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Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints made to date under the Police (N.I.) Order 1987 have been referred by the Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary to the Independent Commission for Police Complaints for Northern Ireland for investigation.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 5 May 1989] : The investigation of complaints is a police responsibility. The Independent Commission for Police Complaints has wide supervisory powers in relation to complaints. To date 2,446 complaints have been referred by the Chief Constable to the commission.
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints made to date under the Police (N.I.) Order 1987, have been adjudicated upon by the Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 5 May 1989] : The Chief Constable has not himself chaired any disciplinary hearings arising from complaints made under the order.
Elections
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps have been or will be taken to ascertain the number of persons refused a ballot paper at (a) the local government elections in Northern Ireland on 17 May and (b) EEC election in June, on the grounds that they were not able to produce one of the documents set out as necessary for the proof of identity.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 15 May 1989] : None. I have no evidence to suggest that such steps are necessary. All electors should possess or can readily obtain free of charge at least one of the range of specified documents which are listed on the back of the poll card, and I am satisfied that the system is now well understood.
ENERGY
Energy Sources
Mr. Greg Knight : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what steps he is taking to encourage the greater use of
environment-friendly sources of energy.
Mr. Michael Spicer : All sources of energy have enrivonmental consequences, but the non-fossil obligation in the Electricity Bill will guarantee a level of diversity for electricity generation. In addition, my Department is giving specific encouragement through its support for research and development on renewable forms of energy and clean, more efficient, coal technologies.
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In recognition of the potential of renewables, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently announced that the Government had decided to add a number of extra tranches to the non-fossil fuel obligation. These will be reserved exclusively for renewable projects. This will help realise the environmental benefits which renewables offer.Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Dr. Thomas), Official Report, 3 May, column 151, what reply, and on what date, he made to the letter from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
Mr. Michael Spicer : The letter is currently receiving attention and a reply will be sent as soon as possible.
Renewable Energy
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the current research projects into renewable sources of energy which are sponsored by his Department, with their estimated costs.
Mr. Michael Spicer : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Dr. Thomas) on 19 December 1988, at columns 30-35. An update of this list, together with the estimated costs of the projects, will today be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
HEALTH
Acute Beds
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each year since 1979 (a) the number of acute beds available and (b) the number of non-acute beds available in each district health authority, SHA and regional health authority ; and if he will give the national total for each year.
Mr. Freeman : The information requested has been placed in the Library and I have written to the hon. Member with a copy of such information. These figures amend those for 1987-88 provided to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson) on 22 December, in the light of changes since reported by health authorities.
Abortions
Mr. Ken Hargreaves : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prostoglandin abortions were performed in England and Wales in 1987 (a) with and (b) without the use of other agents.
Mr. Freeman : The data are as follows.
Number of Prostoglandin Abortions performed in England and Wales in 1987.
a. Prostoglandins with other agents, 5,431.
b. Prostoglandins (only), 3,701.
John Leeman
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Health why John Leeman was discharged from Broadmoor in (a) 1974 and (b) 1981 ; what previous offences had been committed by John Leeman prior to being imprisoned in 1975 ; and what recommendations were made prior to the discharge of John Leeman from Broadmoor in 1981.
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Mr. Freeman : Mr. Leeman was conditionally discharged from Broadmoor hospital in 1974 on the recommendation of his responsible medical officer and a mental health review tribunal. Discharge was authorised by the Home Secretary.
Mr. Leeman was not discharged from Broadmoor in 1981. A Home Office direction terminating the restrictions on his discharge under the Mental Health Act 1959 took effect when he was in Parkhurst prison. The record of an individual's criminal convictions is considered to be confidential, and is not disclosed except where there are overriding reasons for departure from the normal rules of confidentiality.
Health Care (Expenditure)
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the review of the Health Service considered the reasons for the cost of health care in the United Kingdom compared with other industrial countries ; and if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the percentage of gross domestic product to one place of decimals spent on (a) public and (b) private health care in other industrial countries together with an estimate of the extent to which the relative cost in the United Kingdom is due to (i) the standard of health (ii) the number of elderly persons, (iii) the level of remuneration of employees and (iv) the level of public provisions.
