| Home Page |
Column 519
Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 12 April 1989
NATIONAL FINANCE
MEPs
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what payments are made to European Members of Parliament for (a) salary, (b) office, research and secretarial allowances, (c) daily allowances for attending meetings on parliamentary business and (d) allowance per mile for travel on parliamentary business, expressed in (i) pounds sterling and (ii) European currency units.
Mr. Brooke : The European Assembly (Pay and Pensions) Act 1979 stipulates that salary payable to United Kingdom Members of the European Parliament shall be the same as a member of this Parliament's ordinary salary (currently £24,107) except that, where an MEP is also a member of this Parliament, he or she will receive only one third of that salary in addition to his or her Member of Parliament's salary. The Act also stipulates that the salary be paid into a United Kingdom bank account in sterling.
The European Parliament has laid down a number of allowances for its Members to defray the expenses which they incur in the performance of their parliamentary duties. These allowances are as follows at 1 January 1989 (sterling rates are approximate and will vary with exchange rate fluctuations ; the rates used here are based on the average for 1988 : £1.0=ecu 1.51) : (1) General Expenditure Allowances
Ecu 2,246 per month (£ sterling 1,487). This allowance is intended to defray, for example, Members' expenses on office management costs, telephone, postage and travel within their member state. In respect of Members who, for no valid reason, have failed to attend half the number of plenary sittings, the allowance is halved.
(2) Secretarial-Assistance Allowance
Up to ecu 3,635 (£ sterling 2,407) per month. This allowance is intended to defray the expenses arising from the employment or the engagement of the services of one or more assistants. It is paid only upon production of supporting contracts.
(3) Subsistence Allowance
The daily allowances are :
(a) For travel within the Community 156 ecu (£ sterling 103). (
(b) For travel outside the Community 78 ecu (£ sterling 52). (4) Travel Allowance
(a) For official travel within the Community :
0.6 ecu (40 pence) per km (1 km=0.62 miles) for the first 400 km of both inward and outward journeys ; and
0.32 ecu (21 pence) per km thereafter.
(b) For official travel outside the Community :
return air fare by the most direct route on presentation of the ticket, plus a lump sum travel allowance (as at (a) above) in respect of the journey between the point of departure and the nearest international airport.
Column 520
Children
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in work and responsible for children will have earnings below the tax threshold in the current year.
Mr. Norman Lamont : In 1989-90, it is estimated that some 1.8 million people in work (including part-time workers and self-employed) with children earn less than the weekly equivalent of the personal allowance to which they are entitled. Of these, 1.4 million are married women. This suggests that there are 400,000 tax units with children, where the head of the household is in work and has earnings below the tax threshold.
These estimates are based on projections to 1989-90 of weekly earnings recorded in the 1986 family expenditure survey.
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax-paying units in the current year will contain children ; and how many will be (a) married couples with the wife earning and (b) single-parent families with earned income.
Mr. Norman Lamont : In 1989-90, it is estimated that there are some 5.3 million taxpaying tax units with children. Of these 3.4 million are married couples where the wife has earned income and 0.3 million are working single-parent families. These estimates are based on projections of data collected in the 1986-87 survey of personal incomes and 1986 family expenditure survey.
Retirement Pensions (Tax)
Mr. Cox : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the percentage of income tax revenue received from income tax paid on retirement pensions.
Mr. Norman Lamont : I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 14 November 1988 at column 525.
Age Allowance
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many people will benefit by the extension of the higher rate of age allowance to those aged 75 and over ;
(2) if he will estimate the number of people who will benefit from the extension of the higher age allowance to those aged 75 and over in (a) the Brighton travel-to-work area, (b) the parliamentary constituency of Brighton, Kemptown and (c) the parliamentary constituency of Brighton, Pavilion.
Mr. Norman Lamont : It is estimated that in 1989-90 about 400,000 single people and married couples, will benefit from the proposed extension of the higher level of age allowance to those aged 75 and over. Estimates are based on a projection of the 1986-87 survey of personal incomes and are provisional. I regret that corresponding information for Brighton and the surrounding area is not available.
Scottish Grand Committee
Mr. Steel : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the cost to public funds of the visit of a Lords
Column 521
Commissioner of Her Majesty's Treasury, the hon. Member for Penrith and the Border (Mr. Maclean) to the meeting of the Scottish Grand Committee in Edinburgh on Monday 20 March ; and from which vote the expense was met.Mr. Lawson [holding answer 4 April 1989] : I understand that the visit in question was made in connection with ministerial business. Consequently, the cost will be borne on the Cabinet Office (OMCS) Vote. Details of the cost of the visit are not yet available.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Medical Research Council
Mr. Goodlad : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much of the Medical Research Council's 1988-89 and 1989-90 budgets were committed to research on (a) mental health and (b) schizophrenia ; and what percentages these figures represent of the total budgets.
Mr. Jackson : The most recent information available is for 1987-88, and I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to him on 28 November at column 82-83.
Polytechnics
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his Department's policy on the re-location of existing polytechnics from Inner London.
Mr. Jackson : It is for the institutions in the first instance, in collaboration with the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council, to consider whether relocation would assist them in meeting their aims and objectives, and help secure more effective and economical provision of higher education in London, the south-east region and nationally. The PCFC is responsible for the effective investment in higher education of the substantial sums of public money available to the sector, and the Government look to the council to help secure, through its arrangements for the allocation of grant to institutions, higher education which meets the needs of students both regionally and nationally.
Dyslexia
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many specialist teachers are provided for dyslexic children by Liverpool local education authority ; what is the number per thousand pupils ; what are the comparable figures in other local education authorities in England and Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Butcher : This information is not collected by the Department.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if his Department has recommended that local education authorities provide a minimum standard of specialist teaching for dyslexic children ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if he will make a statement on the provision of specialist teaching for dyslexic children.
Mr. Butcher : Under the 1981 Education Act, local education authorities are required to identify children with
Column 522
special educational needs and to make appropriate educational provision for them. In the exercise of these statutory duties, it is for individual local education authorities to decide on the level of employment of teachers and their deployment.National Union of Students
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many responses he has received concerning his inquiry into the status of the National Union of Students ; what was the balance of opinion in these responses ; and if he will list the organisations and institutions that have responded, and place their responses in the Library.
