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Mr. Douglas Hogg : Specific clinical information pertaining to individual prisoners is confidential and is not normally disclosed. I have no information which suggests that Mr. Conlon's general medical condition is other than satisfactory.
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times Gerard Conlon, currently being held in Her Majesty's Prison, Long Lartin, has been moved since first being held in 1974.
Mr. Dougals Hogg : I shall write to the hon. Member.
Cat Theft
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what action he intends to take following the evidence on cat thefts contained in the recent Petwatch special report, a copy of which he has been sent ;
(2) which police forces record reported losses of cats.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : It is for the chief officers to decide how reports of stolen or missing property are recorded. We are not persuaded that the information contained in the National Petwatch report necessitates any new action on cat theft.
Refugees
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends to extend the scope of section II of the Local Government Act 1966 to include within its remit non-commonwealth refugees.
Mr. John Patten : The possibility of legislative changes, which would be necessary if the scope of the grant under section II of the Local Government Act 1966 were to be extended to cover communities from outside the Commonwealth, was within the terms of reference of the scrutiny of the grant system which my right hon. Friend announced in reply to a question from my right hon. Friend the Member for Brent, North (Sir R. Boyson) on 26 May 1988 at column 279. My right hon. Friend is at present studying the report of the scrutiny.
Immigration
Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will indicate for each week in 1988 the number of passengers arriving at (a) Heathrow, (b) Gatwick and (c) Dover holding entry clearance and arriving from each of (i) India, (ii) Pakistan, (iii) Bangladesh, (iv) Ghana and (v) Nigeria.
Mr. Renton [holding answer 13 February 1989] : The available information is compiled only on a monthly basis and relates to total admissions of passengers excluding those exempt from requiring entry clearance. The data available for 1988 is given in the following table.
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|c|Total admissions of passengers excluding those exempt from requiring entry clearance<1> by
certain nationalities and ports in 1988|c|
Number of persons
Nationality |January |February |March |April |August |September
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heathrow
India |7,900 |7,100 |7,400 |5,200 |14,100 |15,600
Pakistan |3,600 |3,100 |3,900 |4,900 |8,100 |6,600
Bangladesh |900 |800 |1,100 |1,300 |1,800 |1,400
Ghana |1,100 |1,100 |1,200 |1,200 |2,200 |2,200
Nigeria |4,700 |4,700 |3,500 |1,200 |6,500 |7,200
Gatwick
India |500 |500 |800 |400 |1,600 |1,400
Pakistan |500 |400 |400 |600 |1,100 |1,000
Bangladesh |40 |30 |40 |20 |90 |70
Ghana |300 |200 |300 |200 |500 |600
Nigeria |2,700 |1,700 |2,000 |1,000 |3,700 |3,600
Dover
India |140 |140 |170 |380 |1,510 |920
Pakistan |130 |100 |130 |190 |650 |350
Bangladesh |20 |20 |10 |60 |120 |70
Ghana |20 |30 |30 |30 |90 |80
Nigeria |50 |40 |60 |50 |130 |110
<1> Provisional estimates. Estimates for May, June and July are not yet available due to delays
in the counting of landing cards for technical reasons.
PRIME MINISTER
Residents (Registration)
Mr. Ralph Howell : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list the minimum and maximum number of separate registers in which residents of the United Kingdom are given separate numbers ; and if she can estimate the cost and number of people needed to maintain all such registers.
The Prime Minister : This information is not held centrally.
General Hershad
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Prime Minister what meetings she has had with General Hershad, President of Bangladesh ; and what subjects were discussed.
The Prime Minister : I had talks with, and gave dinner for, President Ershad on 16 February. The talks covered both bilateral and regional issues.
ENERGY
Wave Energy
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for East Lothian on 20 January, Official Report, column 343 , he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of the meeting of the Advisory Council on Research and Development at which the decision was made concerning the closure of the offshore wave energy programme.
Mr. Michael Spicer : A copy of a summary of the main conclusions and recommendations of the Advisory Council on Research and Development on the wave energy programme was placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 27 April 1982.
