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Endangered Species
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if any requests for assistance have been received from countries attempting to safeguard elephant populations.
Mr. Chris Patten : There have been no recent requests for such assistance ; but we are already actively assisting the Government of Kenya and stand ready to discuss further support for wild life conservation, including the safeguarding of elephant populations, with the Governments concerned.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance is now being given to African countries to combat the poaching of elephants ; and what is his latest information about current levels of the elephant population in Africa.
Mr. Chris Patten : In Kenya we are currently funding a wildlife adviser and two game wardens in the wildlife department as part of our technical co-operation programme with the Government of Kenya. Nineteen lorries for use in anti-poaching activities have also been provided. The possibility of further assistance with the rehabilitation of vehicles, equipment and training for conservation activities is under discussion.
We are also providing assistance for wildlife conservation under the joint funding scheme with British voluntary agencies in Cameroon, Liberia, Zambia and Nepal ; and we are contributing £1 million to the World Wide Fund for Nature to assist the fund in activities to conserve natural resources including wild life.
There are no reliable figures for the current elephant population in Africa. In 1979 the estimated total population was 1.3 million. In the last decade this is thought to have fallen to 750,000 or fewer. According to some estimates the figure lies between 300,000 and 400, 000.
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Non-governmental Organisations
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the official bodies and organisations outside the United Kingdom that make grants to United Kingdom non- governmental organisations engaged in overseas development ; and what was the amount of grant given to each United Kingdom non-governmental organisation by such bodies in the latest year for which figures are available.
Mr. Chris Patten : This information is not available.
Lome IV
Mr. Greg Knight : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made on the negotiations for Lome IV.
Mr. Chris Patten : Work on the renegotiation of Lome IV has continued at official level since the first ACP/EC ministerial negotiating meeting in February. I expect to attend the second ACP/EC ministerial negotiating meeting in Brussels in early June, where I hope further progress will be made.
Bophuthatswana
Mr. Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he plans to offer any assistance by way of education or technical training to Bophuthatswana ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chris Patten : In common with every country except South Africa we do not recognise the "independence" of Bophuthatswana. Our training and scholarships programmes are available to individual applicants from Bophuthatswana as from elsewhere in South Africa.
WALES
Brussels
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many times (a) in the last 12 months and (b) since June 1987 he has visited Brussels ; and what were his discussions ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Walker : I visited Brussels in February 1988 and met Commissioner Varfis to discuss proposals for integrated development operations in Wales.
Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans to visit Brussels on behalf of the Welsh agriculture industry during this Session of Parliament ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Walker : I am ready to go to the Council of Agriculture Ministers should the need arise.
Research and Development
Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the agriculture industry in Wales about the future of research and development in agriculture ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Walker : My noble Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and
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Food has had discussions with various sectors of the farming industry, including the farming unions, about the Government's proposals to withdraw public funding from near market research and development. My officials have also had contacts with the farming unions.Inspectors of Schools
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many of Her Majesty's inspectors practice in Wales ; and how many work in each of the sectors of the education service in Wales.
Mr. Peter Walker : There are currently 56 of Her Majesty's inspectors of schools in Wales. Each Inspector usually operates in a number of the education sectors--primary, secondary, further and higher education- -and is not confined to any one.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he proposes to increase the number of Her Majesty's inspectors in Wales to cope with the operation of the national curriculum ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Walker : The number of inspectors in Wales is kept under review in the light of the demands of the work needing to be done.
Kidney Transplants
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people in Wales await kidney transplants ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : Information on the number of Welsh patients awaiting kidney transplantation at hospitals in England and Wales is not available centrally. However, it is understood that 81 patients are awaiting kidney transplantation at the Welsh regional centre at Cardiff royal infirmary. Consideration will be given to further ways of improving the supply of organs to increase the number of kidney transplants performed each year at the Cardiff centre once the Asscher report on renal services in Wales has been studied in detail and the outcome is known of the Medical Reseach Council funded study of factors determining the supply of cadaver organs for transplantation which is being conducted in Wales.
