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Industrial Democracy
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if, prior to the operation of the European single market, Her Majesty's Government will ensure that closer co-operation through industrial democracy exists between the organised work force and management in British industry.
Mr. Cope : The Government will continue to encourage voluntary systems for the involvement of all employees in the work of their companies.
YTS
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the ethnic background data for YTS trainees as at (a) March and (b) October 1988 and (c) March 1989, separately, for each youth training scheme operating in each of the Training Agency areas of Greater London.
Mr. Cope : The information requested has been sent to the hon. Member and a copy placed in the Library.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the ethnic data for YTS trainees as at March and October 1988 and March 1989, separately for each YTS, both local and large company unit, operating in the Doncaster and Mexborough areas of South Yorkshire.
Mr. Cope : The information requested has been sent to the hon. Member and a copy placed in the Library.
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Industrial Earnings
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of industrial workers in the north-west earn less than average industrial earnings.
Mr. Lee : The latest available information, for April 1988, relates to full-time manual employees in the north-west, on adult rates of pay. The estimated percentage is about 58 per cent., broadly similar to the figure for Great Britain as a whole.
Advertising
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) 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 ;
(2) how much advertising air time his Department purchased with each commercial television company in each of the last five years.
Mr. Cope : Information on TV expenditure in the form requested is not held by my Department ; nor is it available centrally through the Central Office of Information and can be supplied only at a disproportionate cost. It is also commercially confidential.
Low Pay
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what effect the removal of wages council legal protection for young people has had on low pay.
Mr. Nicholls : The removal of wages council minima has enabled employers to offer, and young people to accept, jobs at rates which would previously have been unlawful, and there is evidence that this has resulted in increased job opportunities for those under 21. It is not possible to measure the effect of this greater flexibility on pay levels, but there has been no general reduction in the earnings of young people in wages council trades. These have continued to increase in real terms.
Benefit Claims
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many unemployed people who receive a reduced unemployment benefit after finishing the enterprise allowance scheme drop their claims on its reference to a tribunal ; and what proportion of those who do appear win their cases.
Mr. Lee : From October 1987 reduced rate unemployment benefit was abolished. Claimants whose unemployment benefit is disallowed by the adjudicating authorities following a period on the enterprise allowance scheme are not separately identified from other claimants whose benefit is disallowed. It is not possible, therefore, to provide the information requested.
European Tourism Year
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment who are the representatives of the United Kingdom on the steering committee of the European Tourism Year 1990.
Mr. Lee : Each member state is entitled to two representatives on the steering committee. The United
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Kingdom representatives are Mr. Michael Medlicott, chief executive of the British Tourist Authority and Mrs. Julie Thakker, an official in the tourism branch of my Department.Labour Statistics
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the current estimates of employees in employment at September 1987, December 1987, September 1988 and December 1988 by the following industry grouping (a) agriculture, forestry, fishing, (b) energy and water, (c) manufacturing, (d) construction, and (e) services by standard Great Britain region including Greater London ; and in the same region how many employees in employment were women working part time.
Mr. Lee : The information appears in table 1.5 of the May 1989 edition of Employment Gazette, a copy of which is in the Library.
Restart
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many restart interviews were conducted between December 1988 and March 1989 inclusive for each employment service region.
Mr. Lee : The number of restart interviews conducted in each employment service region between December 1988 and March 1989 is shown in the table :
Region |Number of interviews -------------------------------------------------------------------- Northern Region |55,000 Yorkshire and Humberside |76,000 East Midlands and Eastern |64,000 London and South East |169,000 South West |37,000 Wales |47,000 West Midlands |95,000 North West |118,000 Scotland |108,000 Great Britain |769,000
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether, if a restart counseller refers a claimant to an adjudication officer because of what the claimant has written in their RR6 or said during the interview, the counsellor has to tell the claimant ; whether the claimant can ask to see what the restart counsellor has said in the RR3 ; and whether the claimant is entitled to a copy of the RR3 to help them understand their position and, if necessary, correct any false information contained therein.
Mr. Lee : Restart counsellors do not refer claimants direct to the adjudication authorities. If a doubt arises about a claimant's availability for work the case is passed to the benefit office for referral to the adjudication officer if that is appropriate. Counsellors are instructed to tell claimants about the action that has been taken. Claimants can ask to see what is written on form RR3 and can be given a copy on request.
