--Stamford Bridge, Humberside13 March--Church Stretton, Shropshire
16 October--Leominster, Hereford and Worcester
31 October--Great Doddington, Northamptonshire
12 November--Clifton Campville, Hereford and Worcester
14 November--Hereford, Hereford and Worcester
1985
14 March--Marden, Hereford and Worcester
5 June--Jedburgh, Borders
6 June--Kelso, Borders
6 June--Duns, Borders
28 June--Rugby, Warwickshire
24 September--Gedney Drove End, Lincolnshire
22 October--Barnard Castle, Durham
1986
24 January--Alcester, Warwickshire
1 May--RAF Spadeadam, Cumbria
25 July--Scunthorpe, Humberside
30 September--Hereford, Hereford and Worcester
6 October--Wilmcote, Warwickshire
9 October--Postbridge, Devon
15 October--Raglan, Gwent
18 November--Wilberfoss, Humberside
1987
30 January--Ashford, Kent
20 March--Bedgebury School, Cranbrook, Kent
30 April--Redditch, Hereford and Worcester
30 June--Galashiels, Borders
1 July--Penrith, Cumbria
2 July--Morpeth, Northumberland
27 July--Aberedw, Powys
1988
14 January--Tenbury Wells, Hereford and Worcester
11 May--Braunston, Northamptonshire
27 May--Dolgellau, Gwynedd
15 June--Perth, Tayside
22 June--Farndon, Nottinghamshire
30 June--Crediton, Devon
13 July--Stone, Staffordshire
27 July--Kidwelly, Dyfed
28 July--Tumble, Dyfed
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