Wind Power
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what progress has been made by his Department in the consideration of the potential of offshore wind power during the past seven years.
Mr. Michael Spicer : The technical potential of offshore wind power has been estimated at around 140 Twh/year at
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an expected cost of electricity in the range 4.2 7.4 p/kWh. These estimates are based on collaborative studies which were jointly funded by my Department and the CEGB, and have taken into account constraints imposed by other offshore activities. The extent to which any of this resource could be economically exploited will be the subject of further work.The United Kingdom has also participated in an International Energy Agency (IEA) study of offshore wind energy conversion systems which considered the technical and economic problems of exploiting this resource.
Electricity Supply System (Merseyside and North-West)
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the estimated value of the electricity supply system covering (a) Merseyside and (b) the north-west.
Mr. Michael Spicer : This is a matter for the electricity supply industry. I shall ask the chairman of the Merseyside and North Wales and the North Western Electricity boards to write to the hon. Member.
Safe Integrated Reactor
Mr. Greg Knight : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what assessment he has made of the proposed Anglo-American consortium plans for a safe integrated reactor.
Mr. Michael Spicer : The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority has informed my Department of its interest in developing a 300MWe reactor as a member of the SIR consortium. The consortium's proposals are at an early stage and I shall be kept informed of developments.
Foreign Coal
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list by year, port and tonnage the amount of foreign coal imported into England and Wales for the last five years.
Mr. Michael Spicer : The information requested is as follows :
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Port Quantity (000 tonnes)
|1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Middlesbrough |1,447 |2,352 |2,610 |2,501 |2,878
Port Talbot |2,023 |1,834 |1,558 |1,958 |1,997
Immingham |225 |615 |1,349 |669 |999
London (including Tilbury) |239 |1,515 |404 |538 |743
Medway |120 |723 |661 |556 |565
Sunderland |23 |88 |243 |198 |418
Trent |<1>1,415|<1>963 |778 |335 |386
Hartlepool |8 |101 |295 |354 |314
Cardiff |- |113 |247 |222 |294
Goole |73 |48 |36 |236 |286
Kings Lynn |1 |1 |- |117 |117
Newport (Gwent) |32 |181 |83 |5 |116
Portsmouth |205 |210 |7 |59 |92
Swansea |- |5 |- |- |92
Grimsby |- |- |- |- |88
Avonmouth |16 |78 |96 |60 |86
Colchester |554 |326 |196 |91 |71
Liverpool |38 |371 |143 |65 |31
Exeter |134 |70 |14 |10 |18
Others |280 |412 |136 |147 |146
|------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |6,835 |10,006 |8,856 |8,122 |9,739
<1>Imports recorded under port of Scunthorpe.
Note: Figures may not add due to rounding.
Source: HM Customs and Excise (port of entry basis).
Nuclear Power Generation (Yorkshire)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what information he has regarding the likely growth of nuclear power generation in the three counties of Yorkshire over the next 15 years.
Mr. Michael Spicer : My right hon. Friend has received no application from the CEGB for consent to construct any nuclear power station in Yorkshire. It is for the CEGB to decide whether and when to apply for consent to construct any new power station.
Yorkshire Coalfields (Employment)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list his latest estimate of the level of employment in British Coal in the Yorkshire coalfields in 1990 and 1995.
Mr. Michael Spicer : This is a matter for the British Coal Corporation and I have asked the chairman to write to the hon. Member.
Electricity Privatisation
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what proposals are being considered for customer rights following the privatisation of electricity.
Mr. Michael Spicer : The Electricity Bill currently before Parliament will create many new customer rights, including an improved right to an electricity supply, protection for consumers who get their electricity from a landlord, protection for the elderly and disabled, help for those having difficulty paying bills and a new system of guaranteed standards of performance with automatic compensation for failures to meet these standards. The director general of electricity supply will have a statutory duty to protect the interests of the consumer, and the new regional consumers' committees will provide him with lay advice on consumer issues.
Column 642
Wood Crops
Mr. Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what steps (a) he has taken and (b) he will take to promote the use of arable wood crops or wood chips as a fuelstock for conversion into electricity.
