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Mr. Needham : No research relevant to mentally handicapped people has been directly commissioned by the Northern Ireland Department of Health and Social Services over the past five years.
The Department is soon to commission a major research project to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the policy in Northern Ireland to promote and develop community care for mentally ill and mentally handicapped people selected for discharge from long-stay hospitals. The project will monitor the progress and quality of life of individual patients and will run for at least three years.
Food Safety
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will state the number of food poisoning cases in each area board in the last five years for which figures are available.
Mr. Needham : The information is as follows :
|Eastern |Northern|Southern|Western ------------------------------------------------------1984 |43 |50 |37 |15 1985 |62 |31 |60 |5 1986 |97 |107 |48 |21 1987 |193 |145 |69 |16 1988 |95 |104 |57 |46
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which Departments in Northern Ireland are responsible for consumer food safety.
Mr. Needham : The Department of Health and Social Services and the Department of Agriculture.
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has any plans to up-date the law on food safety in Northern Ireland ; when his Department last reviewed existing legal provision ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Needham : The Food Acts of the United Kingdom (which include law on food safety) were reviewed in 1984
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by officials of the United Kingdom Health and Agriculture Departments. Following that review Ministers agreed that consultations should be carried out on the future of those Acts, and those consultations are now largely complete. As my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food announced in the House on 16 March, new legislation will be introduced when parliamentary time permits. In accordance with normal practice in the field of transferred legislation, comparable provision will be made for Northern Ireland by Order in Council under the Northern Ireland Act 1974.Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what responsibilities health and social services boards have in the area of food safety.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 5 May 1989] : Health and Social Services boards are responsible for investigating food poisoning cases reported by doctors under the Public Health Act (NI) 1967 as amended. In addition, under the Food and Drugs Act (NI) 1958, a chief administrative medical officer of a health and social services board may, if he suspects that any food is likely to cause food poisoning, seize that food and have it tested. If investigations confirm that the food is unfit for human consumption it may be destroyed or otherwise disposed of.
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has any plans to reform the law in Northern Ireland as it applies to food and hygiene ; which Northern Ireland departments are responsible for food safety ; and how many staff from each Department have been involved in this area in the last three years for which figures are available.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 5 May 1989.] The Food Acts of the United Kingdom were reviewed in 1984 by officials of United Kingdom Health and Agriculture Departments. Following that review Ministers agreed that consultations should be carried out on the future of those Acts, and those consultations are now largely complete. As my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries
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and Food announced in the House on 16 March, new legislation will be introduced when parliamentary time permits. In accordance with normal practice in the field of transferred legislation, comparable provision will be made for Northern Ireland by Order in Council under the Northern Ireland Act 1974.The Departments of Health and Social Services and Agriculture have responsibilities for food safety.
Figures on the numbers of staff from each Department involved in food safety over the past three years are not available, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Dwellings (Valuation)
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 12 April, Official Report, column 595, if he will indicate the cost of extracting from the computer on which it is held the information sought by the hon. Member for Londonderry, East about the net valuation of dwellings in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Needham : The cost of providing the information requested is more than twice the present limit for answers to parliamentary questions.
Prisons (Education)
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table in the Official Report to show what sums were expended on education in each prison in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years and indicate the major items of expenditure in each case ; and if he will also indicate the number of library books available in each prison in each such year or as much of such information as is available to him.
Mr. Ian Stewart : The figures requested are readily available for the past four years and are shown in table form.
