| Previous Section | Home Page |
Job Clubs, Bristol
Mr. Stern : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to encourage the introduction of more job clubs in the Bristol travel-to-work area.
Mr. Lee : As announced in my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Bury, North (Mr. Burt) on 27 January 1989, Official Report, column 810, the job club network is being streamlined to take account of the present unemployment picture. The employment service is currently assessing the
Column 253
number of job clubs needed in the Bristol travel-to-work area and a decision is expected soon. More effective use of existing facilities, rather than additional job clubs, will be a key feature of the assessment. However, it is planned to substantially increase the number of participants in job clubs in the Avon area from around 1, 300 members in 1988-89 to around 2,500 in 1989-90.Child Care Facilities
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, in the light of his projection in the White Paper "Employment for the 1990s", that home working is likely to increase, what child care provision he is anticipating to cater for the needs of homeworkers with children in the under-fives age group.
Mr. Nicholls : Questions relating to day care provision for the under-fives are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health.
Tourism
Mr. Gregory : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he intends to publish the report commissioned from P A Management Consultants on tourism in England and the role of the British Tourist Authority ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lee : There are no plans to publish the report, which is still under consideration. An announcement will be made in due course.
Public Service Broadcasts
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make make a statement on the likely implications on public service broadcasts emanating from his Department of the White Paper, "Broadcasting in the '90s : Competition Choice and Quality."
Mr. Cope : There is no reason to suppose that the proposals in the White Paper will alter the present arrangements whereby public service messages are broadcast by the BBC. It will be for the new channel 3 and 5 licensees to consider whether they will broadcast such messages. The arrangements for paid Government advertising on television and commercial radio will not be affected by the proposals.
Deaf-blind People
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to find suitable jobs which can be carried out by deaf-blind people.
Mr. Lee : Deaf-blind people have access to the full range of employment and training services provided by or through my Department, including the specialist services for people with disabilities. These include specialist assessment rehabilitation and placing provision for people with visual handicaps, training within employment training tailored to individual need, the special aids to employment scheme (which makes available the wide range of technical aids relevant to the needs of people with visual or hearing impairments), and the sheltered employment programme, which subsidises the employment of people with severe disabilities in sheltered workshops or in sheltered placements with employers.
Column 254
Civil Servants (EC)
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of civil servants in his Department whose main task is work related wholly or mainly to the European Economic Community ; and what is the gross annual cost of travel and accommodation to and from Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg in connection with this work.
Mr. Cope : The number of civil servants in my Department whose main task is work wholly or mainly related to the European Economic Community is 33, including clerical and secretarial staff. Of these, 24 staff are concerned with the administration of United Kingdom applications for grants from the European social fund. The gross annual cost in the year to 10 March 1989 of travel and accommodation to and from Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg in connection with this work is £14,233.
Textile Industry (West Yorkshire)
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of people employed in the West Yorkshire wool textile industry for each year from 1975 to 1989 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lee : The available information from censuses of employment is given in the table. Because of changes in the standard industrial classification and in the compilation of county data, the most recent September 1989 and 1984 estimates are not strictly comparable with those for earlier years. More up-to-date estimates from the September 1987 census of employment will become available later this year.
|c|Employees in employment
in the woollen and worsted
industry in|c|
|c|west Yorkshire|c|
Thousand
June<1>
-----------------------------
1975 |59.4
1976 |54.8
1977 |54.7
1978 |52.2
September<2> |32.8
1984 |25.6
<1>Jobcentre based
information: 1968 Standard
Industrial Classification (
SIC), Minimum List Heading
414.
<2>Ward based information (
ward boundaries as at
September 1981): 1980 SIC,
Activity Heading 4310.
Note: Jobcentre and ward
based aggregates are not
strictly comparable. The
former are based on an
amalgamation of jobcentre
areas, which may not be
coterminous with the county
boundary. There are also
differences in the industry
classification, 1968 SIC
differs from the 1980 SIC,
for instance, in including
the manufacturing of pressed
and woven felt and baize.
