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|1988-89|1989-90
|£k |£k
-----------------------------------------------
Drugs/AIDS |60 |180
Education |100 |150-200
Transport and Highways |30 |35
Housing |- |92
No research by COI has been commissioned by the Welsh Office for any of these campaigns.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Animals (Research)
Dame Janet Fookes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding has been allocated for 1989 for projects for refinement of technology and replacement of animals in research in the United Kingdom ; and how much of the 1989 budget will be spent on projects initiated in 1988 and continuing into 1989.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : One hundred and twenty thousand pounds ; of which nearly £48,000 is committed to projects already being funded. More will be provided if this can be justified to support particular work of high merit and outstanding value.
Dame Janet Fookes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) unsuccessful and
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(b) successful applicants there were in 1988 for funding for projects for refinement of technology and replacement of animals in research ; how much of the 1988 grant was spent on advertising ; and how much of the 1988 grant was spent on administration of the funds.Mr. Douglas Hogg : As I informed the hon. Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Corbett) on 6 March at column 383, there were 120 unsuccessful and four successful applicants. One thousand and fifty pounds was spent on assessor's fees ; no advertising or other administrative costs fell on the research budget for 1988-89.
Dame Janet Fookes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of project licences for animal experiments in 1988 ; and how many were in each severity banding.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : This information will be contained in the report of the Animal Procedures Committee for 1988, due to be published in July.
Postal Votes
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has done on extending the use of a postal vote to all electors who request it.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : None specifically. A summary of our inquiries in this area is set out in a Home Office consultation paper, made available following the reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Mr. Bowis) on 2 March at column 274.
Prisons (Car Travel)
Mr. Alexander : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total expenditure on car travel for members of prison boards of visitors in each year from 1985 to date.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Information is not available in the form required and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Prisons (Catering)
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress the working party on prison catering has made in relation to prisons on the Isle of Wight.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The working party is to visit the Isle of Wight this month. It will then consider and cost alternatives including central civilianised or contracted out kitchens as proposed by Her Majesty's chief inspector of prisons following his visit to Parkhurst last year. Because two of the three prisons house prisoners for whom the very highest conditions of security are necessary the working party is taking account of operational as well as catering considerations.
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EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Nottingham CTC
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals he has received from the Nottingham city technology college to end the traditional pattern of school hours and three term years.
Mrs. Rumbold : The CTCs are expected to have a longer school year and a longer working week than is normal in maintained schools. It will be for each college to decide how best to fit this pattern to its own circumstances. We are aware that the Djanogly CTC in Nottingham is considering a move from a three-term to a five-term year, and a working day beginning rather earlier than is common.
Assisted Places
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list for the three counties of Yorkshire the number of preparatory schools to be included in the assisted places scheme in 1989-90 and the amount of fee remission grant to be allocated to them.
Mrs. Rumbold : Preparatory schools are not eligible for admission to the assisted places scheme in their own right. However, in certain cases where a clear link with a participating independent secondary school is demonstrated, it may offer assisted places between the ages of 11 and 13 under the terms of the main school's participation agreement. St. Olave's preparatory school, York offers places which are subsequently tenable at St. Peters school, York under such an arrangement. It is not possible to identify separately the amount of fee remission paid annually to pupils at St. Olave's.
Teachers (Devon)
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science why he has not yet authorised Devon county council to pay the teachers employed by the council the 6 per cent. increase in their salaries from 1 April ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Rumbold : The draft school teachers' pay and conditions document 1989 was issued for consultation on 27 April. Many teachers are likely to receive their salary increases by the end of May.
Advertising
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much has been spent by his Department on advertisements on commercial television in each of the last five years, listed by each television company.
Mr. Rumbold : The Department has not advertised on commercial television during the last five years.
Geography
Mr. Franks : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he intends to set up a working group to recommend attainment targets and programmes of study for geography within the national curriculum ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mrs. Rumbold [pursuant to the reply, 5 May 1989, c. 256] : I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Roger Davies, chairman of Thomson Travel Group to complete the membership of the national curriculum geography working group,.
EMPLOYMENT
Jobcentre and Benefit Offices
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will make a statement on progress of the programme to integrate jobcentres and unemployment benefit offices ; (2) how many prime-site jobcentres it is intended to vacate under the jobcentre/unemployment benefit offices integration scheme.