Mr. Jackson : My Department has conducted a survey on student unions and their links with the National Union of Students. Factual information was sought and received from 70 institutions of further and higher education. In addition, since the announcement of the survey in April 1988, we have received 109 separate representations about the National Union of Students, either in correspondence from the general public or forwarded by hon. Members on behalf of their constituents. Of these, 66 (60.6 per cent.) were in favour of a change in the status of the National Union of Students, 43 (39.4 per cent.) against.
As I explained to my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Mr. Amess) on 10 June 1988 at column 691, I do not consider it appropriate to deposit such correspondence in the Library.
Academics (Earnings)
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his reply of 4 April, Official Report, column 7, what evidence he has that the earnings of academics have increased in the same way as the earnings of other people.
Mr. Jackson : The Department does not collect information about the levels of non-pay earnings among academics.
Parent Registers
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list all those organisations who are to be allowed access to the parent registers presently being compiled by local education authorities ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Rumbold : There is no legal requirement for local education authorities to compile parent registers. Access by local education authorities to school admission registers is governed by section 80 of the Education Act 1944 and the Pupils Registration Regulations 1956, as amended, which limit access to authorised officers and for the purposes of the Education Acts. Legislation and regulations on the community charge require local education authorities to supply information about individuals to community charge registration officers only where it is within their possession or control.
National Curriculum
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science on what date his Department's document "National Curriculum : From Policy to Practice" was made available to schools in England.
Column 523
Mrs. Rumbold : "From Policy to Practice" was published on 23 February and copies were sent directly to maintained schools in England during the first week in March.
Expenditure
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to the proportion of gross domestic product in 1975, 1979, 1983, and the latest available year which was represented by public expenditure on (a) schools for ages 5 to 16 years ; (b) pre-five education ; (c) further education and training ; (d) higher education by each of the countries of the European Community, other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, Korea, Taiwan and Singapore, on the best available and most comparable data.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : Some relevant data are given in the "UNESCO Statistical Yearbook" for 1988, tables 4.1 and 4.3 (pages 4.5 to 4.22 and 4.44 to 4.55). A copy is in the Library. Some care is needed in interpreting the figures, because countries have differing procedures for allocating expenditure between the various levels of education, and these procedures may have changed over the years.
Teacher Training
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the total cost in 1988-89 of (i) initial teacher training and (ii) in-service training, of teachers.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : Funding for higher education institutions is not allocated according to subject. However, an estimated £145 million, including fees, was made available to institutions in England and Wales for initial teacher training in the financial year 1988-89. It will be for institutions to decide on how they spend the resources at their disposal. In addition, the total cost of the maintenance element of mandatory awards in respect of students on initial teacher training courses is estimated at around £49 million. In the same year, local education authorities in England planned to spend £290 million on in-service training for teachers and others employed in the education service.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if his Department has conducted any research into (a) the cause and (b) the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus.
Mr. Jackson : The Medical Research Council, which receives its grant -in-aid from this Department, is the main agency through which the Government support medical research. It is funding research into the cause of systemic lupus erythematosus at its clinical research centre and at the clinical science laboratory of Guy's medical school. Other relevant research may also be supported by university medical schools from their general funding.
Higher Education (Access)
Mr. Greg Knight : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps the Government are taking to widen access to higher education ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 524