Mr. Michael Spicer : Investigation of the economic prospects for the use of wood crops and wood chip as a fuelstock has formed part of my Department's research, development and demonstration programmes on biofuels for the past decade and just over £1.5 million has been spent in this area.
Projects so far have looked at the potential for harvesting, processing, storing and transporting of fuel wood as well as investigations of novel systems such as integrated or whole tree harvesting and also combustion trials. In addition, we have supported studies of short rotation energy forestry including the establishment and development of trial plots and coppice harvesting techniques as well as the possible environmental impact.
Our intention for the future programme is laid out in energy paper 55, copies of which are in the Libraries of both Houses.
Within my Department's plans for electricity privatisation, wood crops or wood chip will be eligible to contribute towards the non-fossil fuel obligation.
Energy Act 1983
Mr. Ward : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what arrangements he proposes to succeed the provisions of sections 5 and 7 of the Energy Act 1983 as they apply in England and Wales.
Mr. Parkinson : Our privatisation proposals are designed to increase competition in generation by bringing new entrants into the market. We have not, however, overlooked those independent generators who are currently supplying area boards.
We appreciate that there are existing projects where investments have been advanced against the backdrop of the 1983 Energy Act and the obligation under the Act on
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area boards to purchase independently- produced electricity. We wish to ensure that the changes brought about by privatisation do not disadvantage those who have invested in generating plant as a result of the Act and who are currently selling to area boards under its terms. I am therefore pleased to announce that area board chairmen in England and Wales have agreed to transitional arrangements which will safeguard those generators, and leave them no worse off in revenue income terms than at present. Similar arrangements have been agreed in Scotland.I can therefore confirm that generators who have entered into arrangements with the area boards to supply electricity since the 1983 Act will, if they choose, be able to continue those arrangements for a five-year transitional period. The boards will maintain energy and capacity payments at comparable levels to those available under the Act. This is a significant commitment by the boards to independent generators and it will assist those whose decisions on plant investment have been influenced by the existence of the provisions of the Energy Act in planning for the future.
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It would be inconsistent with the general thrust of privatising the industry to enshrine in legislation a permanent protection for Energy Act generators. It would also be wrong in principle to extend their transitional arrangements to those who invested in capacity and were supplying area boards before the passage of the 1983 Act.EMPLOYMENT
Employment Training
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons have (a) joined and (b) dropped out from the employment training programme each month since the scheme began, both in each region and nationally.
Mr. Nicholls : The information requested is given in the table. The number of employment training leavers includes early leavers and those who have completed their training. The figure is estimated and is only available nationally.
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|c|Employment training-Starts and leavers|c|
|c|September to December 1988|c|
September October November December
Region |Starts |Leavers|Starts |Leavers|Starts |Leavers|Starts |Leavers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South East |1,633 |- |2,050 |- |1,987 |- |1,707 |-
London |2,503 |- |3,057 |- |3,110 |- |2,406 |-
South West |1,076 |- |1,724 |- |2,023 |- |1,742 |-
West Midlands |2,470 |- |3,733 |- |3,829 |- |3,303 |-
East Midlands and Eastern |1,771 |- |2,728 |- |2,860 |- |2,202 |-
Yorkshire and Humberside |2,974 |- |4,523 |- |5,509 |- |4,402 |-
North West |3,029 |- |4,962 |- |5,544 |- |4,145 |-
Northern |2,395 |- |3,219 |- |3,546 |- |2,895 |-
Wales |1,381 |- |1,967 |- |2,649 |- |2,172 |-
Scotland |2,331 |- |3,120 |- |4,045 |- |3,894 |-
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Great Britain |21,462 |1,000 |31,083 |5,000 |35,202 |7,000 |28,867 |7,000
Note:
The leavers figures are estimated and relate to trainees who were not transferred from previous
programmes.
Mr. Loyden : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is (a) the number entering employment training each month, (b) the number of trainees entering practical experience placements each month, (c) the number leaving employment training each month and (d) the reasons given for leaving each month by trainees on (i) a national and (ii) an area office basis.
