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Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals he has to encourage universities to make contractual provision for time to make outside earnings for university academic staff.
Mr. Jackson : That is a matter for university managements.
Open University
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the contribution made to environmental education and research by the Open university.
Mr. Jackson : Courses about or related to the environment are available in the university's undergraduate and continuing education programmes. The university also supports research undertaken by the energy and environment research group.
Cancer Research
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what financial support Her Majesty's Government have given to research trials of cytokines, particularly interferon, in treatment of common cancers.
Mr. Jackson : The Medical Research Council, which receives its grant -in-aid from this Department, is the main
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agency through which the Government support medical research. The council has mounted three trials involving the use of cytokines in the treatment of cancer, all of which are currently recruiting patients. Details of the trials are as follows :1. A phase II evaluation of human lymphoblastoid interferon (Wellferon) in malignant glioma.
This trial was launched in October 1988 ; the approximate annual support provided by the council is £7,000.
2. A trial of alpha-interferon in chronic myeloid leukaemia This trial was launched in September 1986 and is one arm of a larger trial of chronic myeloid leukaemia, for which the approximate annual support provided by the council is £23,000.
3. A trial of the use of alpha-2b INF in the plateau phase of myelomatosis.
This trial was launched in December 1988 and is one arm of a larger trial of myelomatosis, for which the trial co-ordinator receives grant support of approximately £32,000 per annum. In addition, the council provides approximately £13,000 per annum for this trial.
Teachers (Pay)
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will estimate the 1989-90 cost of the recommended changes to school teachers pay, above the original £385 million limit proposed ; what amount and proportion of this excess above the original limit will be offset by the net 0.4 per cent. reduction in employers contributions for superannuation identified in his reply to the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey, of 4 May, Official Report, column 177, as being free from other assumed offset purposes ; what amount and proportion will not be so offset ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Butcher : The salary bill for school teachers in England will rise by some £440 million in the financial year 1989-90. This is £80 million above the England element of the original limit proposed. The effect of the extra 0.4 per cent. reduction in the cost of employers' contributions to teachers superannuation will be to reduce the school teachers salary bill by about £25 million. The remaining £55 million to be borne by local education authorities represents less than 0.4 per cent. of local authority education provision.
LINK
Mr. Andrew Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about progress on LINK.
Mr. Jackson : The Government attach great importance to LINK, which aims to increase the benefits to the United Kingdom economy from Government -funded research by encouraging collaboration between industry and the science base.
I am pleased to announce today a major new LINK programme in structural composites. Collaborative research in this area is vital to ensure that United Kingdom industry is well placed to adopt these new materials in a cost effective way.
This programme will develop both new and existing expertise, and will widen the use of such materials within United Kingdom industry. The use of advanced composites as structural components is likely to have a major impact in the future.
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A key aim of the programme is to co- ordinate, and stimulate existing and new United Kingdom R & D in composite materials with particular emphasis on structural applications. It will support research which will meet industry's future demands for composites with improved properties, more efficient processability and lower cost.More than 40 companies and over 20 science base organisations have already indicated that they wish to be involved in individual collaborative research projects. Special efforts will be made to encourage the involvement of small and medium sized firms. The structural composites programme will raise the level of United Kingdom activity at a time when national programmes are being undertaken within Europe, Japan and the USA and will complement R & D work being undertaken through the European Community's BRITE/EURAM initiative.
This programme, the 14th to be announced under LINK, will be jointly funded by the Department of Trade and Industry (£14 million) and the Science and Engineering Research Council (£6 million) ; matching support from industry will be needed for this £40 million, five-year programme.
Training Grants
Mr. Arbuthnot : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will announce his proposals for the local education authorities training grants scheme in 1990-91.