Mr. Lee : I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave to the hon. Member for Stretford (Mr. Lloyd) on 21 April, Official Report, column 349. No decisions have been taken about the future of the employment service local office network.
European Tourism Year 1990
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what will be the financial contribution of his Department towards his implementation of the European Tourism Year 1990.
Mr. Lee : The Department is not directly funding the implementation of European Tourism Year 1990. The United Kingdom initiative is being led by the British Tourist Authority and it is not yet clear what its total spending on activities connected with the year will be.
YTS
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will show for England and Wales (a) how many YTS trainees are on schemes run by local authorities in each region, (b) what is the total number of YTS trainees in each local authority region and (c) how many trainees are on transitional funded YTS run by local authorities for each region before 1 April.
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Mr. Cope : The numbers of YTS trainees in training on schemes run by local authorities and in total are shown in the table. Trainees who are in schemes that attract transitional funding are not separately identified and, therefore, the information requested could be made available only at disproportionate cost.
Number of young people in training in England and Wales at
31 March 1989
Region |Local authority including|Total number of trainees
|local education |in each region
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |7,147 |30,298
North West |11,415 |60,445
Yorkshire and Humberside |11,182 |45,029
West Midlands |10,480 |43,493
East Midlands and Eastern |9,861 |46,446
South West |9,254 |30,426
South East |7,876 |39,988
London |3,565 |21,131
Wales |6,096 |23,666
|------- |-------
Total England and Wales |76,876 |340,922
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will show for England and Wales for each region (a) how many YTS schemes are run (1) by voluntary and community organisation and (2) by the local authorities, (b) what is the total number of YTS schemes run in each local authority region, (c) how many YTS schemes are run by voluntary and community organisations which received a transitional funding grant before 1 April, (d) how many YTS schemes are run by local authorities which received a transitional funding grant before 1 April and, (e) how many YTS schemes were paid a transitional funded grant in respect of training before 1 April.
Mr. Cope : The information that identifies types of schemes in each region of England and Wales is shown in the table. Schemes that attract a transitional funding grant are not separately identified and, therefore, the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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Number of YTS schemes in England and Wales by type at 31 March 1989
Region |Voluntary and community|Local Authority |Other |Total
|organisation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |62 |75 |505 |642
North West |99 |159 |1,175 |1,443
Yorkshire and Humberside |60 |92 |784 |936
West Midlands |90 |110 |924 |1,124
East Midlands and Eastern |68 |140 |923 |1,131
South West |36 |79 |566 |681
South East |55 |128 |997 |1,180
London |68 |70 |676 |814
Wales |51 |85 |424 |560
|----- |----- |----- |-----
Total England and Wales |589 |938 |6,974 |8,501
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the numbers of YTS trainees, during the last 12 months, who obtained employment within six months of completing their training in (a) the Doncaster area and (b) the
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Mexborough area of South Yorkshire ; and what percentage this represents of those who completed their training.Mr. Cope : This information is not available in exactly the form requested. The latest results from the YTS follow-up survey shows that 396 trainees in the Doncaster
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area, including Mexborough who completed their training in the period December 1987 to November 1988 were in employment three months later. This represents 79 per cent. of all trainees in the area who completed their training.Training
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he plans to visit Nottingham, North to discuss employment training.
Mr. Nicholls : My right hon. Friend has no immediate plans to visit Nottingham, North.
Ferranti (Job Losses)
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he will reply to the letter sent to him by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe on 6 April concerning the impending job losses at Ferranti's Wythenshawe factory.
Mr. Fowler : A reply was sent to the right hon. Gentleman on 8 May 1989.
ENERGY
Plutonium
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, pursuant to the statement made by the hon. Member for Worcestershire, South (Mr. Spicer) Official Report , 13
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April, column 1135, if he will set out in detail each of the stages of the nuclear cycle to which he makes reference wherein reports of plutonium stocks and measures are made ; to whom these reports are made available ; how regularly they are forwarded ; and if any irregularities have been discovered in the reports.Mr. Michael Spicer : Regular reports are submitted to Euratom. These reports are confidential.