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Cost of education in Northern Ireland prisons 1985-1989 £ 000 |1985-86|1986-87|1987-88 |1988-89 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Belfast |96.2 |118.3 |118.7 |130.3 Maze (Cellular) |172.8 |205.0 |276.8} |356.6 Maze (Compound) |108.2 |94.9 |46.7} Maghaberry (Male) |0.1 |0.1 |5.5 |40.1 Maghaberry (Female) |- |32.9 |37.2 |47.0 Armagh |37.0 |1.6 |- |- Magilligan |59.6 |87.3 |93.5 |98.7 Young Offenders Centre, Hydebank |111.4 |106.7 |115.3 |129.0 Total |585.3 |646.8 |693.7 |801.6 Library books available to inmates (approx) |40,000 |41,000 |41,000 |35,000 Notes: 1. The increased costs for the year 1988-89 can be attributed to the national increase in teachers' salary scales. This normally accounts for 90 per cent. of the total expenditure on prison education. 2. The range of courses taught ranges from th e basic adult education through to open university level, and prisoners are prepared for the various public examinations- eg GCSE; 'A' levels;Royal Society of Arts; CIty and Guilds of the London Institute.Statistics available for the 1987-88 academic year shows that upwards of 1,000 inmates or just under 50 per cent of the total prison population were involved in some sort of education, 15 per cent were enrolled in examination classes and the remaining 17 per cent. were enrolled in social/leisure classes. In total 519 were presented for recognised examinations and 477 were successful. 3. Seventy nine inmates are presently involved in the open university undergraduate programme. Last year 69 took examinations and 65 were successful including 10 obtaining distinctions. Within this group five completed their degrees, two with honours. 4. On a sample day 78 per cent. of the population had a total of 4,800 books on loan. The inter-library province-wide loan scheme, of which prison libraries are a part, makes a valuable contribution to the quality of the library service and last year 1,077 special requests were processed. The prison libraries carry a total book stock of around 35,000, all supplied by the local education and library boards, whose professional expertise and practical support is gratefully acknowledged. 5. The reduction in the total number of books available between 1987-88 and 1988-89 results in the amalgamation of the compound prisoners and their libraries into the cellular regime.
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Mr. McCusker : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when was the most recent case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy confirmed in Northern Ireland ; and what assessment he has made of whether it indicates any spread of the disease.
Mr. Viggers : The 13th case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Northern Ireland was confirmed on 3 April 1989.
BSE is not thought to spread from animal to animal. The Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland has implemented the recommendations of the Southwood committee. These recommendations are intended to prevent further infection of bovines but it must be borne in mind that they cannot prevent cases arising in animals incubating the disease from earlier exposure to the infective agent. As the disease takes a number of years to manifest itself clinically it will be some time before the ultimate success of the measures taken can be assessed.
Family Credit
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many families were entitled to family credit and how many were receiving it in 1988-89.
Mr. Needham : The number of families entitled to and receiving family credit on 31 March 1989 was 14,500. A reliable estimate of the number who might be eligible for family credit in Northern Ireland is not available.
Capital Projects (Health Boards)
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give, for each health board, details of proposed capital developments costing more than £1 million which have been cancelled for each year since 1979.
Mr. Needham : No such schemes have been cancelled since 1979.
Electricity (Privatisation)
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the proposed timetable for the privatisation of Northern Ireland Electricity.
Mr. Viggers : No timetable has been set for privatisation of Northern Ireland Electricity. Government are currently examining the available options and will bring forward their detailed proposals in due course.
General Practitioners
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what account his Department takes of the parity clause in relation to the statement of fees and allowances in the Social Services Agreement Act 1949 and the Finance
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Act 1971 ; and what arrangements are accordingly made to budget for general practitioner trainers' remuneration and general practitioner trainees' allowances.Mr. Needham [holding answer 4 May 1989] : The amounts payable to general practitioner trainers and trainees under the statement of fees and allowances are the same in Northern Ireland as in the rest of the United Kingdom. Financial provision for general practitioner trainers' remuneration and general practitioner trainees' allowance is made under the family practitioner services section of the Department's Health and Personal Social Services vote 1.