Mrs. Rumbold : Subject to consultation with local education authorities the main thrust of the scheme will continue to be the successful implementation of the Education Reform Act, in particular the national curriculum and associated assessment arrangements. My right hon. Friend also intends to include support for the introduction of teacher appraisal, eligible training for licensed teachers and pilot schemes for articled teachers, training in managing pupils' behaviour in response to the committee of inquiry into discipline in schools and training to develop teaching and assessment of competence-based qualifications in further education. £120.5 million is planned to be allocated for training on national priority areas--an increase of £36.3 million on 1989-90-- which will qualify for 65 per cent. grant and £94.7 million on local priorities which will qualify for 50 per cent. grant.
Copies of the consultation letter have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
WALES
Hospital Closures
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list, for each year since 1979 (a) each hospital closed completely and (b) each hospital closed partially ; and if he will break that list down by each health authority, and regional health authority.
Mr. Grist : A list of hospitals which closed, and remain closed, between 1 January 1979 and 31 December 1988 is given in the following table. These closures are the result of reorganisations and improvements of health care services in Wales since 1979, notably the provision of seven
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new hospitals, including five district general hospitals, at a cost of some £162.4 million at 1989-90 prices. Information on changes in bed complements for individual hospitals is published annually in "Bed Use Statistics", copies of which are in the Library of the House.
District health authority |Year of closure
hospital
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd
Prince Edward's War Memorial |1980
Llangwyfan |1981
Chatsworth House |1985
Colwyn Bay Maternity |1985
Wrexham War Memorial |1986
Chirk |1987
East Dyfed
Cilymaenllwyd |1984
Allt-y-Mynydd |1986
Gwent
Snatchwood |1980
Cefn Mably |1983
Gwynedd
Gors Maternity |1980
Caernarvonshire and Anglesey General |1984
Galltysil |1985
Mid Glamorgan
Glyncornel |1979
Blackmill |1985
Bridgend and District |1985
Cefn Hirgoed |1985
Powys
Adelina Patti |1986
West Glamorgan
Llwynderw |1979
Drymma Hall |1986
Cwmdonkin |1987
Neath Annexe |1988
Road Accidents
Mr. Denzil Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many deaths occurred on Welsh roads in each of the last three years ;
(2) how many people were injured on the roads of Wales in each of the last three years.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : The information requested is shown in the following table.
Casualties |1986 |1987 |<1>1988 ------------------------------------------------------- Fatal<2> |235 |220 |226 Serious<3> |3,243 |3,173 |2,900 Slight<4> |10,967 |10,890 |12,024 <1> Provisional. <2> When death occurs in less than 30 days as a result of the accident. <3> When a person sustains an injury for which he/she is detained in hospital as an "in-patient" or any of the following injuries whether or not he/she is detained in hospital; fractures, concussion, internal injuries, crushings, severe cuts and lacerations, severe general shock requiring medical treatment, injuries causing death 30 or more days after the accident. <4> When a person sustains an injury of a minor character such as a sprain, bruise or cut not judged to be severe, or slight shock requiring roadside attention.
Mr. Denzil Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people were taken to hospital with serious injuries after road accidents in Wales in each of the last three years.
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Mr. Grist : Information is not available in the precise form requested. However, the number of patients and day cases who died in hospitals in Wales or were discharged from them after road traffic accidents in the last three years for which data are available is as follows :
|Number
---------------------
1985 |3,332
1986 |3,263
1987 |2,978
This may understate the true position as not all hospitals provide full clinical details relating to discharges and deaths. The numbers with "serious" injuries cannot be separately identified.
Council House Sales
Mr. Murphy : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he intends to introduce a scheme to convert council house rents into mortgages, along the lines of that announced by the Scottish Office.
Mr. Peter Walker : I am examining a scheme similar to that recently announced in Scotland.
Nursery Education
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans to examine the provision of education for the under-fives along the same lines as those recently announced by the Department of Education and Science in England ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : The Minister of State, Department of Education and Science has established and will be chairing a committee of inquiry to consider the quality and content of the educational experience offered to under-five-year-olds, as one of the responses to the Education, Science and Arts Committee's report on educational provision for the under-fives in England. I shall be keeping in close touch with the work of this group, on which the Welsh Office has observer status.