Mr. Nicholls : The information is not available in the precise form requested. The following tables give the number entering employment training each month nationally and by area. Information on the number entering practical placements is not collected. The number leaving employment training is currently only available for Great Britain as a whole and is estimated. Regional and area breakdowns of this information will be available from April of this year. Data on the reasons given by trainees for
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leaving employment training is not currently available but it will be obtained from follow up surveys. The first results should be available by the end of the year.
|c|Employment training-Starts and
leavers|c|
|c|Table 1|c|
|c|Monthly totals: September 1988 to
January 1989|c|
|c|Great Britain|c|
|Starts |Leavers<1>
--------------------------------------------
September |21,462 |1,000
October |31,083 |5,000
November |35,202 |7,000
December |28,867 |7,000
January |36,698 |<2>-
<1>The leavers figures are estimated and
relate to trainees who were not transferred
from previous programmes.
<2>Leavers figures for January are not yet
available.
Column 643
|c|Monthly totals: September 1988 to January 1989|c| Area |September|October |November |December |January ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Berkshire and Oxfordshire |106 |207 |156 |182 |320 Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire |230 |309 |243 |224 |300 Essex |155 |246 |326 |286 |355 Hampshire and Isle of Wight |444 |488 |457 |423 |444 Kent |259 |429 |475 |336 |503 Sussex |218 |241 |224 |188 |259 Surrey |121 |131 |106 |68 |125 North London |730 |565 |602 |533 |655 West London |165 |258 |372 |198 |302 East London |268 |382 |432 |329 |488 South London |116 |202 |216 |179 |404 Inner London North |820 |1,159 |948 |712 |1,314 Inner London South |404 |491 |540 |454 |639 Avon |156 |329 |385 |339 |437 Devon and Cornwall |494 |783 |1,003 |833 |1,178 Somerset and Dorset |193 |355 |326 |363 |259 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire |232 |257 |309 |207 |274 Birmingham and Solihull |465 |1,190 |1,237 |1,051 |1,377 Coventry and Warwickshire |334 |378 |448 |320 |423 Dudley and Sandwell |480 |521 |444 |436 |705 The Marches |318 |419 |448 |489 |558 Staffordshire |383 |589 |640 |552 |681 Wolverhampton and Walsall |490 |636 |612 |455 |576 Derbyshire |358 |594 |620 |386 |540 Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire |212 |373 |376 |286 |382 Leicestershire and Northants |274 |472 |465 |358 |534 Nottingham |356 |643 |659 |501 |762 Norfolk and Suffolk |403 |460 |544 |466 |500 Lincolnshire |168 |186 |196 |205 |232 Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees |454 |706 |1,135 |873 |877 Sheffield and Rotherham |679 |1,187 |1,310 |1,079 |1,268 Wakefield, Barnsley and Doncaster |513 |788 |1,123 |867 |1,188 Humberside |975 |1,127 |949 |828 |1,060 Leeds/North Yorkshire |353 |715 |992 |755 |1,059 Manchester East |363 |596 |660 |426 |477 Manchester Central |545 |738 |899 |608 |828 Manchester North |323 |541 |646 |523 |602 Cheshire |463 |897 |697 |451 |605 Lancashire |599 |891 |882 |797 |960 Merseyside |619 |1,137 |1,477 |1,132 |1,694 Cumbria |117 |162 |283 |208 |290 North Tyne |353 |455 |707 |613 |789 South Tyne |706 |1,003 |997 |884 |977 Durham |618 |857 |804 |596 |797 Cleveland |718 |904 |1,138 |802 |1,074 Wrexham |277 |430 |491 |520 |606 Swansea |479 |586 |945 |698 |819 Cardiff |432 |683 |885 |687 |1,017 Gwent |193 |268 |329 |267 |458 Central and Fife |344 |337 |497 |478 |514 Grampian and Tayside |398 |382 |617 |380 |453 Lothian and Borders |394 |683 |787 |679 |601 Glasgow City |476 |574 |704 |740 |733 Renfrew, Dumbarton and Argyll |153 |286 |417 |552 |392 Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway |306 |303 |373 |442 |961 Lanarkshire |214 |483 |576 |537 |452 Highlands and Islands |46 |72 |84 |86 |121 Note: Figures may not tally with those previously published due to retrospective adjustments at area level.