Management Consultants
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the total fees paid out by his Department to management consultants in 1979 -80 and each year to date ; and what is the estimate for the current year.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 13 March 1989] : Expenditure in the Department of Employment group, including the Training Agency and the employment service, in each year from 1984-85 to 1987-88 on management consultancy was as follows :
Column 255
|£ thousands
------------------------------------
1984-85 |365
1985-86 |365
1986-87 |1,032
1987-88 |653
The estimate outturn for the current year (1988-89) is around £950,000.
Information for the period from 1979-80 to 1983-84 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Earnings
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many, and what percentage, of full-time female workers in Derbyshire earned less than the Council of Europe's decency threshold in the figures for the latest available year.
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 13 March 1989] : I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave the hon. Member for Glasgow, Ruthergen (Mr. McAvoy) on 8 March 1989 at columns 569-70.
Statistical Staff
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will give the latest figures for the number of staff presently employed, and full complement of staff including vacant posts, by grade, in the statistical divisions in the Manpower Services Commission ; if he will differentiate between staff in statistical posts and staff in administrative posts ; and if he will give the staffing complements by grade, and differentiated between statistical and administrative posts, proposed for 1989-90 ;
(2) if he will give the latest figures for the number of staff presently employed, and the full complement of staff including vacant posts, by grade, in the statistical divisions in his Department ; if he will differentiate between staff in statistical posts and staff in administrative posts ; and if he will give the staffing complements by grade, and differentiated between statistical and administrative posts, proposed for 1989-90.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 13 March 1989] : Staff of what was the Manpower Services Commission are now in the Training Agency and employment service of my Department. The information requested on staff presently employed is given in the table. The staffing levels for 1989-90 are not expected to be significantly different from current levels.
|c|Department of Employment-Staff in Statistical Divisions|c|
Grade |Staff complement |Staff-in-post January
|1989
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Statistical Grades
Head of Statistics |1.0 |1.0
Chief Statistician |5.0 |5.0
Statistician |27.8 |27.6
Senior Assistant Statistician |11.0 |11.0
Assistant Statistician |11.0 |11.0
|--- |---
Total Statistical Grades |55.8 |55.6
Administrative Grades
Grade 6 |1.0 |1.0
Grade 7 |2.0 |2.0
Senior Executive Officer |10.0 |10.0
Higher Executive Officer |27.9 |27.5
Executive Officer |65.5 |63.0
Administrative Officer |122.8 |110.6
Administrative Assistant |45.8 |26.7
Senior Personal Secretary |1.0 |1.0
Personal Secretary |6.0 |6.0
|--- |---
Total Administrative Grades |282.0 |247.8
Other Staff
Economist |2.0 |2.0
Senior Economic Assistant |3.0 |3.0
Economic Assistant |1.0 |-
Senior Research Officer |3.0 |2.0
Assistant Librarian |1.0 |1.0
|--- |---
Total Other Grades |10.0 |8.0
Total All Posts |337.8 |303.4
Employment Training
Mr. Bill Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Ealing, North (Mr. Greenway) dated 17 January, Official Report, column 172 , information on the numbers in employment training schemes in inner city areas has yet been made available.
Mr. Nicholls : The number of people on employment training at 3 March was 164,000 ; of these, 42 per cent. or about 70,000 were in training in inner city areas.
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what his Department treats as a reasonable amount for trainees on an ET scheme to spend on weekly travel from their home to their place of training.
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 10 March 1989] : ET trainees are expected to meet the first £5 of their weekly travel costs. Costs in excess of £5 a week are reimbursed in full.
ENERGY
Ministerial Statements
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make it his policy to be answerable in Parliament for statements made outside Parliament by Ministers in his Department on matters for which his Department has responsibility.
Mr. Parkinson : Ministers in charge of Departments are answerable to Parliament for statements made by Ministers in their Departments on matters for which they have responsibility.