Work Trials
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether those long-term unemployed claimants who participate in work trials on employers'
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premises under the pilot job interview guarantee scheme will be designated on the same ways as ET and YTS trainees for the purposes of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 ; and what rights they will have if they are discriminated against by an employer or they experience an accident at work.Mr. Lee : Employers providing work trials will be required by contract with my Department to treat participants in the same way as their employees for the purpose of health and safety. It is also our intention that participants will be entitled to receive payments under the analogous industrial injuries scheme.
In providing the trial period, employers will be required by contract to ensure that no discrimination takes place which is rendered unlawful by either the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 or the Race Relations Act 1976.
The procedure covering ET and YTS trainees, to which the hon. Member refers, is not applicable to work trial participants.
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether those long-term unemployed claimants who participate in work trials on employers' premises under the pilot job interview guarantee scheme will be able to receive the same discretionary increases to their income without it being deducted from their benefit, as do those claimants who participate in employment training ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lee : Participants in work trials will be reimbursed by the Department of Employment for travel and midday meal expenses incurred in undertaking the trial, up to maximum limits. These payments will not affect their benefit, although any other payments made in respect of the work trial could do so.
British Aerospace (Bracknell)
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has as to how many jobs will be lost in Bracknell as a result of the closure of the British Aerospace site, and as to the percentage of the economically active population of Bracknell this represents.
Mr. Lee : I have seen press reports that about 2,000 jobs will be lost at the Bracknell site as a result of this closure. There is no up-to- date estimate of the economically active population of Bracknell.
Picketing
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to review the law on picketing ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : The Green Paper "Removing Barriers to Employment", published on 20 March, states that the Government propose no change to the law on picketing.
Social Fund
Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many projects in Scotland were either wholly or partly funded by the European Community social fund since 1979 ; what was the nature of these projects ; and what was the total value of the grants.
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Mr. Cope [holding answer 9 May 1989] : Information on which category or recommendation for projects funded in Scotland under the European social fund (ESF) is readily available only for the period since 1987. The information is as follows :
|Full priority|Part priority
--------------------------------------------------------
1987 |173 |59
1988 |215 |15
1989 |182 |119
All applications to the European social fund are for projects of vocational training or job creation measures. Data on the regional allocation of ESF have been collected only since 1985. The total value of grants to Scotland, excluding central Government schemes, for the period 1985-1988 is as follows :
|£
1985 |17,215,503
1986 |14,072,865
1987 |16,774,846
1988 |18,886,175
The amount allocated in 1989 has yet to be confirmed by the European Commission.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Rain Forests
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the Pacific, African and south American rain forest holocaust is taken account of in the Community forestry programme.
Mr. Ryder : One of the main aims of the proposed forestry action programme is to reduce the Community's dependence on timber imports, thus making some contribution to the range of measures that will be needed to protect the tropical rain forests.
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on which sources he relies for evidence on the absence of a link between the north American drought and the longer-term effects of botanical holocaust in the rain forests in central and south America.
Mr. Ryder : In conversation with scientists, I have gained the impression that there is no proof of a link between the north American drought this year and removal of the rain forests in central and south America. I cannot disprove the hypothesis of a link but nor am I aware that supporters of the hypothesis can prove that there is such a link.
Departmental Property
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the property costs, including rent, asset replacement and rates, of his Department in total, in each standard both in total and per square foot for each year since 1983.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Information in the form requested is not available except at disproportionate cost. However, the accommodation charge (which includes an
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opportunity cost rent, contribution in lieu of rates, plus an element to cover maintenance and minor works) paid to PSA in respect of properties on the civil estate occupied by my Department, and the area of occupation, in each of the past five financial years are as follows :
|Accommodation charge|Area of occupation
|(£'000s) |('000 square feet)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1984-85 |31,036 |8,308
1985-86 |32,596 |8,161
1986-87 |30,128 |7,764
1987-88 |30,650 |7,760
1988-89 |31,664 |6,509
Departmental Plant and Equipment
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the last revaluation of plant and equipment employed by his Department was carried out ; and what plant and equipment asset replacement charges are incurred by his Department.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The purchasing system for plant and equipment operated by my Department is aimed at securing value for money and ensuring that the money is spent in accordance with Parliament's wishes. Periodic revaluations of plant and equipment are not required and do not feature in my Department's accounts. An estimate of replacement costs could be made only at disproportionate cost.