Welsh Language Teachers
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many qualified teachers of the Welsh language are employed in each of the counties of Wales in both primary and secondary sectors ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Walker : This information is not available in the form requested. However, I am able to provide the following :
QualificQualifi
Welsh heheld by
in primaseconda
|(a)|(b)|(c)
------------------------------
Clwyd |484|681|220
Dyfed |605|922|258
Gwent |39 |75 |34
Gwynedd |626|899|331
Mid Glamorgan |N/A|N/A|246
Powys |104|174|60
South
Glamorgan |138|241|113
West
Glamorgan |342|484|170
<1>As at spring term, 1987.
<2>As at spring term, 1984.
Column (a) Number of post
A-level qualifications held
by teachers with Welsh as the
main or subsidiary subject of
study.
Column (b) Teachers who had
studied Welsh as a first or
second language as a subject
in training.
Column (c) Any post A-level
qualifications held by
teachers with Welsh as the
main or subsidiary subject of
study.
We are currently estimating the number of teachers required to meet the needs of Welsh within the national curriculum.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take special measures to increase the number of teachers of the Welsh language in the local education authorities of Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Walker : Arrangements are already being put in place to facilitate the retraining of teachers to teach Welsh as a second language. Officials are estimating what numbers of teachers of Welsh will be needed and will be consulting with local education authorities.
Higher Education
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many students there were in higher education in Wales in the last year for which figures are available and in each of the establishments ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Walker : The information is given in the following tables :
Number of students enrolled on higher education courses
in Welsh public sector institutions in 1987-88
|Number
-------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd
North East Wales Institute of Higher Education |2,385
Llandtillo Technical College |142
Dyfed
Carmarthenshire College of Technology and Art |326
Pembrokeshire College of Further Education |36
Ceredigion College of further Education |13
College of Librarianship |410
Welsh Agricultural College |81
Trinity College |600
Gwent
Newport College of Further Education |108
Gwent College of Higher Education |3,210
Cross Keys Tertiary College |8
Ebbw Vale College of Further Education |51
Gwynedd
Gwynedd Technical College |167
Normal College of Higher Education |551
Mid Glamorgan
Bridgend College of Technology |134
Pontypridd Technical College |38
Polytechnic of Wales |5,761
South Glamorgan
Welsh College of Music and Drama |305
South Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education |3,387
West Glamorgan
West Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education |2,431
Neath College |57
Afan College |6
|-----
Total, Wales PSHE |20,207
Number of students enrolled on higher education courses
in the university of Wales in 1987-88
|Number
--------------------------------------------------------
University College, Aberystwyth |3,492
University College of North Wales, Bangor |3,199
University College, Cardiff |6,356
University College, Swansea |5,082
University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology
St. David's University College, Lempeter |769
University of Wales College of Medicine |972
|-----
Total, Wales |22,886
The total number of students in higher education in Wales has increased by 28 per cent. between 1979-80 and 1987-88. The increase in the university sector has been 10 per cent. an in the public sector 56 per cent. in that period.
Caravan Sites
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he proposes to meet Alyn and Deeside council to discuss its objections to caravan sites under the Caravan Sites Act 1968 ; and if he will make a statement
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will indicate how many protests he has received from residents in (a) Clwyd and (b) Deeside concerning likely caravan sites ; and if he will make a statement
Mr. Grist : I shall write to the hon. Gentleman and place a copy of my reply in the Library of the House.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the number of caravan sites for which he has made orders under section 12 of the Caravan Sites Act 1968 since 1980 in Wales ; and if he will make a statement
Mr. Grist : One district in Wales--Arfon--has been designated under section 12 of the Caravan Sites Act 1968.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he proposes to indicate which caravan sites will be designated in Clwyd ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ian Grist : Under the Caravan Sites Act 1968 it is the duty of county councils in Wales to provide adequate accommodation for gypsies residing in or resorting to their area. Identification of suitable sites in Clwyd is a matter for the county council in consultation with the relevant district councils.
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Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will meet Connah's Quay town council, Shotton county council, Sealand county council, Queensferry county council, Saltney council, Hawarden county council, Kinnerton county council and Penyffordd county council to discuss their concern regarding the potential implementation of the Caravan Sites Act 1968 ; and if he will make a statement.