YTS
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish for 1988 and to date, for the Doncaster and Mexborough areas of South Yorkshire (a) the number of filled places in YTS by training
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occupational classification and (b) the number of contracted places in YTS by training occupational classifications.Mr. Cope : Information is not separately available for Doncaster and Mexborough. The following tables give figures for the local authority district of Doncaster which includes Doncaster, Mexborough and Thorne.
Column 645
|c|Table 1|c|
|c|YTS agreed and filled places in Doncaster local authority district January to July 1988|c|
January 1988 February 1988 March 1988 April 1988 May 1988 June 1988 July 1988
|Agreed |Filled |Agreed |Filled |Agreed |Filled |Agreed |Filled |Agreed |Filled |Agreed |Filled |Agreed |Filled
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Administrative and clerical
occupations |814 |235 |814 |248 |814 |255 |814 |265 |796 |274 |804 |359 |830 |443
Creative, educational and
recreational service occupations |204 |58 |204 |64 |204 |68 |216 |70 |216 |79 |200 |98 |200 |115
Health, community personal service
occupations |446 |118 |446 |119 |446 |120 |403 |124 |395 |132 |343 |193 |343 |254
Selling and storage occupations |858 |163 |858 |172 |858 |180 |847 |195 |796 |206 |837 |286 |837 |327
Scientific occupations |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Catering and food preparation and
processing occupations |167 |24 |167 |24 |167 |24 |167 |25 |167 |32 |177 |48 |177 |53
Agricultural and related occupations |348 |62 |348 |64 |348 |65 |345 |70 |345 |71 |179 |103 |179 |113
Fishing occupations |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Transport operating occupations |14 |8 |14 |8 |14 |8 |14 |8 |14 |14 |31 |14 |31 |14
Construction and civil engineering
occupations |298 |105 |298 |107 |298 |109 |256 |113 |216 |130 |232 |156 |232 |167
Mining, oil extraction and quarrying
occupations |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Electrical and electronic engineering
occupations |79 |20 |79 |20 |79 |21 |79 |21 |79 |21 |80 |31 |70 |33
Mechanical engineering, and metal
production and processing
occupations |454 |107 |454 |110 |454 |110 |404 |116 |404 |125 |347 |152 |347 |178
Motor vehicle repair and
maintenance occupations |374 |90 |374 |92 |374 |92 |373 |96 |373 |103 |290 |145 |290 |171
Non-metal processing occupations |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |16 |0 |16 |0 |16 |0 |16 |1
Printing occupations |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Clothing and textiles manufacturing
occupations |157 |26 |157 |27 |157 |29 |156 |35 |148 |36 |98 |52 |98 |61
Security service occupations |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Others |129 |2,108 |129 |1,991 |129 |1,902 |163 |1,834 |223 |1,754 |352 |1,712 |352 |1,448
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total |4,342 |3,124 |4,342 |3,046 |4,342 |2,983 |4,253 |2,972 |4,188 |2,977 |3,986 |3,349 |4,002 |3,378
Note:Filled places marginally exceed agreed places on a number of occasions because Managing agents can exceed agreed places by 10 per cent. when required.