Mr. Kenneth Baker : Access courses provide an important means of increasing the participation in higher education of mature students without the traditional qualifications for entry to degree courses. My Department has encouraged the Council for National Academic Awards and the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals to devise a national framework for the recognition of such courses, and a steering committee was established to oversee this work. That committee has now proposed a transbinary framework to be administered by a central body which will invite higher education institutions and consortia validating access courses to apply for a franchise through which their courses will acquire a kitemark' of national recognition. I have written to the chairman of the CNAA, Sir Bryan Nicholson, and to the chairman of the CVCP, Sir Mark Richmond, to invite the CNAA and CVCP jointly to administer the recognition scheme on behalf of both the universities and the polytechnics and colleges. The establishment of a national framework marks an important step towards improving access opportunities for mature students.
Nursery and Primary Education
Ms. Armstrong : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many nursery school places have been available in each local authority for each of the last 10 years both as a total number and as a percentage of all three and four-year-olds.
Mrs. Rumbold [holding answer 23 March 1989] : Information on nursery school places is not collected centrally. The number of pupils under five in maintained nursery schools and the percentage of the estimated three and four-year-old population in January of each year from 1979 to 1988 in each local education authority in England is given in the table. The figures do not include pupils in nursery classes in primary schools.
|c|Number of pupils under five in maintained
nursery schools|c|
|c|January each year|c|
1979
--------------------------------------------------
Barking |0 |0
Barnet |426 |6.4
Bexley |175 |3.3
Brent |282 |4.7
Bromley |0 |0
Croydon |316 |4.2
Ealing |438 |6.3
Enfield |0 |0
Haringey |247 |4.9
Harrow |92 |1.9
Havering |0 |0
Hillingdon |80 |1.5
Hounslow |0 |0
Kingston-upon-Thames |233 |7.9
Merton |399 |11.1
Newham |1,074 |18.1
Redbridge |0 |0
Richmond-upon-Thames |50 |1.5
Sutton |220 |5.7
Waltham Forest |433 |7.9
ILEA |3,876 |8.0
Birmingham |2,122 |8.4
Coventry |274 |3.4
Dudley |562 |7.5
Sandwell |223 |2.9
Solihull |0 |0
Walsall |893 |13.0
Wolverhampton |842 |12.6
Knowsley |0 |0
Liverpool |591 |5.0
St. Helens |63 |1.2
Sefton |291 |4.1
Wirral |251 |2.9
Bolton |566 |8.0
Bury |138 |2.9
Manchester |383 |3.7
Oldham |182 |3.1
Rochdale |812 |13.9
Salford |582 |9.9
Stockport |667 |9.1
Tameside |307 |5.4
Trafford |76 |1.4
Wigan |247 |2.8
Barnsley |320 |5.7
Doncaster |0 |0
Rotherham |362 |5.4
Sheffield |658 |5.6
Bradford |670 |5.3
Calderdale |73 |1.5
Kirklees |883 |8.8
Leeds |284 |1.6
Wakefield |503 |6.4
Gateshead |121 |2.4
Newcastle-upon-Tyne |533 |8.7
North Tyneside |239 |5.2
South Tyneside |817 |22.3
Sunderland |786 |10.1
Avon |1,425 |6.7
Bedfordshire |1,192 |8.4
Berkshire |1,661 |9.4
Buckinghamshire |498 |3.3
Cambridgeshire |735 |4.8
Cheshire |655 |2.8
Cleveland |659 |4.3
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |98 |1.0
Cumbria |658 |5.8
Derbyshire |975 |4.4
Devon |91 |0.4
Dorset |0 |0
Durham |2,034 |13.9
East Sussex |245 |2.0
Essex |247 |0.6
Gloucestershire |0 |0
Hampshire |240 |0.7
Hereford and Worcester |40 |0.2
Hertfordshire |1,734 |7.4
Humberside |926 |4.2
Isle of Wight |0 |0
Kent |84 |0.2
Lancashire |3,010 |8.9
Leicestershire |48 |0.2
Lincolnshire |319 |2.3
Norfolk |340 |2.0
North Yorkshire |282 |1.9
Northamptonshire |547 |3.8
Northumberland |140 |1.9
Nottinghamshire |465 |1.9
Oxfordshire |780 |6.0
Shropshire |220 |2.2
Somerset |77 |0.8
Staffordshire |1,839 |7.0
Suffolk |122 |0.8
Surrey |483 |2.1
Warwickshire |578 |4.8
West Sussex |368 |2.6
Wiltshire |0 |0
|--- |---
England |48,477|4.3
Column 526
1980
|pupils |percentage of estimated
|population aged 3 and 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barking |0 |0
Barnet |428 |6.6
Bexley |175 |3.4
Brent |246 |4.2
Bromley |0 |0
Croydon |334 |4.6
Ealing |458 |6.7
Enfield |0 |0
Haringey |227 |4.7
Harrow |50 |1.1
Havering |0 |0
Hillingdon |80 |1.5
Hounslow |0 |0
Kingston-upon-Thames |234 |8.1
Merton |208 |5.9
Newham |1,062 |18.6
Redbridge |0 |0
Richmond-upon-Thames |58 |1.9
Sutton |228 |6.2
Waltham Forest |438 |8.3
ILEA |3,808 |8.1
Birmingham |2,086 |8.5
Coventry |244 |3.2
Dudley |537 |7.6
Sandwell |213 |2.9
Solihull |0 |0
Walsall |883 |13.6
Wolverhampton |832 |13.0
Knowsley |0 |0
Liverpool |558 |4.9
St. Helens |74 |1.5
Sefton |298 |4.4
Wirral |252 |3.1
Bolton |582 |8.7
Bury |134 |3.0
Manchester |387 |3.9
Oldham |181 |3.2
Rochdale |840 |14.7
Salford |687 |12.5
Stockport |660 |9.4
Tameside |295 |5.6
Trafford |75 |1.5
Wigan |247 |3.0
Barnsley |326 |6.2
Doncaster |0 |0
Rotherham |372 |5.8
Sheffield |665 |6.0
Bradford |672 |5.4
Calderdale |77 |1.7