Mr. Mellor : The Government's review of the NHS took into account a wide range of information about the costs of health care provision in this country and overseas.
The OECD's latest estimates of public and private expenditure on health as percentages of GDP in 12 leading industrial countries are shown in the table.
Differences in health expenditures between countries both in absolute and in relative terms are influenced by a wide range of economic, social and cultural factors the individual components and impacts of which are the subject of continuing research both here and abroad.
However, the raw percentages reported by the OECD will reflect the effects of factors such as the type of health funding systems adopted by individual countries ; the mix of items comprising expenditure on health care and differences in relative prices.
It is not possible without disproportionate cost to summarise here the results of relevant international research into this subject.
Public and private expenditure on
health as a percentage of GDP,
1986
|Public |Private
---------------------------------------
Australia |5.3 |2.1
Belgium |5.5 |1.6
Canada |6.5 |1.9
Denmark |5.2 |1.0
France |6.7 |1.8
Germany |6.3 |1.8
Italy |5.2 |1.5
Netherlands |6.6 |1.8
Spain |4.3 |1.7
Switzerland |5.4 |2.6
United Kingdom |5.3 |0.9
United States |4.5 |6.6
Hospitals (Running Costs)
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Government will take into account the higher cost of running hospitals in buildings such as hutted camps and Victorian workhouses when the new arrangements for the hospital services are introduced.
Mr. Freeman : The introduction of a system for charging for capital announced in the White Paper "Working for Patients" will enable health authorities to appraise capital investment options more effectively. Comparison of the running costs of hospitals of different ages, types and functional conditions is complicated by a number of factors including the tendency for new hospitals to be used more intensively than those they replace. The Department is sponsoring research in this area to see to what extent overall running costs are related to the physical characteristics of the hospital stock. If successful this research would add further to the quality of investment appraisal in the National Health Service.
Pensioners
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by region the population of females over 60 years and males over 65 years.
Mr. Freeman : The information requested is as follows.
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Mid 1987 estimates of resident population (thousands)
|Males aged 65 and over |Females aged 60 and over|Total persons over
|retirement age
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
England |2,949.0 |5,750.8 |8,699.8
North |186.7 |374.0 |560.7
Yorkshire and Humberside |302.1 |596.2 |898.4
East Midlands |243.9 |454.4 |698.3
East Anglia |138.2 |247.8 |385.9
South East |1,063.1 |2,075.6 |3,138.7
South West |333.3 |632.7 |966.0
West Midlands |306.5 |591.1 |897.6
North West |375.2 |778.9 |1,154.1
Wales |183.8 |365.2 |548.9
Scotland |286.7 |606.9 |893.6
Northern Ireland |74.9 |152.7 |227.6
Population estimates relating to mid-1988 are currently being prepared and will become available shortly.
Electorates
Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the shire counties, London boroughs and metropolitan boroughs in England in ranking order according to the degree by which their electorates vary from the nationally averaged electorate appropriate to the numbers of parliamentary constituencies within them.