|c|Table 2|c|
|c|YTS agreed and filled places in Doncaster local authority district September 1988 to January 1989|c|
August 1988 September 1988 October 1988 November 1988 December 1988 January 1989
|Agreed |Filled |Agreed |Filled |Agreed |Filled |Agreed |Filled |Agreed |Filled |Agreed |Filled
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Administrative and clerical
occupations |830 |505 |830 |594 |823 |643 |823 |685 |823 |704 |823 |726
Creative, educational and
recreational service occupations |200 |146 |200 |171 |200 |184 |200 |205 |200 |212 |200 |237
Health, community and personal
service occupations |343 |271 |343 |297 |343 |314 |343 |337 |343 |347 |343 |356
Selling and storage occupations |837 |370 |837 |425 |832 |474 |832 |516 |832 |539 |832 |592
Scientific occupations |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Catering, food preparation and
processing occupations |177 |55 |177 |63 |177 |68 |177 |74 |177 |75 |177 |78
Agricultural and related occupations |179 |118 |179 |133 |179 |139 |179 |148 |179 |149 |179 |154
Fishing occupations |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Transport operating occupations |3 |14 |31 |14 |31 |14 |31 |14 |31 |14 |31 |14
Construction and civil Engineering
occupations |232 |184 |232 |225 |232 |232 |232 |245 |232 |240 |232 |239
Mining, oil extraction and quarrying
occupations |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Electrical and electronic engineering
occupations |70 |33 |70 |46 |70 |47 |70 |49 |70 |49 |70 |51
Mechanical engineering, and metal
production and processing occupations |347 |199 |347 |246 |347 |266 |369 |275 |369 |280 |369 |285
Motor vehicle repair and
maintenance occupations |290 |187 |290 |193 |290 |197 |290 |198 |290 |199 |290 |202
Non-Metal processing occupations |16 |1 |16 |2 |16 |8 |16 |8 |16 |10 |16 |10
Printing occupations |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Clothing and textiles manufacturing
occupations |98 |70 |98 |73 |98 |74 |98 |76 |98 |77 |98 |81
Security service occupations |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Others |352 |1,171 |391 |888 |403 |648 |403 |496 |403 |343 |403 |268
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total |3,974 |3,324 |4,041 |3,370 |4,041 |3,308 |4,063 |3,326 |4,063 |3,238 |4,063 |3,293
Notes:
1. Filled places marginally exceed agreed places on a number of occasions because Managing Agents can exceed agreed places by 10 per cent.
when required.
2. The Others' Filled Places for August to November 1988 are overstated because the correct TOC was unknown at the time of computer input.
Efforts to obtain correct classification have resulted in the data becoming more accurate as the year progressed.
Health and Safety
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many companies have been convicted of offences under section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act in each of the last five years for
Column 648
which records are available ; how many and what percentage were convicted and acquitted, respectively ; and what penalties were imposed on those convicted ;(2) how many individuals have been convicted of offences under section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act in each of the last five years for which records are
Column 649
available ; how many and what percentage were convicted and acquitted, respectively ; and what penalties were imposed on those convicted.Mr. Nicholls : Centrally available statistics from the records of the Health and Safety Executive's factory and
Column 650
agricultural inspectorates and of local authorities which include almost all the relevant proceedings are given in the table. These do not distinguish between companies and individuals but the large majority of proceedings are against companies.Column 649
|c|Informations laid under Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act|c|
|c|Great Britain|c|
HSE's factory and Local authorities
agricultural
inspectorates
Result Fines
|Informations laid|Conviction |Withdrawn |Dismissed |Not known |Lowest<1> |Highest |Average |Informations laid|Convictions
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1983
Number |345 |276 |22 |28 |19 |168 |131
Percentage |100 |80 |6 |8 |6 |50 |3,000 |363 |100 |78
1984
Number |328 |275 |24 |24 |5 |189 |170
Percentage |100 |84 |7 |7 |2 |20 |12,000 |424 |100 |90
1985
Number |378 |309 |23 |33 |13 |142 |124
Percentage |100 |82 |6 |9 |3 |50 |30,000 |618 |100 |87
1986 Q1
Number |85 |74 |2 |7 |2
Percentage |100 |88 |2 |8 |2 |25 |2,000 |582 |<2>- |<2>-
1986-87
Number |295 |238 |24 |23 |10 |208 |170
Percentage |100 |81 |8 |8 |3 |25 |5,500 |653 |100 |82
1987-88<3>
Number |333 |261 |25 |31 |16
Percentage |100 |78 |8 |9 |5 |50 |250,000 |1,609 |<2>- |<2>-
<1>Excludes cases which resulted in conviction but there was no fine.
<2>Not available.
<3>Provisional.