Public Service Broadcasts
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the likely implications on public service broadcasts emanating from his Department of the White Paper "Broadcasting in the '90s : Competition Choice and Quality".
Mr. Parkinson : There is no reason to suppose that the proposals in the White Paper will alter the present arrangements whereby public service messages are broadcast by the BBC. It will be for the new Channel 3 and
Column 257
5 licensees to consider whether they will broadcast such messages. The arrangements for paid Government advertising on television will not be affected by the proposals.Civil Servants (EC)
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, what is the number of civil servants in his Department whose main task is work related wholly or mainly to the European Economic Community ; and what is the gross annual cost of travel and accommodation to and from Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg in connection with this work.
Mr. Parkinson : There are 12 civil servants engaged wholly or mainly on EEC work and the cost of travel and subsistence for 1988 was about £6,000, most of which is reimbursed by the Commission.
Dungeness B
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what was the cost of constructing Dungeness B power station ; what is its percentage of availability for each year since completion ; what is the total amount spent on maintenance and repairs since completion ; and what is the current availability of the station.
Mr. Michael Spicer : This is an operational matter for the Central Electricity Generating Board. I have asked the chairman to write to the hon. Member.
Reactor Welds (Bradwell)
Mr. John Garrett : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will call for a report from Her Majesty's chief inspector of nuclear installations on his decision with respect to the use of ultrasonic methods to inspect reactor welds at Bradwell nuclear power station.
Mr. Michael Spicer : Inspections of the pressure circuit are part of the normal examinations carried out at each regular biennial inspection as required under the site licence. The Health and Safety Executive has accepted the Central Electricity Generating Board's proposal for a combination of ultrasonic and visual inspections as part of the programme of work during the shutdown of Bradwell for its biennial inspection.
The nuclear installations inspectorate of the Health and Safety Executive will review the results of the inspections as they proceed. The nuclear installations inspectorate's consent will be required before the reactor can be restarted.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Post Office
13. Dr. Goodson-Wickes : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he last had discussions with Sir Bryan Nicholson of the Post Office ; and what matters were discussed.
Mr. Forth : I meet the Post Office chairman regularly, and last did so on 1 March. We discussed a range of matters of current interest.
Column 258
Mobile Telecommunications
19. Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment he has made of the potential for expansion in the market for mobile telecommunications ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : We see considerable potential. My announcement to the House on 26 January about personal telecommunications set out the steps we are taking to enable that potential to be realised.
Car Batteries
20. Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on import penetration of car batteries.
Mr. Atkins : Information on car batteries alone is not available. For automotive batteries in total, it is estimated that in the first three quarters of 1988, import penetration was approximately 30 per cent.
Enterprise Initiative
21. Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many businesses have participated in the Government's enterprise initiative scheme.
Mr. Forth : I am pleased to say that over 85,000 firms have "taken the initiative" by seeking detailed information about the self-help package of assistance available under the enterprise initiative.
Inner City Task Forces
22. Mr. Favell : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he last met the leaders of the inner city task forces ; and what matters were discussed.
Mr. Newton : I last met task force leaders as a group at their half- yearly meeting in Liverpool on Friday 9 December. Our discussions ranged over a variety of matters, including the importance of developing the capacity of local groups and community organisations to build on task forces' work after the departure of the task forces themselves. I have subsequently met on other occasions the task force leaders in Preston, Rochdale, Doncaster, Hartlepool, Leeds and Middlesbrough.
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
23. Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the outcome of the latest round of the general agreement on tariffs and trade.
Mr. Newton : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my hon. Friend the Minister for Trade gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Keighley (Mr. Waller) on 12 December at column 400.
Sir Richard Body : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if it remains the negotiating position of the European Economic Community, after the breakdown of the mid-term review of the general agreement on tariffs and trade, Uruguay round, that the principal of selectivity should be introduced into article XIX of the general agreement on tariffs and trade.