Kirklees |879 |9.2
Leeds |268 |1.6
Wakefield |537 |7.2
Gateshead |124 |2.6
Newcastle-upon-Tyne |579 |9.7
North Tyneside |231 |5.4
South Tyneside |882 |25.2
Sunderland |734 |9.8
Avon |1,428 |6.9
Bedfordshire |1,258 |9.2
Berkshire |1,693 |9.8
Buckinghamshire |477 |3.2
Cambridgeshire |711 |4.8
Cheshire |670 |3.0
Cleveland |701 |4.7
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |98 |1.0
Cumbria |666 |6.2
Derbyshire |1,028 |4.8
Devon |91 |0.5
Dorset |0 |0
Durham |2,054 |14.6
East Sussex |254 |2.1
Essex |246 |0.7
Gloucestershire |0 |0
Hampshire |256 |0.7
Hereford and Worcester |40 |0.3
Hertfordshire |1,659 |7.3
Humberside |941 |4.5
Isle of Wight |0 |0
Kent |82 |0.2
Lancashire |3,018 |9.2
Leicestershire |49 |0.2
Lincolnshire |326 |2.5
Norfolk |351 |2.2
North Yorkshire |287 |2.0
Northamptonshire |539 |3.8
Northumberland |130 |1.8
Nottinghamshire |458 |2.0
Oxfordshire |801 |6.4
Shropshire |224 |2.4
Somerset |64 |0.7
Staffordshire |1,827 |7.4
Suffolk |132 |0.9
Surrey |488 |2.2
Warwickshire |590 |5.1
West Sussex |374 |2.7
Wiltshire |0 |0
England |48,456 |4.4
1981
|Pupils |Percentage of estimated
|population aged 3 and 4
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barking |0 |0
Barnet |452 |7.2
Bexley |175 |3.6
Brent |252 |4.4
Bromley |0 |0
Croydon |334 |4.6
Ealing |526 |8.0
Enfield |0 |0
Haringey |217 |4.6
Harrow |50 |1.1
Havering |0 |0
Hillingdon |87 |1.7
Hounslow |0 |0
Kingston-upon-Thames |230 |8.2
Merton |208 |6.1
Newham |1,008 |18.0
Redbridge |0 |0
Richmond-upon-Thames |72 |2.4
Sutton |228 |6.2
Waltham Forest |443 |8.5
ILEA |3,751 |8.1
Birmingham |2,126 |8.8
Coventry |392 |5.2
Dudley |503 |7.3
Sandwell |209 |2.9
Solihull |0 |0
Walsall |815 |13.1
Wolverhampton |818 |13.4
Knowsley |0 |0
Liverpool |561 |5.0
St. Helens |73 |1.6
Sefton |278 |4.2
Wirral |251 |3.2
Bolton |586 |9.0
Bury |127 |3.0
Manchester |365 |3.8
Oldham |179 |3.3
Rochdale |838 |15.0
Salford |706 |13.3
Stockport |696 |10.2
Tameside |287 |5.6
Trafford |80 |1.6
Wigan |227 |2.9
Barnsley |345 |6.8
Doncaster |0 |0
Rotherham |340 |5.5
Sheffield |713 |6.7
Bradford |641 |5.1
Calderdale |70 |1.6
Kirklees |713 |7.6
Leeds |268 |1.7
Wakefield |520 |7.1
Gateshead |115 |2.4
Newcastle-upon-Tyne |573 |9.7
North Tyneside |242 |5.6
South Tyneside |831 |24.4
Sunderland |749 |10.0
Avon |1,452 |7.3
Bedfordshire |1,260 |9.1
Berkshire |1,709 |10.1
Buckinghamshire |492 |3.3
Cambridgeshire |658 |4.5
Cheshire |740 |3.3
Cleveland |452 |3.1
Cornwall+Isles of Scilly |99 |1.1
Cumbria |625 |6.0
Derbyshire |1,023 |4.9
Devon |154 |0.8
Dorset |0 |0
Durham |2,089 |14.8
East Sussex |273 |2.4
Essex |246 |0.7
Gloucestershire |0 |0
Hampshire |257 |0.8
Hereford and Worcester |0 |0.0
Hertfordshire |1,651 |7.4
Humberside |951 |4.7
Isle of Wight |0 |0
Kent |82 |0.2
Lancashire |3,099 |9.8
Leicestershire |49 |0.2
Lincolnshire |329 |2.6
Norfolk |351 |2.3
North Yorkshire |302 |2.1
Northamptonshire |467 |3.4
Northumberland |117 |1.7
Nottinghamshire |482 |2.2
Oxfordshire |806 |6.6
Shropshire |224 |2.5
Somerset |27 |0.3
Staffordshire |1,820 |7.6
Suffolk |131 |0.9
Surrey |486 |2.3
Warwickshire |584 |5.4
West Sussex |397 |2.9
Wiltshire |0 |0
|------- |-------
England |48,154 |4.5
1982
|Pupils |Percentage of estimated
|population aged 3 and 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barking |0 |0
Barnet |472 |7.3
Bexley |175 |3.6
Brent |267 |4.5
Bromley |0 |0
Croydon |358 |4.8
Ealing |622 |9.1
Enfield |0 |0
Haringey |227 |5.0
Harrow |0 |0
Havering |0 |0
Hillingdon |107 |2.0
Hounslow |0 |0
Kingston-upon-Thames |230 |7.9
Merton |207 |5.9
Newham |1,046 |18.4
Redbridge |0 |0
Richmond-upon-Thames |70 |2.3
Sutton |231 |6.2
Waltham Forest |452 |8.5
ILEA |3,916 |8.2
Birmingham |2,161 |8.7
Coventry |360 |4.8
Dudley |545 |7.8
Sandwell |155 |2.2
Solihull |0 |0
Walsall |855 |13.6
Wolverhampton |807 |13.0
Knowsley |0 |0
Liverpool |526 |4.6
St. Helens |78 |1.7
Sefton |315 |4.8
Wirral |256 |3.2
Bolton |598 |9.1
Bury |136 |3.2
Manchester |385 |3.8
Oldham |79 |1.4
Rochdale |846 |14.8
Salford |752 |14.2
Stockport |742 |10.9
Tameside |306 |6.0
Trafford |79 |1.6
Wigan |241 |3.1
Barnsley |147 |2.9
Doncaster |0 |0
Rotherham |332 |5.4
Sheffield |732 |6.8
Bradford |672 |5.3
Calderdale |71 |1.6
Kirklees |863 |9.2
Leeds |281 |1.8
Wakefield |517 |7.1
Gateshead |53 |1.1
Newcastle-upon-Tyne |565 |9.4
North Tyneside |259 |5.9
South Tyneside |762 |22.4
Sunderland |817 |10.6
Avon |1,410 |6.9
Bedfordshire |1,367 |9.6
Berkshire |1,715 |9.9
Buckinghamshire |501 |3.3
Cambridgeshire |640 |4.3
Cheshire |757 |3.4
Cleveland |441 |2.9
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |96 |1.0
Cumbria |642 |6.2
Derbyshire |1,099 |5.2
Devon |144 |0.7
Dorset |0 |0
Durham |2,121 |14.9
East Sussex |262 |2.2
Essex |246 |0.7
Gloucestershire |0 |0
Hampshire |255 |0.7
Hereford and Worcester |0 |0
Hertfordshire |1,704 |7.6
Humberside |951 |4.7
Isle of Wight |0 |0
Kent |85 |0.2
Lancashire |3,195 |10.0
Leicestershire |48 |0.2
Lincolnshire |342 |2.7
Norfolk |332 |2.2
North Yorkshire |308 |2.2
Northamptonshire |474 |3.4
Northumberland |126 |1.8
Nottinghamshire |476 |2.1