Church-aided Schools (Capital Projects)
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he proposes to review his Department's policy in respect of funding of capital projects for Church-aided schools ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Walker : No. Voluntary-aided schools remain an important part of total education provision and it remains the Government's policy to grant-aid necessary capital projects at such schools. Resources are targeted to those projects where needs are greatest.
NHS Reform
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will indicate which community health councils in Wales will merge on the proposed reorganisation of the National Health Service in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : The proposal contained in the White Paper is for the establishment of one community health council in each district health authority area in Wales. However, no decisions have yet been taken and a consultation document on the matter will be published in the summer.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the hospitals in Wales which (a) he has earmarked for, (b) he has received representations for or (c) fulfil his criteria for self-governing status ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : Welsh Office officials are engaged in discussions with health authorities officers about the concept of self-governing hospitals. No hospitals have been identified as candidates for self-governing status at this stage.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he proposes to meet the chairmen of family practitioner committees in Wales to discuss the White Paper "Working for Patients" ; (2) when he last met family practitioner committees in Wales to discuss health matters ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : My right hon. Friend met chairmen of family practitioner committees on 15 May to discuss the White Paper "Working for Patients". I meet chairmen from time to time to talk about a range of health matters. The last such meeting was on 11 December 1987.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement concerning the implications of the new general practitioners' contracts for rural practices in Wales.
Mr. Grist : During discussion with representatives of GPs on 4 May a number of modifications to the new GP
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contract were agreed which are of special relevance to rural practices for example the 26-hour rule, payment for minor surgery and the criteria for payment of basic practice allowance. Furthermore, it was agreed that the operation of the rural practice payment scheme should be referred for review to the central advisory committee on that scheme. This agreement makes clear that Health Ministers have taken account of the concerns expressed by the profession not least in respect of rural areas, and implementation of the contract as proposed will be an important step towards achieving our objectives of raising even higher the standard of the family doctor service and the care patients can expect to receive.Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if, in the light of the written representations he has received concerning the National Health Service reform proposals from Alyn and Deeside, he will undertake to meet both the Clwyd area health authority and the Clwyd family practitioner committee ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : I met the chairmen of both Clwyd DHA and FPC in the company of their DHA and FPC chairmen colleagues on 15 May to discuss the NHS review White Paper.
New Roads by New Means"
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the implications for Wales of the consultation paper "New Roads by New Means".
Mr. Peter Walker : The consultation paper has been widely circulated in Wales and I await the comments of interested parties, including the Welsh counties and the local authority associations. An assessment of the implications for Wales of the proposals in the Green Paper will depend on the responses from consultees, including the private sector.
Clinical Waste
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of how safely health authorities in Wales handle and dispose of clinical waste ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : District health authorities in Wales are responsible for the safe handling and disposal of their clinical waste. The criteria for good operational practice were laid down in "The Safe disposal of Clinical Waste" (Health and Safety Commission : Her Majesty's Stationery Office 1982) which was circulated to health authorities in Wales in 1982. A further circular is shortly to be issued reminding authorities of the criteria and seeking confirmation that the guidance is being followed. Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution is not aware of any incidents involving improper disposal in Wales in the last year.
Nursery Education
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the number of nursery school places per 1,000 children in each of the counties of Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Peter Walker : The number of children in each county in nursery school or in a nursery class in a primary school per 1,000 of 3 and 4-year- olds is as follows :
|Number
------------------------------
Clwyd |416
Dyfed |261
Gwent |344
Gwynedd |235
Mid Glamorgan |446
Powys |280
South Glamorgan |302
West Glamorgan |566
Wales |372
As at January 1988.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what measures he will take to increase the number of nursery school places in the local education authorities of Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Walker : It is for individual local education authorities to decide whether they wish to increase the numbers of nursery school places, in the light of local needs and circumstances.
Welsh Water Authority plc
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he proposes to make a statement about the capital structure of WWA plc.
Mr. Grist : Decisions on the capital structure of the successor company will be taken nearer to the date of flotation.
Roads (Expenditure)
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what additional funding is to be made available for roads in Wales in the 1990s in addition to that announced in Roads in Wales, published earlier in the current year.