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what consideration has been given to amending current arrangements in Northern Ireland to allow designated general practitioner trainers to recruit suitably qualified general practitioner trainees on the same terms as in Great Britain ; and what would be the revenue and manpower consequences of such a change ;
(2) whether there is any constraint which prohibits the Department of Health and Social Security in Northern Ireland from allowing general practitioner trainers to recruit trainees on the same basis as in Britain.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 5 May 1989] : It is not proposed to introduce arrangements in Northern Ireland to allow designated general practitioner trainers to recruit their own trainees on the same basis as in Great Britain. The present arrangements are designed to limit the annual number of trainees to our manpower requirements and to select trainees in accordance with the provisions of the Fair Employment (NI) Act 1976 and the guide to effective practice issued by the Department of Economic Development. Copies of each of these documents have been placed in the Library.
However, I can inform the hon. Member that the Department has established a working group of all interested parties to review the arrangements for vocational training for general practice in Northern Ireland.
Harland and Wolff
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he has yet received approval from the EEC of the proposed management buy-out in co-operation with Mr. Olsen of Messrs. Harland and Wolff ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Viggers [holding answer 4 May 1989] : Formal EC approval has not yet been sought for the sale of Harland and Wolff plc to the management buy-out team, backed by Mr. Olsen. Officials of the Department of Economic Development have had discussions with EC officials and a formal notification seeking EC approval will be made in due course.
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he intends to offer performance
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guarantees on behalf of Her Majesty's Government in respect of any of the three tankers to be built at Messrs. Harland and Wolff ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Viggers [holding answer 4 May 1989] : As my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, announced on 22 March, to enable the new Harland and Wolff to raise performance guarantees necessary for the financing of its operations in the early years, the Olsen companies have agreed to make a recourse commitment for use by the new company to support pre-delivery financing. The Government will match this.
Fair Employment Commission
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the names of all those who were considered for appointment as chairmen of the Fair Employment Commission ; if he will make a statement about the methods used to appoint to this post ; and what advertisements were placed in the press.
Mr. Viggers [holding answer 5 May 1989] : It is not usual to advertise for applicants for appointments to the boards of statutory bodies nor to publicise the names of those who have been under consideration for any public office. The chairman designate of the Fair Employment Commission was selected on the basis of individual merit.
Food Poisoning
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the number of cases of food poisoning notified to each health and social services board in Northern Ireland in the last three years for which figures are available.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 5 May 1989] : The information is as follows :
|Eastern |Northern|Southern|Western ------------------------------------------------------1986 |97 |107 |48 |21 1987 |193 |145 |69 |16 1988 |95 |104 |57 |46
Environmental Health Officers
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many environmental health officers are currently employed by each district council in Northern Ireland ; and what was the figure for 1984.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 5 May 1989) : In Northern Ireland environmental health officers, outside Belfast, are employed within regional groups of councils. Some officers are retained at group headquarters and provide specialist services to each constituent council. Each council also has its own complement of environmen-tal health officers. The numbers employed are as follows :
|1984|1989 --------------------------------Belfast |56 |59 Eastern group: HQ |8 |9 Ards |5 |5 Castlereagh |4 |4 Down |5 |5 Lisburn |7 |7 North Down |6 |6 Northern group: HQ |11 |12 Antrim |3 |4 Ballymena |5 |6 Ballymoney |2 |3 Carrickfergus |2 |3 Coleraine |5 |7 Cookstown |2 |3 Larne |3 |3 Magherafelt |2 |3 Moyle |1 |1 Newtownabbey |5 |5 Southern group: HQ |10 |9 Armagh |4 |4 Banbridge |2 |3 Craigavon |6 |7 Dungannon |5 |6 Newry and Mourne |5 |6 Western group: HQ |9 |9 Derry |7 |8 Fermanagh |4 |5 Limavady |2 |3 Omagh |3 |4 Strabane |2 |3 |--- |--- Total |191 |212
Table file CW890511.015 not available
Maternity Payments
Sir Ian Gilmour : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentage of children born in Northern Ireland during 1988 were eligible for maternity payments through the social fund ; and what was the average payment made.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 3 May 1989] : Information in the form requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, during 1988, 8,129 maternity payments were made. The normal flat-rate payment is £85 per child.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
North East Shipbuilders Ltd.