Oxfordshire |834 |6.8
Shropshire |238 |2.6
Somerset |30 |0.3
Staffordshire |1,813 |7.4
Suffolk |127 |0.9
Surrey |485 |2.3
Warwickshire |605 |5.5
West Sussex |447 |3.1
Wiltshire |0 |0
|--- |---
England |48,989 |4.5
1983
|Pupils |Percentage of estimated
|population aged 3 and 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barking |0 |0
Barnet |489 |7.2
Bexley |175 |3.4
Brent |277 |4.5
Bromley |0 |0
Croydon |384 |4.9
Ealing |626 |8.8
Enfield |0 |0
Haringey |226 |4.8
Harrow |0 |0
Havering |0 |0
Hillingdon |101 |1.8
Hounslow |0 |0
Kingston-upon-Thames |231 |7.7
Merton |208 |5.6
Newham |1,038 |17.6
Redbridge |0 |0
Richmond-upon-Thames |70 |2.2
Sutton |232 |6.0
Waltham Forest |431 |7.7
ILEA |4,015 |8.1
Birmingham |2,092 |8.0
Coventry |387 |4.9
Dudley |475 |6.4
Sandwell |157 |2.1
Solihull |0 |0
Walsall |848 |12.7
Wolverhampton |823 |12.7
Knowsley |0 |0
Liverpool |565 |4.8
St. Helens |74 |1.5
Sefton |312 |4.5
Wirral |240 |2.8
Bolton |599 |8.6
Bury |157 |3.5
Manchester |386 |3.6
Oldham |0 |0
Rochdale |870 |14.3
Salford |776 |13.9
Stockport |736 |10.2
Tameside |318 |5.9
Trafford |80 |1.5
Wigan |183 |2.3
Barnsley |165 |3.1
Doncaster |0 |0
Rotherham |331 |5.0
Sheffield |741 |6.5
Bradford |571 |4.2
Calderdale |97 |2.0
Kirklees |849 |8.6
Leeds |272 |1.6
Wakefield |478 |6.2
Gateshead |59 |1.2
Newcastle-upon-Tyne |592 |9.4
North Tyneside |307 |6.7
South Tyneside |806 |22.4
Sunderland |905 |11.2
Avon |1,477 |6.9
Bedfordshire |1,358 |9.1
Berkshire |1,740 |9.5
Buckinghamshire |507 |3.1
Cambridgeshire |647 |4.0
Cheshire |796 |3.4
Cleveland |445 |2.8
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |103 |1.1
Cumbria |681 |6.2
Derbyshire |1,115 |5.0
Devon |142 |0.7
Dorset |0 |0
Durham |2,206 |14.7
East Sussex |272 |2.2
Essex |248 |0.7
Gloucestershire |0 |0
Hampshire |257 |0.7
Hereford and Worcester |0 |0.0
Hertfordshire |1,720 |7.2
Humberside |983 |4.6
Isle of Wight |0 |0
Kent |87 |0.2
Lancashire |3,229 |9.5
Leicestershire |48 |0.2
Lincolnshire |358 |2.7
Norfolk |365 |2.2
North Yorkshire |311 |2.1
Northamptonshire |494 |3.3
Northumberland |155 |2.0
Nottinghamshire |513 |2.1
Oxfordshire |794 |6.0
Shropshire |157 |1.6
Somerset |28 |0.3
Staffordshire |1,838 |7.1
Suffolk |144 |0.9
Surrey |502 |2.2
Warwickshire |623 |5.3
West Sussex |454 |3.0
Wiltshire |0 |0
|--- |---
England |49,551 |4.3
1984
|Pupils |Percentage of estimated
|population aged 3 and 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barking |0 |0
Barnet |496 |7.0
Bexley |174 |3.2
Brent |281 |4.3
Bromley |0 |0
Croydon |426 |5.3
Ealing |630 |8.2
Enfield |0 |0
Haringey |219 |4.5
Harrow |0 |0
Havering |0 |0
Hillingdon |119 |2.0
Hounslow |0 |0
Kingston-upon-Thames |237 |7.7
Merton |209 |5.4
Newham |982 |16.1
Redbridge |0 |0
Richmond-upon-Thames |75 |2.1
Sutton |233 |5.6
Waltham Forest |373 |6.4
ILEA |4,075 |7.8
Birmingham |1,973 |7.2
Coventry |402 |4.9
Dudley |472 |6.1
Sandwell |159 |2.0
Solihull |0 |0
Walsall |790 |11.1
Wolverhampton |831 |12.4
Knowsley |0 |0
Liverpool |528 |4.2
St. Helens |75 |1.5
Sefton |311 |4.3
Wirral |263 |2.9
Bolton |614 |8.3
Bury |152 |3.3
Manchester |425 |3.8
Oldham |0 |0
Rochdale |891 |14.1
Salford |780 |13.2
Stockport |759 |10.1
Tameside |335 |5.9
Trafford |0 |0
Wigan |183 |2.2
Barnsley |161 |2.9
Doncaster |0 |0
Rotherham |340 |4.9
Sheffield |735 |6.1
Bradford |565 |3.8
Calderdale |91 |1.8
Kirklees |751 |7.3
Leeds |265 |1.5
Wakefield |500 |6.2
Gateshead |59 |1.1
Newcastle-upon-Tyne |593 |8.9
North Tyneside |287 |5.9
South Tyneside |807 |20.7
Sunderland |927 |10.9
Avon |1,465 |6.6
Bedfordshire |1,366 |8.7
Berkshire |1,809 |9.3
Buckinghamshire |519 |3.0
Cambridgeshire |633 |3.8
Cheshire |810 |3.3
Cleveland |360 |2.2
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |96 |1.0
Cumbria |705 |6.1
Derbyshire |1,119 |4.8
Devon |140 |0.6
Dorset |0 |0.0
Durham |2,303 |15.0
East Sussex |274 |2.1
Essex |255 |0.6
Gloucestershire |0 |0.0
Hampshire |256 |0.7
Hereford and Worcester |0 |0.0
Hertfordshire |1,728 |6.9
Humberside |889 |4.1
Isle of Wight |0 |0.0
Kent |79 |0.2
Lancashire |3,330 |9.4
Leicestershire |50 |0.2
Lincolnshire |393 |2.8
Norfolk |363 |2.1
North Yorkshire |320 |2.1
Northamptonshire |499 |3.3
Northumberland |156 |2.0
Nottinghamshire |560 |2.2
Oxfordshire |539 |3.9
Shropshire |188 |1.9
Somerset |0 |0.0
Staffordshire |1,879 |6.9
Suffolk |172 |1.1
Surrey |497 |2.1
Warwickshire |649 |5.4
West Sussex |452 |2.9
Wiltshire |0 |0.0
|-------
England |49,406 |4.1
1985
|pupils |percentage of estimated
|population aged 3 and 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barking |0 |0
Barnet |500 |6.9
Bexley |175 |3.2
Brent |271 |3.9
Bromley |0 |0
Croydon |410 |5.1
Ealing |605 |7.4
Enfield |0 |0
Haringey |216 |4.2
Harrow |0 |0
Havering |0 |0
Hillingdon |116 |1.9
Hounslow |0 |0
Kingston-upon-Thames |238 |7.7
Merton |180 |4.4
Newham |962 |14.8
Redbridge |0 |0
Richmond-upon-Thames |62 |1.6
Sutton |233 |5.6
Waltham Forest |339 |5.8
ILEA |4,208 |7.4
Birmingham |2,187 |7.9
Coventry |391 |4.9
Dudley |481 |6.2
Sandwell |155 |1.9
Solihull |0 |0
Walsall |753 |10.6
Wolverhampton |824 |12.3
Knowsley |0 |0