Drinking Water (Thames House)
Mr. John Garrett : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, if he will set out in the Official Report a copy of the 1988 analysis of the drinking water supply in his Department's head office, Thames house, showing the amount by which this water supply failed to meet the European Economic Community drinking water quality criteria.
Mr. Parkinson : I am advised by the Property Services Agency that the results of analyses of drinking water supplied to my Department's headquarters building, Thames house south, in 1988, showing the comparisons with the European Community maximum admissible levels are :
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sulphate |250mg/litre |482mg/litre |405mg/litre
Fluoride |<2>500ug/litre|2,120ug/litre |1,400ug/litre
Potassium |12mg/litre |13.6mg/litre |12.6mg/litre
Sodium |175mg/litre |204mg/litre |190mg/litre
Magnesium |50mg/litre |51.3mg/litre |46mg/litre
Iron |50ug/litre |3,120ug/litre
|less than
|5ug/litre
Manganese |50ug/litre |84ug/litre
|less than
|20ug/litre
Nickel |50ug/litre |94ug/litre |59ug/litre
Conductivity |1,500us/cm |1,729us/cm |1,660us/cm
Turbidity |4 NTU |21 NTU |0.2 NTU
Since the introduction of the point of use filters the levels of iron and colour have been consistently below 5ug/litre and 4NTUs respectively. The other elements have remained between the recorded maximum and minimum. I am also advised by PSA that the presence of these elements, either singly or in combination, is not considered to be a health hazard. As I explained in my earlier answer the water for my Department's headquarters building is supplied from a borehole and from the public mains supply.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Siemens Printers
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Siemens ND3 printers are used by his Department, either in-house or through a private contract ; and what is the location of each.
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Parades
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many parades were notified to the Royal Ulster Constabulary under the Public Order (Northern Ireland) Order in (a) 1986, (b) 1987 and (c) 1988.
Mr. Ian Stewart : This is a matter for the Chief Constable. However, I understand that the information is not available in the form requested. Statistics are compiled on the basis of parades notified to the RUC which actually took place. The Chief Constable's annual reports indicate that 1,950 parades were held in 1986, 2,112 in 1987 and 2,055 in 1988, but these figures do not include parades by youth organisations, churches and other similar bodies.
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Mental Health (Grants)
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what grants have been made by each of the area boards or Government Departments to branches of the Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health in each of the past three years.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 3 May 1989] : The information requested is as follows :
|1986-87|1987-88|1988-89
|£ |£ |£
-----------------------------------------------------------
Department of Health and
Social Services |165,290|131,738|127,100
Eastern Health and Social
Services Board |54,459 |109,843|168,348
Northern Health and Social
Services Board |771 |495 |69,740
Southern Health and Social
Services Board |962 |7,222 |44,876
Western Health and Social
Services Board |3,600 |22,000 |20,450
Department of Economic
Development<1> |5,501 |7,764 |13,112
|---- |---- |----
Total |230,583|279,062|443,626
<1> Payments made whether directly or indirectly under the
Action for Community Employment (ACE) Scheme.
Children (Financial Support)
Sir Ian Gilmour : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children in Northern Ireland depended on (a) SB/IS and (b) FIS/FC in each year since 1978-79, (i) in total and (ii) as a percentage of all children in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 4 May 1989] : The available information is as follows :
Dependants under 19 years of people on:
Supplementary FIS/FC
benefit/IS
Year |Numbers<1> |Per cent.<2>|Numbers<1> |Per cent.<2>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1978 |70,545 |14.57 |30,402 |6.28
1979 |64,790 |13.28 |27,493 |5.63
1980 |80,308 |16.42 |28,857 |5.90
1981 |93,595 |19.55 |36,378 |7.60
1982 |109,863 |23.17 |38,734 |8.17
1983 |117,083 |24.88 |39,557 |8.41
1984 |116,256 |24.86 |40,813 |8.73
1985 |-<3> |- |42,613 |9.16
1986 |135,254 |29.20 |42,233 |9.12
1987 |134,052 |29.14 |40,982 |8.91
1988 |-<4> |- |<5>37,500 |8.19
<1> Supplementary benefit/IS 5 per cent. sample and FIS 30 per cent. sample.