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the former employees of North East Shipbuilders Ltd. who have found full-time employment since the closure of the shipyard.
Mr. Newton : I do not think that it would be appropriate to list individuals in this way, even if it were immediately practicable. However, I understand that no part-time jobs are included in the figure given recently by Sunderland Enterprise and Training Ltd. for the number of former NESL employees who have found alternative jobs.
Internal Market
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimates have been made of the effects of the completion of the internal market in 1992 on (a) job losses in manufacturing industry and (b) of the adverse effects in peripheral regions of the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Maude : The single market will provide great opportunities and challenges to firms in all parts of the United Kingdom. The impact on individual sectors and regions will depend on how successfully individual firms respond.
British Overseas Trade Board
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the post of chief executive to the British Overseas Trade board was advertised ; and what are the current pay and conditions of the appointment.
Mr. Alan Clark : The post of chief executive to the British Overseas Trade board was not advertised because it forms part of the duties of a grade 2 civil servant in the Department of Trade and Industry. The current pay and conditions of appointment are those applying generally to civil servants of that grade.
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether any members of the British Overseas Trade board listed on page 3 of the 1987-88 annual report have benefited from the British Overseas Trade board services ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Clark : Comprehensive information about the use of official export services by individual companies is not readily available. However, companies with representatives who are also members of the British Overseas Trade board, are entitled to use the available services on the same conditions as other United Kingdom businesses.
Mr. Peter Luff
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the current salary and duties of Mr. Peter Luff.
Mr. Forth : I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave to the hon. Gentleman on 27 January 1989 at column 766.
Manufactured Goods
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will give the import penetration of every item of manufactured goods under the standard industrial classification for 1988.
Mr. Alan Clark : The latest available data for import penetration is for 1987 and may be found in Business Monitor MQ 12. The 1988 information is expected to appear shortly, following a restructuring of the calculation systems to make them compatible with the intergrated classification for overseas trade (the combined nomenclature) introduced at the beginning of 1988.
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will give the balance of trade in manufactured goods under the standard industrial classification for 1988.
Mr. Alan Clark : Information on the basis of the standard industrial classification for 1988 is not currently available. Restructuring of the system which provides these estimates to accommodate the new classification for overseas trade has not yet been completed.
In 1988 the balance of trade in manufactured goods on the basis of the standard international trade classification was in deficit by £14.4 billion.
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Defence Exports (Visible Exports)
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to his reply of 9 December, Official Report, column 346, how the calculations for the percentage of total visible exports supported by defence exports were made.
Mr. Alan Clark : Since the answer to the hon. Gentleman's previous question on 9 December 1988 at column 346 was given my attention has been drawn to the fact that the percentages were based on figures which did not fully represent United Kingdom defence equipment exports.
The correct figures--based on headings in the Overseas Trade Statistics which cover defence equipment expressed as a percentage of total United Kingdom exports are 1.1 per cent. in 1986, 1.5 per cent. in 1987 and 1.0 per cent. in 1988.
Japanese Trade
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) if he will list the principal manufactured products from Japan imported into the United Kingdom with the corresponding import duties applicable to those products in Japan ;
(2) if he will set out the balance of trade with Japan in the last full year and the anticipated figures for the current year ; (3) if he will set out the principal products exported to Japan from the United Kingdom with their rates of import duties and the rates of duty for those same products applicable on imports to the United Kingdom from Japan.
Mr. Alan Clark : The crude balance of trade with Japan for 1988--the last full year for which figures are available--was in deficit by £4, 766 million. Projections of trade balances for individual countries are not available.