Mr. Freeman : The information requested is as follows :
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Name |Number of constituencies|Average number of |Amount by which average
|electors per |constituency size
|constituency on 1989 |differs from 1989
|register |electoral quota<1>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
England |523 |<1>69,533
Shire counties
Isle of Wight |1 |101,859 |46.5
Wiltshire |5 |85,552 |23.0
Gloucestershire |5 |82,135 |18.1
Cambridgeshire |6 |81,326 |17.0
West Sussex |7 |80,014 |15.1
Suffolk |6 |79,811 |14.8
Hampshire |15 |79,399 |14.2
Berkshire |7 |79,170 |13.9
North Yorkshire |7 |79,146 |13.8
Buckinghamshire |6 |78,642 |13.1
Bedfordshire |5 |77,815 |11.9
Shropshire |4 |77,545 |11.5
Warwickshire |5 |75,741 |8.9
Lincolnshire |6 |75,678 |8.8
Hertfordshire |10 |75,368 |8.4
Leicestershire |9 |74,831 |7.6
Hereford and Worcester |7 |74,548 |7.2
Humberside |9 |73,905 |6.3
Cheshire |10 |73,848 |6.2
Essex |16 |73,792 |6.1
Dorset |8 |73,743 |6.1
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |5 |73,296 |5.4
Staffordshire |11 |73,037 |5.0
Norfolk |8 |73,005 |5.0
Northamptonshire |6 |72,639 |4.5
Avon |10 |72,637 |4.5
Somerset |5 |72,530 |4.3
Derbyshire |10 |72,426 |4.2
Surrey |11 |72,400 |4.1
Kent |16 |71,976 |3.5
Devon |11 |71,243 |2.5
Nottinghamshire |11 |71,115 |2.3
Oxfordshire |6 |70,290 |1.1
Cleveland |6 |69,881 |0.5
East Sussex |8 |69,787 |0.4
Durham |6 |66,858 |-3.8
Lancashire |16 |66,748 |-4.0
Cumbria |6 |63,944 |-8.0
Northumberland |4 |59,039 |-15.1
London boroughs
Haringey |2 |76,780 |10.4
Hounslow |2 |75,631 |8.8
Harrow |2 |74,720 |7.5
Hackney |2 |69,024 |-0.7
Ealing |3 |68,938 |-0.9
Enfield |3 |67,349 |-3.1
Wandsworth |3 |65,101 |-6.4
Camden |2 |65,028 |-6.5
Merton |2 |63,981 |-8.0
Sutton |2 |63,080 |-9.3
Havering |3 |61,277 |-11.9
Brent |3 |60,648 |-12.8
Croydon |4 |60,205 |-13.4
Lambeth |3 |59,995 |-13.7
Hillingdon |3 |59,824 |-14.0
Lewisham |3 |59,716 |-14.1
Redbridge |3 |59,654 |-14.2
Bromley |4 |58,511 |-15.9
Richmond upon Thames |2 |57,182 |-17.8
Southwark |3 |57,155 |-17.8
Tower Hamlets |2 |56,872 |-18.2
Bexley |3 |56,746 |-18.4
Barking and Dagenham |2 |56,303 |-19.0
Barnet |4 |55,450 |-20.3
Cities of London and Westminster |2 |55,434 |-20.3
Islington |2 |55,430 |-20.3
Waltham Forest |3 |53,972 |-22.4
Greenwich |3 |53,290 |-23.4
Newham |3 |53,258 |-23.4
Hammersmith and Fulham |2 |49,653 |-28.6
Kingston upon Thames |2 |48,696 |-30.0
Kensington and Chelsea |2 |44,387 |-36.2
Metropolitan counties
Tyne and Wear |13 |68,385 |-1.7
South Yorkshire |15 |67,234 |-3.3
West Yorkshire |23 |67,194 |-3.3
Greater Manchester |30 |64,425 |-7.3
West Midlands |31 |64,070 |-7.9
Merseyside |17 |59,361 |-14.6
<1> A number of parliamentary constituencies straddle metropolitan borough boundaries, and information is therefore provided in
respect of metropolitan counties.
Radiation
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice he has received regarding the genetic effects of radiation exposure.
Mr. Freeman : The National Radiological Protection Board is under a statutory obligation to provide advice to Government and others on the effects of radiation. The board's advice on genetic effects of radiation exposure is contained in NRPB publication R226, "Health Effects Models Developed from the 1988 UNSCEAR Report", a copy of which will be placed in the Library shortly. I am advised that there is some evidence that radiation causes genetic defects in animals ; however, epidemiological studies of groups of people exposed to large doses of radiation have produced no conclusive evidence of any genetic damage that has been passed on to their children.
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Gynaecologists
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been issued by his Department to candidates for consultancy posts in gynaecology concerning their rights under the conscience clause of the Abortion Act 1967.
Mr. Mellor : The Department has not issued any guidance to candidates for consultant posts in gynaecology, not all of which involve duties relating to the termination of pregnancy. Under a long-standing agreement with the medical profession no reference to termination duties should be included in the advertisement of hospital posts, but it should be included in the job description made available to all applicants.