<2> Represents the percentage of all children entitled to child benefit.
<3> There was no survey in 1985.
<4> Figures not yet available.
<5> Estimated figure-incomplete date.
General Practitioners
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement indicating the nature of any cash limits on the total expenditure on general
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practitioner trainers' allowances and trainees' remuneration, and the respective votes from which such funding is derived.Mr. Needham [holding answer 4 May 1989] : The funding of GP trainers' allowances and trainees' remuneration is contained in subhead B1 of the Department's health and personal social services vote 1, which in turn forms part of the cash limit on Northern Ireland's departmental services (NID 1). However, the Secretary of State has flexibility to reallocate resources within the cash limit, for example, to cover unavoidable pressures in this sector.
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what weight is given to what factors in determining the number of general practitioner trainees who are to be remunerated by the Department of Health and Social Security in Northern Ireland in a given year.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 4 May 1989] : The number of general practitioner trainees selected in Northern Ireland in a given year is determined by the estimated future demands of the Province for general practitioners.
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information is available to indicate the number of prospective general practitioner trainees who were recommended by the relevant selection body in the current year and the number which were approved by the Department ; what factors determined the decision by the Department ; and how selection of the numbers approved by the Department proceeds.
Mr Needham [holding answer 4 May 1989] : Ninety-seven prospective trainees were interviewed by the selection panel this year and placed in order of merit. The Department determined that 50 doctors should be trained for general practice this year, but in the event 52 were accepted because a number were considered of equal merit by the selection panel. The number approved by the Department was determined by the estimated future demands of the Province for general practitioners. The procedures for selection of trainees are contained in circular HSS (TM) 3/80 supplement No. 1, copies of which have been placed in the Library.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Family Expenditure Survey
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he intends to publish the latest take-up figures based on the family expenditure survey.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : We expect to publish take-up estimates for 1985 this summer.
Housing Benefit
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received regarding the changes in method of payment for housing benefit for those in board and lodging accommodation.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Since 10 April we have received a small number of letters from organisations and individuals
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about the change in providing help with board and lodging charges which took place on that day. The change, which abolishes special rates of income support for boarders and allows people in board and lodging accommodation to receive housing benefit for their accommodation costs, was proposed in a consultation document issued in December 1986. Over 170 responses to that document were received. These expressed widespread acceptance of the principle that there should be parity both in the treatment of people in similar types of accommodation, whether or not board was provided, and between people in identical accommodation, whether or not they were working.Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether his Department is monitoring the implementation of the new method of housing benefit payment for those in board and lodging accommodation.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The Government are committed to monitoring the effects of the social security reforms on all groups. This monitoring is a continuous process which draws on a wide range of information sources, including local authorities, who administer housing benefit.
Overpayment
Mr. Clay : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide the most recent figures broken down by (i) year and (ii) section on (a) the number of overpayments recovered under section 53 of the Social Security Act 1986, section 119 of the Social Security Act 1975 and section 20 of the Supplementary Benefit Act 1976, (b) the number of standard letters sent indicating that recovery may be pursued through civil proceedings, (c) the number of cases actually pursued for recovery of overpayments through civil proceedings and (d) the number of cases pursued under (c) which are successful.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Social Security Appeals
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what information he has regarding the average time over the last three years between the lodging and hearing of an appeal to the social security appeals tribunal in (a) Lerwick, (b) Shetland and (c) Scotland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : National administrative statistics for social security appeal tribunals are not disaggregated for areas smaller than a social security region.
The table gives the information for Scotland from 1986 to the quarter ending September 1988 (the latest figures available).
Social security appeal tribunals
Lodgement to hearing
Scotland
Period |Average weekly clearance
|time
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12 months ending December 1986 |14.0
12 months ending December 1987 |23.3
3 months ending March 1988 |25.9
3 months ending June 1988 |23.7
3 months ending September 1988 |23.3
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HOUSE OF COMMONS
European Community Business
88. Mr. Gill : To ask the Lord President of the Council what proposals he has concerning the consideration of European Community business by Parliament.
Mr. Wakeham : I am discussing these matters with the Chairman of the Select Committee on European Legislation.