Liverpool |555 |4.3
St. Helens |70 |1.5
Sefton |315 |4.6
Wirral |221 |2.5
Bolton |618 |8.2
Bury |146 |3.3
Manchester |512 |4.3
Oldham |0 |0
Rochdale |894 |14.0
Salford |812 |13.8
Stockport |773 |10.7
Tameside |325 |5.5
Trafford |0 |0
Wigan |190 |2.4
Barnsley |167 |3.0
Doncaster |0 |0
Rotherham |365 |5.1
Sheffield |731 |6.1
Bradford |592 |3.9
Calderdale |95 |1.9
Kirklees |713 |7.0
Leeds |273 |1.6
Wakefield |472 |5.8
Gateshead |58 |1.1
Newcastle-upon-Tyne |579 |8.4
North Tyneside |276 |5.5
South Tyneside |797 |19.9
Sunderland |933 |11.2
Avon |1,465 |6.7
Bedfordshire |1,387 |8.8
Berkshire |1,941 |10.0
Buckinghamshire |514 |3.0
Cambridgeshire |631 |3.8
Cheshire |816 |3.5
Cleveland |279 |1.7
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |91 |0.9
Cumbria |701 |6.2
Derbyshire |1,127 |4.9
Devon |141 |0.7
Dorset |0 |0
Durham |2,272 |15.3
East Sussex |290 |2.2
Essex |259 |0.7
Gloucestershire |0 |0
Hampshire |259 |0.7
Hereford and Worcester |0 |0
Hertfordshire |1,734 |7.2
Humberside |897 |4.3
Isle of Wight |0 |0
Kent |90 |0.2
Lancashire |3,386 |9.7
Leicestershire |49 |0.2
Lincolnshire |335 |2.5
Norfolk |375 |2.3
North Yorkshire |322 |2.1
Northamptonshire |504 |3.4
Northumberland |131 |1.8
Nottinghamshire |557 |2.3
Oxfordshire |494 |3.5
Shropshire |160 |1.7
Somerset |0 |0
Staffordshire |1,836 |6.7
Suffolk |157 |1.0
Surrey |506 |2.2
Warwickshire |665 |5.8
West Sussex |454 |2.9
Wiltshire |0 |0
|-------
England |49,613 |4.1
1986
|pupils |percentage of estimated
|population aged 3 and 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barking |0 |0
Barnet |495 |6.8
Bexley |175 |3.4
Brent |268 |3.9
Bromley |0 |0
Croydon |411 |4.8
Ealing |610 |7.7
Enfield |0 |0
Haringey |213 |4.0
Harrow |0 |0
Havering |0 |0
Hillingdon |117 |2.0
Hounslow |0 |0
Kingston-upon-Thames |238 |7.7
Merton |173 |4.2
Newham |979 |15.5
Redbridge |0 |0
Richmond-upon-Thames |68 |1.9
Sutton |240 |5.9
Waltham Forest |292 |5.0
ILEA |4,152 |7.6
Birmingham |2,245 |8.1
Coventry |464 |5.7
Dudley |471 |6.4
Sandwell |208 |2.6
Solihull |0 |0
Walsall |770 |11.7
Wolverhampton |810 |12.3
Knowsley |0 |0
Liverpool |548 |4.6
St. Helens |76 |1.6
Sefton |316 |4.5
Wirral |219 |2.6
Bolton |601 |8.4
Bury |142 |3.2
Manchester |540 |4.7
Oldham |0 |0
Rochdale |885 |14.5
Salford |870 |15.0
Stockport |779 |10.7
Tameside |324 |5.9
Trafford |0 |0
Wigan |199 |2.4
Barnsley |173 |3.0
Doncaster |0 |0
Rotherham |352 |5.2
Sheffield |722 |6.3
Bradford |510 |3.6
Calderdale |87 |1.8
Kirklees |699 |6.7
Leeds |275 |1.6
Wakefield |484 |6.1
Gateshead |64 |1.3
Newcastle-upon-Tyne |586 |8.9
North Tyneside |315 |6.7
South Tyneside |688 |18.6
Sunderland |927 |11.0
Avon |1,461 |6.6
Bedfordshire |1,320 |8.7
Berkshire |1,938 |9.9
Buckinghamshire |515 |3.1
Cambridgeshire |635 |3.9
Cheshire |819 |3.4
Cleveland |156 |1.0
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |94 |1.0
Cumbria |694 |6.1
Derbyshire |1,129 |5.0
Devon |247 |1.1
Dorset |0 |0
Durham |2,266 |14.9
East Sussex |296 |2.1
Essex |249 |0.7
Gloucestershire |0 |0
Hampshire |260 |0.7
Hereford and Worcester |0 |0
Hertfordshire |1,701 |6.8
Humberside |910 |4.2
Isle of Wight |0 |0
Kent |84 |0.2
Lancashire |3,358 |9.5
Leicestershire |50 |0.2
Lincolnshire |284 |2.1
Norfolk |393 |2.4
North Yorkshire |315 |2.0
Northamptonshire |503 |3.4
Northumberland |136 |1.8
Nottinghamshire |536 |2.2
Oxfordshire |502 |3.6
Shropshire |160 |1.6
Somerset |0 |0
Staffordshire |1,844 |7.0
Suffolk |167 |1.1
Surrey |404 |1.8
Warwickshire |726 |6.2
West Sussex |451 |2.9
Wiltshire |0 |0
|--- |---
England |49,383 |4.2
Column 536
1987
|Pupils |Percentage of estimated
|population aged 3 and 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barking |0 |0
Barnet |520 |6.9
Bexley |175 |3.4
Brent |278 |3.9
Bromley |0 |0
Croydon |404 |4.8
Ealing |577 |7.0
Enfield |0 |0
Haringey |201 |3.5
Harrow |0 |0
Havering |0 |0
Hillingdon |120 |2.0
Hounslow |0 |0
Kingston-upon-Thames |244 |7.9
Merton |0 |0
Newham |952 |13.8
Redbridge |0 |0
Richmond-upon-Thames |61 |1.7
Sutton |240 |5.7
Waltham Forest |329 |5.5
ILEA |4,150 |7.0
Birmingham |2,302 |8.0
Coventry |445 |5.4
Dudley |398 |5.4
Sandwell |203 |2.5
Solihull |0 |0
Walsall |727 |11.0
Wolverhampton |830 |12.6
Knowsley |0 |0
Liverpool |550 |4.5
St. Helens |73 |1.6
Sefton |319 |4.6
Wirral |226 |2.6
Bolton |549 |7.4
Bury |145 |3.2
Manchester |540 |4.4
Oldham |0 |0
Rochdale |910 |14.9
Salford |862 |14.4
Stockport |771 |10.7
Tameside |332 |5.9
Trafford |0 |0
Wigan |193 |2.4
Barnsley |175 |3.1
Doncaster |0 |0
Rotherham |336 |4.9
Sheffield |714 |6.2
Bradford |515 |3.6
Calderdale |88 |1.8
Kirklees |666 |6.4
Leeds |274 |1.6
Wakefield |464 |5.7
Gateshead |52 |1.1
Newcastle-upon-Tyne |621 |9.3
North Tyneside |286 |6.4
South Tyneside |695 |19.3
Sunderland |964 |11.3
Avon |1,459 |6.5
Bedfordshire |1,356 |8.9
Berkshire |2,015 |10.2
Buckinghamshire |512 |3.1
Cambridgeshire |655 |4.1
Cheshire |828 |3.5
Cleveland |156 |1.0
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |92 |1.0
Cumbria |738 |6.5
Derbyshire |1,162 |5.2
Devon |257 |1.2
Dorset |0 |0
Durham |2,405 |16.0
East Sussex |285 |2.1