Hospital Trusts
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there are any plans for hospitals in the Yorkshire regional health authority to consult (a) medical staff, (b)
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non-medical staff and (c) members of the general public in the hospital catchment area before putting themselves forward as possible self-governing hospitals.Mr. Mellor : Only expressions of interest in self-governing status are being requested at this stage. When applications are invited, RHAs will seek the views of those with an interest in an application, particularly the health authorities concerned, staff, general practitioners, CBCs and the local community.
Mr. Corbett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will require hospitals which seek to become self-governing to undertake ballots of all medical and non-medical staff to determine the level of support for such proposals ; and whether he will meet the cost of any such ballots.
Mr. Corbett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what evidence of consultation with medical and non-medical staff he will require in support of applications by hospitals to become self-governing ;
(2) what evidence of consultation with patients he will require in support of applications by hospitals to become self-governing.
Mr. Mellor : RHAs will give publicity to applications and will seek the views of those with an interest which will be submitted to me to consider alongside the application.
NHS Review
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what he estimates will be the annual capital charge for a body scanner with an initial purchase price of £500,000 under the proposals in his White Paper, "Working for Patients."
Column 154
Mr. Mellor : We are still considering the detailed basis of valuation of assets for capital charging purposes so no estimate is yet possible. The NHS review working paper Number 5 on capital charges describes in further detail how the proposals will be implemented.
Pontefract Hospital
Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will investigate the complaints made by families of patients who have attended the hospital alleging a fall in standards of the elderly care unit in the Pontefract hospital ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) how many written complaints have been made to authorities about changes in standards at the elderly care unit in Pontefract hospital ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) if he has received any representation about changes in the standards of the support services in the elderly care unit of Pontefract hospital ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : The DHA follows up all complaints (figures in the table show complaints and letters of appreciation). An unusually high figure for January to March this year led to individual discussions with complainants and the CHC secretary. As a result of this local managers have taken action to remedy immediate problems (for example over linen supply) and to improve staff training and counselling. I am sure the DHA will ensure that the appreciation of the services in this unit is matched by high quality care.
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Category of elderly
complaints
|Total elderly complaints|Clinical |Nursing |Support services |Other |Letters of Appreciation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1989<1> |12 |- |7 |2 |3 |<2>162
1988 |6 |1 |4 |1 |- |557
1987 |8 |2 |5 |3 |- |519
1986 |6 |4 |1 |4 |- |159
1985 |10 |2 |6 |5 |- |<3>-
<1> January to March.
<2> First quarter.
<3> Not collected.
Remanded Juveniles
Mr. Michael Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he is giving any consideration to funding secure accommodation for remanded juveniles from Doncaster and neighbouring areas awaiting a court appearance who, because of their behaviour, are unsuitable for living in normal open local authority children's homes.
Mr. Mellor : I have approved a grant in principle, to enable Humberside county council to provide a new 10 place secure unit. This will provide accommodation for remands, and other children, who need this specialised form of care from local authorities in the Yorkshire and Humberside region generally, including Doncaster. I understand tenders have already been sought for the project.
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Westminster and Chelsea Teaching Hospital
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) why no provision is made in table 4 of the Supply Estimates for class XIV, vote 1, for the costs of constructing the new Westminster and Chelsea teaching hospital ;
(2) what resources have been allocated in the next three financial years for construction of the new Westminster and Chelsea teaching hospital.
Mr. Freeman [holding answer 25 April 1989] : Provision for estimated expenditure on the Westminster and Chelsea hospital is contained within the total sum analysed in table 4. As a result of an administrative error the scheme is not, however, separately identified. I apologise for the omission. The information requested, set out in the form in which it would otherwise have appeared in the Supply Estimate, is given in the table.
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Westminster and Chelsea hospital
Timetable
--------------------------------------------------------
Year of start |1989-90
Estimated year of completion:
Original |1992-93
Current |1992-93
Estimated total cost:
Original |£116,070
Current |£116,070
Probable spend to 31 March 1989 |£9,832
Estimates provision 1989-90 |£22,246
Estimated spend after 31 March 1989 |£83,992
Spectacles and Dental Treatment
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will now make a statement on the arrangements which have been made to reimburse those people who may have been required to pay too much for spectacles or dental treatment as a result of incorrect instructions having been issued to the staff in the agency benefits unit.