I shall be keeping under review the need for any action in Wales in the light of the deliberations and findings of the new committee.
SCOTLAND
Pay
101. Dr. Reid : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's action to improve pay levels in Scotland.
Mr. Lang : The Government have sought to create the conditions in which sustained growth in output and real incomes can take place. Pay levels, in Scotland as elsewhere, are essentially for employers and employees to determine, but the Government have removed a number of statutory obstacles to sensible pay determination and have encouraged employers to link pay to the performance of their firm. In their dealings with its own employees the Government have introduced more flexibility by means of performance-related pay, and new, flexible, long-term pay agreements.
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Roads
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the total budget for 1988-89 which was allocated to the Scottish Development Department for road building and maintenance : and if he will show the projects completed and projects commenced during that financial year.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Gross provision for trunk road building and maintenance in Scotland in 1988-89 was £130 million. Schemes costing over £1 million completed and commenced during that financial year are shown in the following table :
1988-89
Schemes Costing Over £1 million
Completed
A75 Castle Douglas Bypass
A75 Ringford Bypass
M8 Starlaw Junction
A82 Auchendennan-Arden
A830 Mallaig-Kinsadel I
A830 Polnish-Lochailort
A9 Dornoch Bridge Northern Approach Roads
A9 Dornoch Bridge Southern Approach Roads
A9 Mound Bridges
A92 Murcar-Balmedie
A929 Kinsway-Powrie
A96 Bucksburn-Tyrebagger I
A96 Forres Bypass
Commenced
A7 North Middleton Bypass
A75 Dumfries Bypass
A77 Balsalloch-Balcreuchan
A835 Garve Railway Bridge
A9 Dunblane Bypass
A9 Dornoch Firth Bridge
A94 Parkford-Balnabreich
A94 Upper Northwaterbridge-Oatyhill
A96 Inverurie Bypass
Schemes commenced in that a contract was let during the year but actual construction did not start until a few weeks later.
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the proposed roads budget allocated to the Scottish Development Department for the financial year 1989-90.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : £162 million, net of receipts, has been allocated for motorway and trunk road expenditure in Scotland in 1989-90.
Health Education
Mr. Allan Stewart : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to improve the effectiveness of health education in Scotland.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : I have announced today the setting up of a major and wide-ranging review of health education in Scotland. This is one of the four central priority areas recommended in the SHARPEN report and which were accepted by the Government. It is a key aspect of health policy.
The review will consider the purpose of health education programmes, identify the principal objectives of such programmes and the means by which the effectiveness of those objectives can be assessed. It will also consider and examine the way in which health education is undertaken at both national and local levels and the role of those involved, including the Scottish
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Health Education Group, health boards and voluntary bodies as well as the Scottish Home and Health Department and the Scottish Education Department.We hope to appoint management consultants to conduct the review. I expect them to talk to a large number of organisations and individuals in the course of the review and to complete their work towards the end of 1989.
Community Charge
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing for each local authority in Scotland (a) the community charge level for 1989-90, (b) the Government's previous estimate of the level of community charge and (c) the percentage difference between (a) and (b) .
Mr. Lang : The information requested is set out in the table. The Government's estimates were of what each authority's community charge would be if the authority maintained the level of services provided in 1988-89 and therefore did not increase the volume of its spending. The figures for regional and islands councils include water charges.