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many companies have been convicted of offences under section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act in each of the last five years for which records are available ; how many and what percentage were convicted and acquitted, respectively ; and what penalties were imposed on those convicted ;
(2) how many individuals have been convicted of offences under section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act in each of the last five years for which records are
Column 650
available ; how many and what percentage were convicted and acquitted, respectively ; and what penalties were imposed on those convicted.Mr. Nicholls : Centrally available statistics from the records of the Health and Safety Executive's factory and agricultural inspectorates and of local authorities which include almost all the relevant proceedings are given in the table. These do not distinguish between companies and individuals but the large majority of proceedings are against companies.
Column 649
|c|Informations laid under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act|c|
|c|Great Britain|c|
HSE's factory and Local authorities
agricultural
inspectorates
Result Fines
|Informations laid|Conviction |Withdrawn |Dismissed |Notknown |Lowest<1> |Highest |Average |Informations laid|Convictions
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1983
Number |140 |115 |7 |15 |3 |49 |39
|40 |2,500 |338
Percentage |100 |82 |5 |11 |2 |100 |80
1984
Number |150 |121 |13 |12 |4 |40 |35
|100 |10,000 |493
Percentage |100 |81 |9 |8 |2 |100 |88
1985
Number |162 |120 |25 |15 |2 |44 |41
|50 |8,000 |589
Percentage |100 |74 |16 |9 |1 |100 |93
1986 Q1
Number |63 |53 |4 |3 |3
|100 |1,250 |404 |<2>- |<2>-
Percentage |100 |84 |6 |5 |5
1986-87
Number |186 |135 |21 |22 |8 |83 |68
|50 |5,000 |585
Percentage |100 |73 |11 |12 |4 |100 |82
1987-88<3>
Number |195 |158 |16 |7 |14
|20 |500,000 |3,731 |<2>- |<2>-
Percentage |100 |81 |8 |4 |7
<1>Excludes cases which resulted in conviction but where there was no fine.
<2>Not available.
<3>Provisional.
Column 651
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many individual employees were convicted under section 6 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act in each of the last five years for which records are available ; how many and what percentage were convicted and acquitted, respectively ; and what penalties were imposed on those convicted.
Mr. Nicholls : Two individual employees have been prosecuted under section 6 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act in the last five years- -one in 1987 and one in 1985. Both were convicted. The sentences were a £200 fine and a conditional discharge.
Minimum Wage
Mr. Loyden : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has as to what percentage of the national average wage the national minimum wage is in (a) France, (b) Netherlands, (c) Spain, (d) Portugal and (e) Luxembourg.
Mr. Nicholls : The following is the latest available information : France 58 per cent. ; Netherlands (October 1987) 58 per cent. ; Spain (December 1987) 40 per cent. ; Portugal (March 1988) 63 per cent. ; Luxembourg (December 1988) 30 per cent.
The percentages are based on different datum points and coverage : they are not, therefore, directly related and cannot be taken as a comparative measure between the different countries.
Benefit Claims (Merseyside)
Mr. Loyden : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people had unemployment benefit claims disallowed by adjudication officers, in the adjudication area covering Merseyside, on the ground that claimants were not available for work, in each quarter since 1986 ; and what was the number of claims disallowed as a percentage of total claims.
Mr. Lee : The table shows, over the period for which figures are available, the number of persons whose entitlement to unemployment benefit was disallowed because they were considered not to be available for work for the area requested.
Information requested on the number of claims disallowed as a percentage of the total claims made is not available.
Quarter ending |Number disallowed ------------------------------------------------------ 31 March 1986 |193 30 June 1986 |173 30 September 1986 |292 31 December 1986 |272 31 March 1987 |246 30 June 1987 |183 30 September 1987 |244 31 December 1987 |209 31 March 1988 |186 30 June 1988 |160
Training
Mr. Loyden : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest information available on the number of people who transferred from the
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community programme to employment training ; and what is this figure as a percentage of community programme participants.Mr. Nicholls : To the end of December 1988, the latest date for which information is available, it is estimated that about 9,000 people had transferred from the community programme to employment training. This is about 5 per cent. of the number on the community programme at 31 August 1988. These figures exclude people who transferred to employment training after completing their work on the community programme.