Principal products in our trade with Japan have been identified as those nine-digit United Kingdom commodity code numbers which had the greatest value of trade recorded against them in 1988. United Kingdom duty rates are specified for each of these nine-digit headings ; Japanese duty rates are allocated according to the headings of the harmonised system which comprise the first six digits of the United Kingdom commodity code.
The tables show the top ten products listed in order of the value of trade in 1988 for United Kingdom imports of manufactures from Japan and United Kingdom exports to Japan respectively together with the requested duty rates. The products listed account for 27 per cent. of our imports of manufactures from Japan and 22 per cent. of our total exports to Japan.
More comprehensive tables showing the top 100 commodity codes in numerical order (in each case accounting for about two thirds of the overall trade) have been placed in the Library. The tables include the relevant Japanese duty rates. The descriptions of the code numbers and United Kingdom duty rates can be found in the "Integrated Tariff of the United Kingdom", a copy of which is available in the Library. However, for some of the commodity codes, the descriptions are too specific to identify product groups that can be easily recognised.
If my hon. Friend requires more information about the figures, perhaps he would write to me.
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United Kingdom imports of Manufactures from Japan-Top 10 products in 1988 CCN description and Japanese import duty code rates --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------870323103 |New assembled motor vehicles of a cylinder capacity exceeding 1,500 cc but not |Free | exceeding 3,000 cc other than station wagons/estate cars 847330000 |Parts and accessories of automatic data processing machines |Free 870322103 |New assembled motor vehicles of a cylinder capacity exceeding 1,000 cc but not |Free | exceeding 1,500 cc other than station wagons/estate cars 870321101 |New assembled motor vehicles of a cylinder capacity not exceeding 1,000 cc |Free 852290999 |Parts and accessories of sound recorders or reproducers or television image and|3.4 per cent. | sound recorders or reproducers nes 851782001 |Facsimile transmission machines |Free 847192901 |Printers for automatic data processing machines (ADP) |Free 847193500 |Disc storage units for ADP machines |Free 900990100 |Parts and accessories of electrostatic photocopying apparatus or other |Free | photocopying apparatus incorporating an optical system. 870323101 |New assembled station wagons/estate cars of a cylinder capacity exceeding |Free | 1,500 cc but not exceeding 3,000 cc Source: (i) Intergrated tariff of the United Kingdom. (ii) Customs tariff schedule of Japan, National tariff published annually by the Japan tariff association.
United Kingdom imports of Manufactures from Japan-Top 10 products in 1988 CCN description and Japanese import duty code rates --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------870323103 |New assembled motor vehicles of a cylinder capacity exceeding 1,500 cc but not |Free | exceeding 3,000 cc other than station wagons/estate cars 847330000 |Parts and accessories of automatic data processing machines |Free 870322103 |New assembled motor vehicles of a cylinder capacity exceeding 1,000 cc but not |Free | exceeding 1,500 cc other than station wagons/estate cars 870321101 |New assembled motor vehicles of a cylinder capacity not exceeding 1,000 cc |Free 852290999 |Parts and accessories of sound recorders or reproducers or television image and|3.4 per cent. | sound recorders or reproducers nes 851782001 |Facsimile transmission machines |Free 847192901 |Printers for automatic data processing machines (ADP) |Free 847193500 |Disc storage units for ADP machines |Free 900990100 |Parts and accessories of electrostatic photocopying apparatus or other |Free | photocopying apparatus incorporating an optical system. 870323101 |New assembled station wagons/estate cars of a cylinder capacity exceeding |Free | 1,500 cc but not exceeding 3,000 cc Source: (i) Intergrated tariff of the United Kingdom. (ii) Customs tariff schedule of Japan, National tariff published annually by the Japan tariff association.
Single Market
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is being done to liberalise United Kingdom export controls in preparation for the single European market.
Mr. Alan Clark : Her Majesty's Government expect to see a considerable reduction in controls on exports to our European Community partners and others before 1992. A step in this direction has been taken with the introduction of an open general export Licence which frees British exporters from the need to apply for individual licences for a wide range of industrial goods for export to our partners in the European Community, the USA, Canada, Japan and Australia.