Essex |254 |0.7
Gloucestershire |0 |0
Hampshire |258 |0.7
Hereford and Worcester |0 |0
Hertfordshire |1,663 |6.8
Humberside |946 |4.4
Isle of Wight |0 |0
Kent |78 |0.2
Lancashire |3,400 |9.4
Leicestershire |50 |0.2
Lincolnshire |282 |2.1
Norfolk |382 |2.4
North Yorkshire |314 |2.0
Northamptonshire |502 |3.4
Northumberland |134 |1.8
Nottinghamshire |500 |2.4
Oxfordshire |496 |3.5
Shropshire |160 |1.7
Somerset |0 |0
Staffordshire |1,843 |7.0
Suffolk |162 |1.1
Surrey |420 |1.9
Warwickshire |730 |6.3
West Sussex |452 |3.0
Wiltshire |0 |0
|--- |---
England |49,502 |4.2
1988
|Pupils |Percentage of estimated
|population aged 3 and 4
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barking |0 |0
Barnet |500 |6.6
Bexley |174 |3.2
Brent |274 |3.9
Bromley |0 |0
Croydon |400 |4.8
Ealing |535 |6.6
Enfield |0 |0
Haringey |246 |4.6
Harrow |0 |0
Havering |0 |0
Hillingdon |120 |2.0
Hounslow |0 |0
Kingston-upon-Thames |236 |7.6
Merton |0 |0
Newham |972 |14.5
Redbridge |0 |0
Richmond-upon-Thames |64 |1.8
Sutton |240 |5.9
Waltham Forest |329 |5.5
ILEA |4,232 |7.2
Birmingham |2,317 |8.1
Coventry |443 |5.3
Dudley |401 |5.4
Sandwell |209 |2.6
Solihull |0 |0
Walsall |755 |11.1
Wolverhampton |843 |12.8
Knowsley |0 |0
Liverpool |560 |4.6
St. Helens |66 |1.4
Sefton |315 |4.4
Wirral |262 |3.0
Bolton |553 |7.5
Bury |161 |3.6
Manchester |535 |4.4
Oldham |0 |0
Rochdale |910 |14.7
Salford |845 |14.3
Stockport |766 |10.4
Tameside |322 |5.6
Trafford |0 |0
Wigan |186 |2.3
Barnsley |181 |3.2
Doncaster |0 |0
Rotherham |355 |5.2
Sheffield |738 |6.3
Bradford |502 |3.5
Calderdale |88 |1.7
Kirklees |651 |6.3
Leeds |254 |1.5
Wakefield |463 |5.8
Gateshead |50 |1.0
Newcastle-upon-Tyne |623 |8.9
North Tyneside |291 |6.2
South Tyneside |713 |18.8
Sunderland |949 |11.3
Avon |1,420 |6.3
Bedfordshire |1,329 |8.8
Berkshire |2,021 |9.9
Buckinghamshire |512 |3.0
Cambridgeshire |637 |3.8
Cheshire |838 |3.4
Cleveland |153 |1.0
Cornwall+Isles of Scilly |101 |1.0
Cumbria |758 |6.6
Derbyshire |1,217 |5.4
Devon |255 |1.1
Dorset |0 |0
Durham |2,463 |16.5
East Sussex |284 |2.0
Essex |252 |0.7
Gloucestershire |0 |0
Hampshire |260 |0.7
Hereford and Worcester |0 |0
Hertfordshire |1,733 |6.9
Humberside |963 |4.4
Isle of Wight |0 |0
Kent |81 |0.2
Lancashire |3,399 |9.4
Leicestershire |50 |0.2
Lincolnshire |286 |2.2
Norfolk |399 |2.4
North Yorkshire |308 |2.0
Northamptonshire |525 |3.6
Northumberland |137 |1.8
Nottinghamshire |575 |2.3
Oxfordshire |499 |3.4
Shropshire |166 |1.7
Somerset |0 |0
Staffordshire |1,824 |6.9
Suffolk |95 |0.6
Surrey |416 |1.7
Warwickshire |755 |6.5
West Sussex |446 |2.9
Wiltshire |0 |0
|------- |-------
England |49,786 |4.2
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Tropical Forests
Dame Peggy Fenner : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he has reached a conclusion on the proposals put forward by the Timber Trade Federation to help countries with tropical forests to adopt practical forest management policies.
Mr. Alan Clark : Officials in Whitehall are still considering the proposal put forward by the Timber Trade Federation for a levy on imports of timber from the
Column 539
tropical forests, particularly in the context of the effectiveness and cost of such a scheme, GATT and generalised scheme of preference tariff levels, and its acceptability on an international level.Spirits
Mr. Sims : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he has received a copy of the European Community Spirits Producers Association's submission to the European Community Commission detailing the European Community spirit industry's objectives for the removal of tariff and non- tariff barriers facing their products during the current Uruguay round of general agreement on tariffs and trade negotiations ; and if he will make it his policy to give maximum support to these objectives.
Mr. Alan Clark : Yes. We have urged the Commission to give full weight in the Community's negotiating objectives to this submission and other representations from United Kingdom interests.
Mr. Sims : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether during the recent visit of the Minister for Trade, the hon. Member for Plymouth, Sutton (Mr. Clark), to Austria, he raised with the Austrian authorities the problem of the proposed definition and labelling requirements for Scotch whisky ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Clark : Yes, I raised it with the Austrian Minister for Economic Affairs on 7 March. The Austrian authorities are actively pursuing this matter and I am optimistic that they will reach a solution that will satisfy the concerns of the United Kingdom industry.
LINK Initiatives
Mr. Patnick : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what resources were devoted to the LINK initiatives in 1988 ; and what resources are being committed in 1989.
Mr. Forth : Total Government funding authorised under the 10 LINK programmes announced in 1988 amounted to £59.3 million ; additional support for programmes to be launched in 1989 is expected to exceed £70 million.