Horseracing (Safety)
Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many serious accidents at work have occurred at (a) horseracing and (b) equestrian establishments ; and how many workers have been permanently disabled in each case for each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Nicholls : Information relating to accidents at horse racing and equestrian establishments is not separately recorded. Information on workers permanently disabled as a result of such accidents is not recorded.
Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many visits have been made by Health and Safety Executive inspectors to (a) horseracing and (b) equestrian establishments in each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Nicholls : This information is not separately recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
YTS
Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people have been YTS trainees in (a) the agricultural industry and (b) the horse industry in each of the last five years ; how many were involved in accidents in each year ; and if he will give a breakdown of the accidents according to severity.
Mr. Cope : Figures of the number of individual trainees experiencing YTS in the agriculture and horse industries in each of the last five years are not available in this form.
Information on fatal, major and minor accidents in the agricultural and the horse industry before 1988 is not available.
Information for 1988 is as follows :
|c|1988 Equestrian accidents<1>|c|
|Fatal |Major injuries<2>|Minor injuries
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total number reported to
the Training Agency |None |20 |61
Number which would not
have been reported to
HSE |None |2 |5
<1>Training Agency accident figures for YTS have been compiled on a similar basis to those
prepared by the Health and Safety Executive for employed people. However, the Agency's figures
include a number of accidents, in particular road traffic accidents during scheme time and
accidents to trainees in educational establishments, which may not have been reportable to the
Executive had the individuals been employed.
<2>From 1 April 1986 major injuries have been classified according to severity criteria laid
down in the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985 (RIDDOR).
|c|1988 Agricultural accidents<1>|c|
|Fatal |Major injuries<2>|Minor injuries
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total number reported to
the Training Agency |None |48 |183
Number which would not
have been reported to
HSE |None |8 |28
<1>Training Agency accident figures for YTS have been compiled on a similar basis to those
prepared by the Health and Safety Executive for employed people. However, the Agency's figures
include a number of accidents, in particular road traffic accidents during scheme time and
accidents to trainees in educational establishments, which may not have been reportable to the
Executive had the individuals been employed.
<2>From 1 April 1986 major injuries have been classified according to severity criteria laid
down in the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985 (RIDDOR).
Health and Safety (Agriculture)
Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has on the degree of involvement of trade union representatives in health and safety in the agricultural industry ; and how many establishments have trade union safety representatives.
Mr. Nicholls : Trade union representatives take part in discussions on health and safety issues in the agricultural industry through the Health and Safety Commission's agriculture industry advisory committee and its working parties, and directly with agricultural employers. A survey carried out by the Health and Safety Executive in 1979 found that trade union- appointed safety representatives were present in only 1 per cent. of agricultural establishments. However, as only about 30 per cent. of such establishments have one or more regular employees, this figure covered about 15 per cent of agricultual employees. The Executive is currently updating its 1979 findings by means of a new survey.
Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will introduce legislation to enforce the appointment of appropriate trade union safety representatives in the agricultural industry.
Mr. Nicholls : No. The Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 allow recognised trades unions to appoint safety representatives in agriculture and in other industries. Trades union are not obliged to appoint safety representatives, nor are employers obliged to recognise trades unions. This is a matter for negotiation between unions and the employers concerned.
Fraud Investigators
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) from what date it is intended to deploy any fraud investigators at the Borough unemployment benefit office ;
(2) where are the fraud investigators, to be based at the Borough unemployment benefit office, currently based ;
(3) whether fraud investigators to be based at the Borough unemployment benefit office will have access to case files in other local unemployment benefit offices ; which other local offices will be visited by the fraud investigators ; and for what periods ; (4) when fraud investigators are based at the Borough unemployment benefit office, how cases will be selected for investigation.
Mr. Lee : There is no intention to employ investigators at Borough unemployment benefit office in addition to those already operating there to deal with local fraud cases. As has always been the practice, cases are referred to
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investigators because evidence of suspected fraud has come to light including through such means as observation on signing days and investigations with employers.Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many fraud investigators are employed in each regional office covering the Greater London area ;
(2) what targets are set by regional offices for individual investigators or teams of investigators.
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