Fire Exercises
Mr. Allen : To ask the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, what was the response of hon. Members to the fire exercises listed in his answer of 24 April, Official Report, column 408 ; and if he is satisfied with their level of participation.
Mr. Beith : The records of fire exercises do not distinguish hon. Members from other participants. It is therefore not possible for me to comment on the level of Members' participation.
Late-night Staff
Mr. Allen : To ask the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, what is the approximate or average cost of 128 staff on duty after 10 pm.
Mr. Beith : Non-industrial staff with a commitment to remain on duty as a direct consequence of sittings of the House receive either an annual allowance which in most cases is calculated from 6 pm according to an agreed formula ; or night duty pay which varies according to the lateness of the hour. Industrial staff, in general, are paid at overtime rates for the actual number of hours worked. Details of these allowances are set out in the annual report of the House of Commons Commission.
The varying times of adjournment of the House and difficulty in extracting the appropriate proportion of some of the costs involved make the provision of any meaningful figure possible only at disproportionate cost.
Ten-minute Bills
Mr. Allen : To ask the Lord President of the Council, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Nottingham, North of 24 April, Official Report, column 408, when he expects to be able to state when he will bring forward proposals relating to ten-minute Bills.
Mr. Wakeham : I have nothing to add to the reply given to the hon. Member on 24 April at column 408.
HEALTH
Hospital Beds
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give for each district health authority in England in 1987 (a) the total number of beds, and the number of beds per 100,000 population, in institutions registered under the Nursing Homes Act 1984, (b) the total number of beds for care of those over 65 years requiring long-stay nursing care
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in institutions registered under the Nursing Homes Act 1984 and (c) the number of beds for the care of the elderly per 100,000 population aged over 65 years in institutions registered under the Nursing Homes Act 1984.Mr. Mellor : Residential care homes, registered under part I of the Registered Homes Act 1984, are registered by local authority social services departments. Information on these is therefore available by local authority, not by district health authority.
Tables placed in the Library show provisional information as at 31 March 1987, by local authority, on the total number of places, the number of places in homes for elderly people, and the respective rates per 100,000 population. The number of places in homes registered under part I of the Act is published annually in "Residential Accommodation for Elderly and Younger Physically Handicapped People : All Residents in Local Authority, Voluntary and Private Homes year ending 31 March England" and "Homes and Hostels for Mentally Ill and Mentally Handicapped People at 31 March England" ; copies of which are available in the Library.
Hospitals and nursing homes, registered under part II of the Registered Homes Act 1984, are registered by
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district health authorities. My hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Gentleman on 4 May at columns 223-30 show as at 31 March 1988, by district health authority, the total number of beds, the number nominally assigned to elderly people, and the respective rates per 100,000 population. The information available on beds assigned for use by elderly people does not distinguish between long and short-term care.Whole Body Scanners
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health which National Health Service hospitals in the Trent regional health authority at present have whole body scanner facilities ; when the equipment was installed in each case ; which hospitals it is planned to provide with such facilities as new or to replace obsolete facilities in the next 12 months ; and which hospitals have paid for equipment in whole or part from voluntary and charitable sources.
Mr. Freeman : The information requested is given in the table.
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Type of whole scanner in |Location in Trent |Installation date |Main source of funding use ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CT |Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Royal Hospital|1984 |Public appeal CT |Derby Royal Infirmary |1985 |Public appeal CT |Doncaster Royal Infirmary |1986 |Health authority allocation CT |King's Mill Hospital |1987 |Public appeal CT |Leicester Royal Infirmary |1982 |Public appeal CT |Lincoln County Hospital |1985 |Public appeal CT |Nottingham City |1988 |Public subscription CT |Nottingham University Hospital |1984 |Health authority allocation CT |Sheffield Royal Hallamshire |1985 |Health authority allocation CT |Sheffield Royal Hallamshire |1985 |Public appeal Magnetic resonance |Queen's Medical Centre Nottingham |1985 |Department of Health
In the next 12 months, new whole body CT scanners are planned at the Pilgrim hospital, south Lincolnshire and the children's hospital, Sheffield and two replacements at Leicester royal infirmary. Only the south Lincolnshire scanner is being funded by public appeal.
Halton DHA Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the cost of domestic services in Halton district health authority ; and what is the national average.
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