Mr. Freeman [holding answer 2 May 1989] : Starting in the week beginning 15 May, the agency benefits unit of the Department of Social Security will reassess claims from those who, between 11 April and 4 November 1988, were assessed as having to make a contribution towards relevant costs and had non-dependents living with them. Where the reassessment shows entitlement to more help, the unit will send claimants a special claim form which will ask for details of charges paid and other relevant costs incurred. Where people paid too much it will be refunded.
A special arrangement for optical vouchers is necessary to avoid disproportionate administrative costs. Those who obtained glasses will be paid the difference between the mistakenly assessed contribution and the correct one. This will mean that everyone will get at least their proper entitlement or--generally in the case of the cheaper lens prescriptions-- more than that.
Child Minders
Mrs. Maureen Hicks : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Nurseries and Childminders Act 1948 for all child minders to be officially registered.
Mr. Mellor [holding answer 12 May 1989] : Local authority social services departments are responsible for enforcing the registration requirements in the Nurseries and Childminders Regulation Act 1948 (as amended) and they have power to prosecute offenders.
The Government have undertaken to update the 1948 Act by introducing amendments to the Children Bill at present being considered by a Standing Committee of the House.
Publicity
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library details of each major publicity campaign mounted by his Department in 1985-86 and
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each successive year, including in each case the objectives of the campaign, the intended audience and the outcome of the monitoring of the achievement of the intended objectives, and national research conducted for him by the Central Office of Information together with a note of the intended objectives in the campaigns in 1989-90.Mr. Mellor [holding answer 2 May 1989] : The following is a list of major publicity campaigns mounted by my Department where expenditure has exceeded £0.5 million in any financial year over the period 1985-86 to 1988-89 :
Campaign |Objectives |Audience
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aids |To provide information |The general public
|on the means of
|transmission of and
|prevent the spread of
|HIV infection
Drug misuse |To provide information |The general public
|on the risks of and
|reduce the incidence of
|drug misuse
Nurse recruitment |To improve recruitment |Potential recruits and former NHS employees
|and retention of trainee
|and qualified nurses to
|meet the future needs of
|the NHS
Information on the outcome of monitoring and the achievement of objectives is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Research conducted by the Central Office of Information on major
campaigns over the financial years 1985-86 to 1988-89 is as follows:
Subject and Title |Date |Cost
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AIDS
Creative pre testing |August 1985 |49,525
Survey RS 85/86 |October 1985 |543
Campaign evaluation |January 1986 |126,351
Communication ball test |March 1986 |26,657
Moralists/trialists |March 1986 |2,990
Omnibus check |March 1986 |7,059
Youth campaign development |August 1986 |21,390
Leaflet research |August 1986 |23,920
Youth tracking study 86 |August 1986 |57,328
Leaflet post evaluation |September 1986 |64,055
Adults qualitative |November 1986 |18,504
New campaign-dipstick |November 1986 |69,089
Attitudes to condoms quality
research |February 1987 |31,050
Ethnic attitudes |February 1987 |8,740
Antibody test leaflet |February 1987 |13,513
Media coverage |March 1987 |33,976
AIDS/anti drugs research |March 1987 |37,088
Sexual behaviour/holiday abroad |March 1987 |14,433
Attitudes of West Indians |April 1987 |80,500
AIDS/Drugs D/Head creative
concepts summary |May 1987 |27,370
AIDS/Drugs 87/88 quality
evaluation |September 1987 |55,050
Drugs
Anti-heroin finished ads. |April 1985 |14,331
Qualitative heroin dipstick |November 1985 |32,318
Heroin 86-87 creative development |February 1986 |19,435
Heroin evaluation STG III |February 1986 |30,544
Anti heroin double head
communication CH |April 1986 |20,183
Heroin evaluation STG IV |June 1986 |37,548
87 campaign target met research |November 1986 |31,223
Heroin evaluation STG V |January 1987 |35,420
Campaign evaluation |August 1987 |37,914
Anti injection 88 |May 1988 |40,940
Creative development STG 88/89 |September 1988 |28,520
Creative development STG III |November 1988 |17,342
Camp evaluation; stage VII |December 1988 |44,647
Camp 88/89 qualitative |December 1988 |42,182
Nursing
Recruitment qualitative camp
June 1985 |25,588
Recruitment check |June 1986 |16,129
Recruitment strategic research |June 1987 |26,847
Recruitment communication check
88 |May 1988 |24,895
Recruitment campaign evaluation 88 |July 1988 |28,750
Recruitment tracking 88 |August 1988 |36,855
Recruitment phone response |September 1988 |7,388
Recruitment addline analysis |October 1988 |5,353
Back to nursing research |February 1989 |27,198
Youth concept research |March 1989 |14,634
Male nurse recruitment |March 1989 |22,954
The campaigns for 1989-90 have still to be finalised but are likely to include drug misuse and nurse recruitment.