Column 259
Mr. Forth : The European Community is committed to seeking an improved safeguards clause under article XIX of the general agreement on tariffs and trade, which would permit effective action to be taken subject to agreed tests and disciplines. We consider this will help strengthen the general agreement on tariffs and trade and may facilitate the process of trade liberalisation by providing a more reliable "safety-valve". One of the key issues in the negotiations will be whether safeguard action can be taken selectively. It is the Community's view that this possibility exists. However the Community has not expressed a firm position on this issue in the current multi-lateral trade negotiations, believing it to be important that all options should remain open for discussion at this stage of the negotiations if a comprehensive solution is to be found.
Electrical Goods
24. Mr. Wareing : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the current balance of trade position in electronics and electrical goods.
Mr. Forth : In 1988, exports of electronic and electrical goods amounted to £11.4 billion while imports were £15.3 billion, leaving a crude trade deficit of £3.9 billion.
Hearing Aids
25. Mr. Andrew Welsh : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what study his Department has conducted into the number of people buying hearing aids privately.
Mr. Forth : None. Such surveys are not carried out by this Department but I understand that the number of hearing aids privately dispensed each year is approximately 80,000.
Mrs. Rosie Barnes : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many representations he has received concerning the conduct of private hearing aid dispensers.
Mr. Forth : My Department has received three representations concerning the conduct of private hearing aid dispensers in the last year.
Trade Deficit
26. Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will initiate an inquiry into the causes of the size of the United Kingdom's trade deficit with the European Economic Community in relation to that of the rest of the world ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Newton : We have no plans to do so.
58. Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with which European Economic Community members Britain's trade is in deficit.
Mr. Newton : In the 12 months to January the United Kingdom was in deficit on visible trade with Belgium/Luxembourg, Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal.
Single Market
27. Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent representations he has received about preparations for the single market in 1992 ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 260
Mr. Forth : We constantly receive an encouragingly high number of representations from all sectors of British business. All have warmly welcomed the continuing high priority which the Government are giving to completing the single market and the steps that we are taking to encourage British business to take action to prepare for the challenge ahead.
49. Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent estimate his Department has made of the effects of 1992 on the manufacturing sector.
Mr. Atkins : The single European market will present opportunities and challenges for a wide range of United Kingdom business sectors. Realising the potential gains to any one sector of the economy will depend on the flexibility of United Kingdom firms in that sector in responding to the removal of the barriers.
59. Mr. Allan Roberts : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent estimates his Department have made on the effects of 1992 on Britain's regions.
Mr. Atkins : The completion of the single market means greater freedom of trade, and many studies have demonstrated the benefits of that. The single market will bring opportunities for business in all parts of the country. We are seeking to ensure that business in every region takes the necessary action to respond effectively to the opportunities and challenges ahead.
Overseas Assets
28. Mr. Butler : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the current net value of British companies' overseas assets.
Mr. Forth : The latest available estimate relates to the end of 1987. The book value of direct investment abroad by United Kingdom companies at the end of 1987 was estimated to be £91 billion. The book value of foreign direct investment in the United Kingdom was estimated to be £53 billion and the net book value of overseas direct investment at the end of 1987 was estimated to be £38 billion.
Copyright
29. Miss Emma Nicholson : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the Government's plans to ensure that the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 are not vitiated by the European Economic Community in legislation arising out of the European Economic Community Commission's Green Paper "Copyright and the Challenge of New Technology."
Mr. Forth : The provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 were adopted after careful consideration with all affected parties. Consultations are continuing on matters arising from the Commission's Green Paper. We shall therefore be well placed to represent the interests of the United Kingdom in negotiations on any proposals for Community legislation in this area.
Barlow Clowes
30. Mr. Michael : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress has been made towards
Column 261
obtaining reimbursement for those affected by the British-based and Gibraltar-based elements of the Barlow Clowes organisation ; what initiatives have been taken by his Department in the last six months ; what initiatives he will now take to seek a speedier resolution of outstanding problems ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Newton : On the matter of reimbursement for investors in Barlow Clowes, I understand that an interim payment of 75p in the pound was made to a minority of investors in the United Kingdom fund (Barlow Clowes Gilt Managers) before Christmas. The remaining investors in the United Kingdom fund received an interim payment of 25p in the pound in January. The position for investors in the Gibraltar fund (Barlow Clowes International) is not as promising but I understand that the liquidators hope to make a small interim payment to those investors as soon as possible this year.