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he intends to introduce routine testing of the brains of all cows for bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will consider banning the sale for human consumption of brains, thymus and spleen from all cull cows ; (2) what advice he has been given concerning health hazards arising from meat products from bovine spongifrom encephalopathy infected cattle being sold for human consumption.
Mr. Donald Thompson : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Sir H. Miller) on 27 February at columns 89-91.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food at what level in his Department's regional structure the number of cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy is identified at monitored markets and slaughter houses.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Cases are identified at divisional level.
Slaughterhouses
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cull cattle were slaughtered in the United Kingdom in 1988 ; and of those how many were slaughtered at EEC export approved slaughterhouses.
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Mr. Donald Thompson : We estimate that in 1988 of 670,000 cows and adult bulls were slaughtered in the United Kingdom. 470,000 of them at EC- approved abbatoirs.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements exist for the
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veterinary inspection ante-mortem of animals at (a) EEC export approved slaughterhouses and (b) non EEC export approved slaughterhouses.Mr. Donald Thompson : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 13 April 1989, which appeared in column 695 of Hansard dated 14 April 1989.
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Fish Landings
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of fish landed and sold at Lowestoft, Hull, Grimsby, Peterhead and Aberdeen in the last three months for which figures are available has come from Icelandic-registered boats ; and what has been the average daily price of plaice in these ports over this time.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The percentage of all fish landed at Hull and Grimsby which was landed by Icelandic-registered fishing vessels, based on provisional landing statistics, was as follows :
TITRE] -------------------- Hull |30|64|39 Grimsby |21|49|26
There were no recorded landings by Icelandic-registered fishing vessels at Aberdeen, Peterhead or Lowestoft during this period. The average daily price of plaice in £ per tonne, based on provisional landings statistics, was as follows :
1989
|February|March |April
----------------------------------------------
Hull |944 |733 |1,134
Grimsby |790 |822 |636
Lowestoft |837 |864 |864
Aberdeen |1,210 |842 |704
Peterhead |844 |615 |521
Source:
MAFF: Fisheries Statistical Retrieval System.
DAFS: Fish Landings Data Base.
Icelandic Fish
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will raise at the next Council of Ministers meetings the matter of Icelandic fish sold below market price in European ports ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : We monitor offer prices of third country fish imported into the United Kingdom against the relevant Community reference prices. I can assure my hon. Friend that where we find low-priced imports justifying action within the terms of the Community's fish marketing regime, I shall raise the matter swiftly with the Commission and if necessary with my fellow Fisheries Ministers in the Community.
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his policy on the import of Icelandic fish into the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement on the future of North sea ports which handle Icelandic fish currently and after 1992.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Protocol 6 of the general trade agreement between the European Community and Iceland provides for certain fish products access to the Community at preferential rates of duty, subject in the case of frozen fish fillets to observance by Iceland of the Community's reference price. Further, the Community's reference price system provides for the Commission to take action to prevent disruption of the Community market if significant
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quantities of third country imports enter the Community below the appropriate reference price on three consecutive days.The Icelandic fish trade into North sea ports is long established. I have no knowledge that this will change either before or after 1992.
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he next expects to meet with his counterpart in Iceland to discuss the sale of Icelandic fish in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Donald Thompson : I have no plans for a meeting.
ADAS
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he is proposing to take following the Bailey review of Agricultural Development Advisory Service laboratories in England and Wales.
Mr. Ryder : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Daventry (Mr. Boswell) on 21 March 1989 at column 515.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will make a statement on the financial basis for his decision to reduce the number of Agricultural Development Advisory Service laboratories ;
(2) which Agricultural Development Advisory Service laboratories and experimental farms in England and Wales he proposes to close in the current year and in each of the next three years.
Mr. Ryder : I cannot add anything to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Daventry (Mr. Boswell) on 21 March 1989 at column 515.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the impact of cuts in agricultural research and development in the work of the Agricultural Development Advisory Service farms at Trawsgoed and Pwllpeirian.