|Actual Community Charge|Government Estimate |Percentage Difference
|£ |£ |per cent.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Borders |205 |151 |35.8
Central |213 |167 |27.8
Dumfries and
Galloway |206.5 |157 |31.4
Fife |238 |206 |15.8
Grampian |219 |150 |46.2
Highland |200 |165 |21.2
Lothian |305 |247 |23.6
Strathclyde |219 |221 |-0.8
Tayside |241 |193 |24.7
Islands Councils
Orkney |148 |84 |77.1
Shetland |114.16 |202 |-43.5
Western Isles |171 |126 |36.2
District Council
Berwickshire |31 |26 |19.2
Ettrick and
Lauderdale |42 |29 |44.8
Roxburgh |42 |39 |8.8
Tweeddale |43 |23 |84.5
Clackmannan |87 |58 |49.6
Falkirk |46 |44 |3.9
Stirling |97 |83 |17.6
Annandale and Eskdale |47 |39 |19.2
Nithsdale |39 |35 |10.6
Stewartry |37 |39 |-4.0
Wigtown |40 |21 |89.0
Dunfermline |55 |43 |26.6
Kirkcaldy |60 |51 |18.0
North East Fife |82 |46 |79.7
Aberdeen City |85 |51 |65.4
Banff and Buchan |56.7 |35 |60.2
Gordon |44 |33 |31.7
Kincardine and
Deeside |32 |18 |76.4
Moray |42 |26 |59.6
Badenoch and
Strathspey |35 |21 |69.1
Caithness |25 |31 |-18.5
Inverness |26 |24 |9.8
Lochaber |37 |37 |0.7
Nairn |28 |16 |76.9
Ross and
Cromarty |39 |25 |56.4
Skye and Lochalsh |25 |22 |12.8
Sutherland |6 |3 |139.0
East Lothian |69 |60 |15.0
Edinburgh City |87 |66 |31.3
Midlothian |59 |59 |-0.7
West Lothian |54 |49 |10.1
Argyll and Bute |58 |72 |-19.7
Bearsden and
Milngavie |79 |58 |35.5
Clydebank |78 |72 |8.0
Clydesdale |82 |72 |13.5
Cumbernauld and
Kilsyth |56 |72 |-22.5
Cumnock and
Doon Valley |57 |72 |-21.1
Cunninghame |59 |72 |-18.3
Dumbarton |79 |72 |9.4
East Kilbride |99 |72 |37.1
Eastwood |63 |43 |47.6
Glasgow City |87 |72 |20.5
Hamilton |72 |72 |-0.3
Inverclyde |72 |62 |16.5
Kilmarnock and
Loudoun |50 |72 |-30.8
Kyle and Carrick |89 |69 |28.6
Monklands |74 |72 |2.5
Motherwell |86 |67 |28.7
Renfrew |76 |72 |5.2
Strathkelvin |80 |72 |10.8
Angus |52 |45 |15.9
Dundee City |83 |81 |3.1
Perth and Kinross |58 |43 |34.1
Regional Selective Assistance
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was (a) the number of aplications for regional selective assistance received between 1 April 1988 and 31 March 1989, (b) the number of applications that have been processed and (c) the total amount of money paid out in that period.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 8 May 1989] : In the period 1 April 1988 to 31 March 1989, 255 applications for regional selective assistance were received in Scotland. Of these, 237 have been fully processed. The remaining 18 are being processed. Total payments of regional selective assistance in Scotland in the same period have amounted to £37.6 million.
Investment Grants
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what was (a) the total number of applications for the investment grants from 1 April 1988 to 31 March 1989, (b) the total number of applications approved, (c) the total amount of expenditure involved and (d) the total estimated expenditure planned for that period and the estimated expenditure for 1989- 90, 1990-91 and 1991-92 ; (2) what was (a) the total number of applications for the innovation grants from 1 April 1988 to 31 March 1989, (b) the total number of applications approved, (c) the total amount of expenditure involved and (d) the total estimated expenditure planned for that period and the estimated expenditure for 1989-90, 1990-91 and 1991-92 .
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Mr. Lang [holding answer 8 May 1989] : The information requested is as follows for the period 1 April 1988 to 31 March 1989.