Developments have also been taking place on the roles played by some of the other parties involved in this case. My right hon. and noble Friend has invited a number of regulatory bodies to examine Sir Godfray Le Quesne's report and see whether there were matters for them to consider. The Financial Intermediaries, Managers and Brokers' Regulatory Association has undertaken its own investigations and recommended that disciplinary action be taken against 19 of its members involved with the case, of which three have been suspended. Those suspended are the Investments and Pensions Advisory Service Ltd. and D. C. Wilson and Gordon Pettie Advisory Services. The Investments and Pensions Advisory Service is in liquidation following a winding up petition by the Securities and Investments board and D. C. Wilson has gone into voluntary liquidation.
On 4 January the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales announced that a committee of inquiry was being set up under the joint disciplinary scheme to look into the role of the auditors involved in this case.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration is looking into complaints that he has received about the handling of the Barlow Clowes case by my Department. The timing of the Commissioner's work is a matter for him, but my Department is co-operating with him and we shall consider carefully any report that he may make.
Manufacturing Investment
31. Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the latest figure for the level of manufacturing investment ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : In 1988 manufacturing investment, including leased asset and at 1985 prices on the provisional estimate, amounted to £11 billion, nearly 10 per cent. higher than in 1987. In his Financial Statement and Budget Report, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer forecast further strong growth in business investment. This is supported by the Department of Trade and Industry's latest investment intentions survey and that conducted by the CBI.
64. Dr. Moonie : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects manufacturing investment to return to its 1979 level.
Mr. Atkins : Manufacturing investment in real terms in 1988 on the provisional estimate was close to its 1979 level
Column 262
and 10 per cent. higher than in 1987. In his Financial Statement and Budget Report, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer forecast further strong growth in business investment. This is supported by the Department of Trade and Industry's latest investment intentions survey and that conducted by the CBI.Trade Figures
32. Mr. Dykes : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he has held recent discussions with his European Economic Community counterparts in the Council of Ministers on problems associated with different trade figures in the United Kingdom and other member states and on comparative statistics and measurements in these various figures.
Mr. Newton : No. There will be discussions in the Council of Ministers later this year on a proposal for an EC Council regulation on the statistics of trading between member states after 1992. If my hon. Friend has a particular problem in mind perhaps he would write to me.
1992 Campaign
33. Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement about the achievements of his 1992 campaign.
Mr. Forth : Since the campaign was launched the DTI has handled around 200,000 requests for further information. Now over 90 per cent. of firms throughout the country recognise the significance of the single market challenge and around 50 per cent. of British business is taking action or considering steps to prepare for the single market.
Cellular Radio
34. Mr. Moss : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps his Department has taken to relieve congestion in the cellular radio network.
Mr. Atkins : My right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has already announced the extension of the availability of 400 radio channels, until now reserved for Ministry of Defence use save in central London, out to the area embraced by the M25 and five miles beyond.
Hearing Aid Council
35. Mr. Sims : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he last reviewed the Hearing Aid Council's code of practice.
Mr. Forth : The Hearing Aid Council Act does not require or permit the Secretary of State to review the council's code of practice. The Act requires the Secretary of State to approve the code proposed by the council and any amendments that it proposes to it. The Secretary of State can make his approval conditional upon certain modifications.
Action for Cities
36. Mr. Irvine : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many offers of assistance have resulted from the action for cities presentations.
Column 263
Mr. Newton : More than 400 of the firms represented at the seven action for cities working breakfasts held during 1988 expressed an interest in supporting the Government's inner city initiatives.
| Next Section
| Home Page |