House of Fraser
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on his urgent and thorough investigation of the leaking of the departmental inspectors' report on the acquisition of the House of Fraser.
Mr. Maude : The investigation is continuing.
Inner Cities
Dr. Twinn : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on recent developments in the inner cities initiative.
Mr. Newton : Since the launch of Action for Cities in March 1988 progress in the inner cities has been immensely encouraging. Unemployment has fallen by more than 20
Column 540
per cent. major improvements in training, housing and the infrastructure are taking place and the Government's commitment to its Action for Cities programmes has increased to £3.5 billion for 1989-90.Particularly encouraging are the increasing involvement and commitment of the private sector, and the growing extent of partnership between public authorities, the private sector, voluntary bodies and local people.
On 9 March this year I launched the report "Progress on Cities", which gives a more detailed picture of recent achievements in inner city areas.
Post Office
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what representations he has received about the future of the Post Office monopoly.
Mr. Forth : I have received a number of representations in recent months from Members of Parliament and from organisations and individuals proposing changes in the Post Office letter monopoly, including proposals to lower the monopoly price level or temporarily to suspend the monopoly. We keep the monopoly under review taking account of the representations received and have made clear that we would seriously consider suspending the monopoly in the event of a cessation or serious decline in the quality of the letter service.
Airbus Industrie
Mr. Jack : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the future financial prospects for Airbus Industrie ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : Airbus Industrie has more than 700 orders, options and commitments for its new A320 aircraft. It has some 250 orders, options and commitments for its planned A330 and A340 aircraft. A new management structure was inaugurated from 1 April 1989, with the aim of improving Airbus Industrie's efficiency and profitability. The future prospects of the consortium seem as bright now as at any time during its existence.
Petrol Sales
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will refer to the Director General of Fair Trading the practice of petrol companies of putting up the price of leaded petrol rather than cutting the price of unleaded petrol in the light of the Budget tax changes.
Mr. Maude : No. The Government take the view that the level of petrol prices is a commercial matter for the companies involved. The Director General of Fair Trading has referred the wholesale supply of petrol to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. The Commission is due to report by 8 November.
Privatisation (Accounting Practices)
Mr. John Garrett : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which of the accounting practices employed on privatisation schemes since 1979 have been criticised in Department of Trade and Industry reports.
Column 541
Ford Sierra (Manufacture)
Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Barking (Ms. Richardson) of 6 February, Official Report, columns 458-59, whether he has received any information from the Ford Motor company relating to the effect on the balance of payments of the transfer of the manufacture of Sierra vehicles.
Mr. Atkins : My Department has regular discussions with Ford about its manufacturing strategy and has recently discussed the transfer of Sierra production to Genk and the associated increase of Fiesta production at Dagenham. However, as my hon. Friend the Minister for Trade replied to the hon. Member for Barking (Ms. Richardson) on 6 February at columns 458- 59, the balance of payments impact of these changes will depend on a large number of variables.
Manufacturing Productivity
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the increase in productivity in manufacturing industry per employee from 1979 to the latest figures available, expressed as a percentage.
Mr. Forth : In the three months to January 1989 manufacturing productivity, as measured by output per person employed, was 49 per cent. higher than the 1979 average level.
Visual Display Units
Sir John Farr : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the total number of visual display units marketed in Britain in each of the past three years ; and in each year, what percentage was also manufactured in Britain.
Mr. Forth : The information available is shown in the table :
|c|Visual display units
£ million
|1986 |1987 |<3>1988
--------------------------------------------------------------
Manufacturers' sales<1> |388 |339 |253
Exports (fob) |56 |72 |50
Imports (cif) |189 |225 |227
United Kingdom market<2> |521 |492 |431
United Kingdom manufacturers'
share of market per cent. |64 |54 |47
Source: DTI.
<1> The sales data refer primarily to units in the United
Kingdom with a minimum employment of 50.
<2> United Kingdom market is defined as manufacturers' sales
plus imports less exports.
<3> January to September.
North-East (Inward Investment)
Mr. Hague : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if there are any new developments in inward investment in the north-east ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Newton : I am very pleased to say that Fujitsu, the Japanese electronics company, is today announcing that it will be setting up its first European semiconductor manufacturing plant at Newton Aycliffe, near Durham.
Column 542
My Department will be providing £30 million regional selective assistance for Fujitsu to become established in this development area.The project will cost at least £400 million and will be one of the largest of its kind in Europe. It is expected to create more than 1, 500 jobs by the end of 1994. The Fujitsu semiconductor plant will undertake full wafer fabrication, assembly and final test of dynamic random access memories for applications such as mainframe and personal computers and computerised equipment. The company will also be expanding its United Kingdom design capability as part of this investment. Both the United Kingdom and European industry will benefit from the increased access to the semiconductors that this project will provide.
National Engineering Laboratory (Pollution Research)
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on research being carried out by the national engineering laboratory into the elimination of pollution at source.
Mr. Atkins [holding answer 11 April 1989] : I have been asked to reply.
Research at the national engineering laboratory addresses three major environmental concerns. These are the deterioration of the ozone layer, acid rain and the greenhouse effect.
NEL is able to do this because it is a major centre of research into heat transfer, the properties of fluids and flow measurement. Research into these areas is necessary to achieve the elimination of pollution at source. The work is concerned with acquiring the data, developing analysis and design techniques, and providing the specialist test facilities needed to optimise pollution-reduction strategies. Furthermore it is evident that much of this research is of value in enabling industrial processes to become inherently more efficient and less hazardous.
Ozone layer
NEL is determining the physical properties of replacements for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). This data is essential in order that equipment, particularly refrigeration/air conditioning plant, operates as efficiently using these replacement fluids as current equipment using CFC refrigerant.
Acid rain
NEL research on internal combustion engines is expanding the understanding of processes occurring within an engine. This will enable stricter emission targets to be met by improvements in engine design rather than by installing cleaning devices in the exhaust system.
Greenhouse effect
Research at NEL is concerned with understanding and improving both heat transfer and combustion of gaseous fluids. Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide from the burning of fuel is recognised as the major contributor to the greenhouse effect. A reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide can be achieved by improving the efficiency of the extraction and transfer of thermal energy. NEL also manages the national wind turbine centre and has expertise in tidal power and water turbines.
| Next Section
| Home Page |