Mr. Ryder : In answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Daventry (Mr. Boswell) on 21 March 1989 at column 515 my right hon. Friend the Minister indicated that decisions on the future of ADAS research and development facilities depend on the industry's decisions on the work it is prepared to fund.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the future of the regional analytical chemistry laboratories at Trawsgoed.
Mr. Ryder : My right hon. Friend the Minister announced on 21 March 1989 at column 515 that the analytical chemistry laboratory at Trawsgoed would be closed in 1990-91 and that the Welsh Office is considering the possibility of alternative uses of the facility.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the employment consequences of closing the laboratories at Trawsgoed.
Mr. Ryder : I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley) on 11 May 1989 at columns 482-83.
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Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the revenue targets set for the Agricultural Development Advisory Service in Wales for the last two years and the extent to which those targets have been met.
Mr. Ryder : I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley) on 9 May 1989 at column 372.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list all the research projects currently undertaken at Pwllpeirian experimental farm.
Mr. Ryder : Work on the following five projects is currently being undertaken at Pwllpeirian experimental husbandry farm as a contribution to a national programme of research and development : Reproduction and rearing of beef cattle
Reproduction, rearing and the nutrition of the ewe and suckling lamb.
Sheep genetics.
Grass and forage conservation.
Grass and legumes on hills and uplands.
Beef Imports
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state the total imports by volume and by country of beef and beef products into the United Kingdom during 1988 from (a) other EEC countries and (b) non-EEC countries.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The tables give details of United Kingdom imports during 1988 of fresh, chilled and frozen beef and veal, fresh, chilled and frozen beef offals and processed beef products in tonnes by exporting country as requested ; the source is Eurostat.
Fresh, chilled and frozen beef and veal
|Tonnes
--------------------------------------------------
(a) Other member states
France |14,853
Belgium/Luxembourg |805
Netherlands |22,700
Federal Republic of Germany |19,958
Italy |2,422
Republic of Ireland |107,228
Denmark |8,128
Spain |1,574
(b) Non member states
Yugoslavia |3
Poland |152
Czechoslovakia |767
Romania |30
Libya |5
British Indian overseas territory |5
Zimbabwe |5,511
Botswana |2,536
United States of America |4,749
Canada |24
Bahamas |6
Brazil |12,354
Paraguay |313
Uruguay |5,060
Argentina |3,225
Malaysia |3
Australia |5,014
New Zealand |466
Norway |2
Sweden |1
Austria |6
|-------
World Total |217,906
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Processed beef products
|Tonnes
--------------------------------------------
(a) Other member states
France |1,492
Belgium/Luxembourg |75
Netherlands |469
Federal Republic of Germany |121
Italy |231
Republic of Ireland |5,821
Denmark |377
Spain |7
(b) Non member states
Yugoslavia |522
Poland |821
Romania |1,327
Ethiopia |153
Mauritius |210
Zimbabwe |2,475
Botswana |219
United States of America |2
Canada |65
Antigua, Barbados |159
Brazil |58,051
Paraguay |108
Uruguay |2,204
Argentina |17,241
Cyprus |1,041
Singapore |5
Hong Kong |9
Australia |986
New Zealand |89
Switzerland |3
|-------
World Total |94,299
Processed beef products
|Tonnes
--------------------------------------------
(a) Other member states
France |1,492
Belgium/Luxembourg |75
Netherlands |469
Federal Republic of Germany |121
Italy |231
Republic of Ireland |5,821
Denmark |377
Spain |7
(b) Non member states
Yugoslavia |522
Poland |821
Romania |1,327
Ethiopia |153
Mauritius |210
Zimbabwe |2,475
Botswana |219
United States of America |2
Canada |65
Antigua, Barbados |159
Brazil |58,051
Paraguay |108
Uruguay |2,204
Argentina |17,241
Cyprus |1,041
Singapore |5
Hong Kong |9
Australia |986
New Zealand |89
Switzerland |3
|-------
World Total |94,299
Food Irradiation
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what work he is doing to establish the efficacy of food irradiation in dealing with salmonella and listeria contamination in children ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ryder : The efficacy of food irradiation in severely reducing the numbers of pathogenic micro-organisms such as salmonella and listeria in poultrymeat has been well
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established in past years through numerous studies. There is no need for my Department to be involved in further work on this subject.
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