NATIONAL FINANCE
EC (Contributions)
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing the net contribution made by the United Kingdom to the EEC in each year of membership, adjusted to take into account rebates and refund.
Mr. Brooke : The information requested is set out in the table :
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£ millions
Year |Net contribution before|Negotiated refunds |VAT abatements |Net contribution after
|refunds and VAT |refunds and abatements
|abatements
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1973 |102 |- |- |102
1974 |29 |- |- |29
1975 |-56 |- |- |-56
1976 |167 |- |- |167
1977 |369 |- |- |369
1978 |822 |- |- |822
1979 |947 |- |- |947
1980 |804 |98 |- |706
1981 |1,090 |693 |- |397
1982 |1,625 |1,019 |- |606
1983 |1,454 |807 |- |647
1984 |1,184 |528 |- |656
1985 |2,035 |61 |166 |1,808
1986 |2,273 |- |1,701 |572
1987 |2,866 |- |1,153 |1,713
1988 |2,956 |- |1,594 |1,362
EMPLOYMENT
Wages Councils
7. Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many representations he has received in favour of the retention of wages councils.
Mr. Nicholls : We have received about 360 representations in favour of retaining wages councils, including those referred to by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Kent (Mr. Rowe) on 21 March, at columns 555-56.
68. Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received on the Government's proposed abolition of the wages councils ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : I refer the hon. Member to the replies given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Kent on 21 March, Official Report, columns 555-56, and to the hon. Member for Oldham, West on 23 March, Official Report, columns 798-802. Since those replies about 50 further representations have been received.
Column 158
31. Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received from British managers in respect of his plans to abolish wages councils.
Mr. Nicholls : It is not this Department's practice to reveal the content of representations made by either individuals or organisations. I would refer the hon. Member to the replies given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Kent (Mr. Rowe) on 21 March, Official Report, columns 555-56 and to the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Meacher) on 23 March, Official Report, columns 798-802.
21. Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what protection will be offered to the low-paid after the abolition of the wages councils.
Mr. Nicholls : The future of the wages councils has yet to be decided. However, the best protection for any worker is the removal of mechanisms and practices which may threaten his continued employment or prevent his initial recruitment.
Enterprise Allowance Scheme
15. Miss Widdecombe : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the progress of the enterprise allowance scheme.
Column 159
Mr. Cope : 430,000 people have started their own business under the enterprise allowance scheme since it began in 1982. Some 87,000 people are currently in receipt of the allowance.
Self-employment
17. Mr. Ashby : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of people currently self-employed in the east midlands.
Mr. Cope : In December 1988 there were 205,000 self-employed people in the east midlands, an increase of 27,000 over the previous two years.
43. Mr. Harris : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of people currently self-employed in the south-west.
Mr. Lee : In December 1988, the latest date for which figures are available, there were an estimated 302,000 self-employed in the south-west region. This represents an increase of 35,000 or 13 per cent. since December 1986.
Column 160
39. Dr. Goodson-Wickes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were self-employed in (a) March 1983 and (b) March 1989 ; and if he will make a statement.
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