Regional enterprise grants
|Innovation grants|Investment grants
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of applications received |100 |374
Number of applications approved |37 |189
Value of applications approved |£851,000 |£1,097,000
Total expenditure on regional enterprise grants for the period covered is £282,000 out of a provision for 1988-89 of £1.6 million. Planned provision for 1989-90 is published in the Supply Estimates. Planned net provision for regional selective assistance and related schemes (including regional enterprise grants), consistent with the figures published in "Public Expenditure to 1991-92, A Commentary on the Scotland Programme", for each of the years 1990-91 and 1991-92 is £80 million.
Regional Development Grants
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was (a) the number of applications for regional development grants outstanding on 31 March 1988, (b) the number of those outstanding applications that have subsequently been processed, (c) the number of applications that are still outstanding and (d) the total amount of money paid out on regional development grants since 31 March.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 8 May 1989] : The figures requested for applications in Scotland under the revised regional development grant scheme are as follows :
K
|Number
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of applications outstanding at 31
March 1988 |5,117
Number of these fully processed by 3 May 1989: |4,932
Number under consideration but awaiting
response from applicants: |185
Number of applications awaiting attention: |nil
Total payments made between 31 March 1988
and 31 March 1989: |£50.8 million
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total amount of European regional development fund money allocated to each of the regions in 1988.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 8 May 1989] : The information requested is as follows :
|£ million (rounded)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project awards<1>
Central |2
Dumfries and Galloway |1
Fife |2
Highland |9
Strathclyde |12
Shetland |2
Western Isles |11
Programme awards<2>
Strathclyde Integrated Development Operation<3> |34
Highlands and Islands<4> |11
Tayside<5> |4
West Lothian |7
|-------
Total |95
<1> Grampian and Lothian each received project awards of less than £0.5 million.
<2> Programme awards show only 1988 entries. Substantial forward commitment under
programmes has been secured.
<3> Covers development areas in Strathclyde, plus Sanquhar in Dumfries and Galloway and
Dumgoyne ward in Central.
<4> Covers Highlands and Islands Development Board area.
<5> Tayside figure differs from that in the programme due to a rescheduling of
expenditure.
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Torture
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish a table showing the number of representations he has made in the last five years about the denial of human rights and use of torture in each of the nations in membership of the United Nations.
Mr. Eggar : In the last five years we have made many representations to the Governments of many countries, both bilaterally and with our European Community partners.
The precise information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Immigration
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Mr. Nasim Ahmed who was born on 2 July 1965, and whose reference is IMM/84536 and A.421238, first applied to the British post in Islamabad to enter the United Kingdom ; when Mr. Ahmed successfully appealed against refusal to grant him entry, and when the British port in Islamabad was instructed to issue Mr. Ahmed with a visa to enter the United Kingdom.
Mr. Eggar : The information requested is not immediately available. A further reply will be sent to the hon. Member in due course.
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) when Mrs. Musrat Begum, whose date of birth is 1 January 1958, applied to the post in Islamabad, to join her husband in the United Kingdom ; and when a decision will be taken on her application ;
(2) when Mr. Mohd Arif, who was born on 1 September 1963, will be issued with a visa by the post in Islamabad following his successful appeal against refusal to grant him permission to enter the United Kingdom ;
(3) when Shamin Akhter, who was born on 12 November 1964, applied to the post in Islamabad to enter the United Kingdom ; when her application was refused ; when the post despatched an explanatory statement setting out the reasons her application was refused ; and if he will make a statement ;
(4) when Mr. Sodigar Hussain applied to the post in Islamabad to join his wife, Mrs. Zaidah Begum whose date of birth is 27 January 1967 ; and when a decision on his application will be taken.
Mr. Eggar [pursuant to his reply, 9 May 1989, c. 362] : In accordance with the recent guidelines on the handling of representations by Members of Parliament in immigration cases, issued to Members on 14 December 1988, I have referred the questions to the correspondence unit of migration and visa department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The hon. Member will receive a reply from the unit in due course.
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