I am placing a copy of the open general export licence (European Community and COCOM destinations) in the Library.
Estate Agents Act
Mr. French : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the operation of the Estate Agents Act.
Mr. Forth : I am concluding a review of estate agency. The review has considered the operation of the Estate
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Agents Act 1979 and in this context I have received advice from the Director General of Fair Trading. I hope to make an announcement shortly.Soviet Union (Joint Enterprises)
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many joint ventures have been entered into by British companies with (a) Soviet state enterprises and (b) Soviet co-operatives to date ; and if he will list them.
Mr. Alan Clark : I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, Central (Mr. Fisher) on 10 May 1989. Of those, 33 signed UK/USSR joint ventures of which we are aware, 29 are with Soviet state organisations while the remaining four are with Soviet co-operatives. My Department is unable to list them, however, as much of the information has been provided to us on the basis of commercial confidentiality.
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many joint ventures have been entered into with the Soviet Union by EC companies to date ; and if he is able to list the number for each member state.
Mr. Alan Clark : The most comprehensive and most recent survey of joint ventures entered into in the Soviet Union by EC companies held by my Department is a PlanEcon Report dated 24 March which gives details of
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103 joint ventures which had been registered with the Soviet Ministry of Finance on or before 15 February 1989. For ease of comparison, the number with each member state is as follows :EC Member State |Number ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------West Germany |36 Italy |20 United Kingdom |12 France |10 Luxembourg |3 Spain |3 Belgium |2 Denmark |2 Netherlands |2 Greece |1 Ireland |1 Portugal |0 |--- |92 Joint Ventures having partners from more than one EC Member State |4 Joint Venture having partners from an EC Member State and a third country |7 |--- |103 <1> The PlanEcon report is a weekly United States publication, which analyses major macroeconomic and trade developments in the economies of the Soviet Union and eastern Europe.
The number of joint ventures has since risen, though no more recent comparison is available. As I explained in my reply to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, Central (Mr. Fisher) on 10 May 1989, my Department is, for example, aware of 33 joint ventures signed to date between United Kingdom companies and the Soviet Union, not all of which have been registered with the Soviet authorities.
Telephone Calls
Mr. Thornton : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will provide equivalent figures on telephone calls to those given by the then hon. Member for Wembley, South on 23 January 1968, Official Report, column 331, for the latest available date.
Mr. Atkins : The latest year for which such information is publicly available is 1983. In that year some 21.5 billion effective telephone calls were made, of which 82.6 per cent. were local calls ; 16.7 per cent. inland trunk calls ; 0.43 per cent. were continental calls and 0.26 per cent. were other overseas calls.
EMPLOYMENT
Job-seeking Records
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the status of the detailed job-seeking records asking claimants to fill in what they have done from Monday to Friday which some unemployed people are asked to complete by claimant advisers ; and what is the position of those claimants who refuse or who are otherwise unable to complete them.
Mr. Lee : Benefit claimants are not required to complete a formal record showing their detailed daily activities in order to maintain their claim.
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Training
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a further statement on the progress of employment training.
Mr. Nicholls : Employment training continues to grow faster than any other previous adult training programme. By 28 April, there were over 184,000 people in training. They clearly recognise the benefits the programme has to offer and the opportunity it provides to help them get a job.
Maternity Leave
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what reviews he is making of maternity leave for employees ; and if he will take steps to harmonise United Kingdom practice with that of other European countries.
Mr. Nicholls : My right hon. Friend has no current plans to amend the maternity rights contained in the employment protection legislation.
British Coal
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what advice he has given British Coal in regard to the implementation of the new mine safety regulation and codes of practice ; and if he proposes to offer any guidance to ensure that British Coal properly implements the proposed arrangements and that there is no attempt to unilaterally amend them in practice.
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