Mr. Peter Walker : The funding provision up to March 1992 for the programme described in "Roads in Wales 1989" is set out in the public expenditure White Paper (Cm. 617) and in the accompanying Welsh Office commentary. Public expenditure provision is reviewed annually.
Bovine Somatotropin
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many dairy herds in Clwyd are subject to the use of bovine somatotropin ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Walker : Bovine somatotropin is currently under test in a limited number of field trials. Section 118 of the Medicines Act 1968 prohibits the disclosure of information supplied by applicants for product licences and test certificates. It is therefore not possible to divulge the number or the location of the herds involved in the trials.
Midwives
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many midwives there are in Wales ; how many claims for regrading he has received ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Grist : As at 31 March 1989 it is estimated there were 1,368 qualified midwives of all grades in post. Some 1,345 of these posts were regraded under the new clinical grading structure and I have received 10 representations from or on behalf of midwives about the grades they were allocated.
Under the NHS Whitley procedures appeals against gradings are a matter for the health authorities.
Cancer Screening
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans to improve breast cancer screening in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : Breast screening is currently being introduced into the NHS in Wales with the objective of covering the whole of the Principality by 1990. This timetable, which is the same as that for England, is the fastest at which this entirely new service can realistically be implemented in a safe and effective way. A total of £1.8 million has been made available for the service in the current financial year.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans to improve cervical cancer screening in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : Cervical screening is the responsibility of district health authorities. In order further to improve the service a recurring sum of £600,000 has been made available in Wales this financial year in addition to the £800,000 a year which has been allocated to health authorities in previous years.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Advertising
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will provide as much information as possible about his Department's expenditure on commercial television advertising, without breaching commercial confidentiality, over each of the past five years.
Dr. Mawhinney [holding answer 22 May 1989] : The total expenditure on advertising and publicity, including TV advertising in the last five years, is set out in the table :
|£
------------------------------
1984-85 |434,889
1985-86 |617,914
1986-87 |804,638
1987-88 |820,226
1988-89 |1,145,033
|-------
Total |3,822,700
Broadleaved Woodland
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total area of land in Northern Ireland entered into the broadleaved woodland grant scheme between 1985 and 1988 ; and what is the area approved for each of the following operations : (a) thinning, (b) selective felling, (c) clear felling, (d) natural regeneration under 20 years of age, (e) neglected woodland under 20 years of age, (f) restocking by replanting, (g) restocking by natural regeneration and (h) new planting.
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Mr. Viggers [holding answer 23 May 1989] : The total area of land in Northern Ireland approved under the broadleaved woodland grant scheme between 1985 and 1988 was 181.30 hectares.
The areas approved for each of the categories is as follows :
E
|Area
---------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Thinning |Nil
2. Selective felling |Nil
3. Clear felling |Nil
4. Natural regeneration under 20 years |Nil
5. Neglected woodland under 20 years |1.3 hectares
6. Restocking by replanting |Nil
7. Restocking by natural regeneration |4.2 hectares
8. New planting |175.8 hectares
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Electromagnetic Compatibility
Mr. Jack : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the implications of the European Community directive on electromagnetic compatibility ; and how he proposes to draw the attention of the United Kingdom electrical and electronics industry to them.
Mr. Atkins : As part of the Department's single market campaign, we have issued much material drawing industry's attention to the implications of the EMC and other "new approach" directives, and we have consulted companies and trade associations regularly on the negotiations. Now that the directive has been agreed, we shall issue shortly a booklet on its terms, and later this year a consultative document on its implementation.
Industry must prepare itself for the implementation of the directive, and we are planning a major awareness campaign to ensure that companies are aware of the opportunities, as well as the technical requirements. We have already commissioned a study by W. S. Atkins (Management Consultants) on the availability of accredited test facilities, and the results show a considerable shortfall in the capacity which will be needed. The awareness campaign will address this problem.
Director General of Telecommunications (Report)
Mr. Jack : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether his Department has yet received a report by the Director General of Telecommunications for the year 1988, as required under section 55 of the Telecommunications Act 1984.
Mr. Atkins : Yes. The fifth report by the Director General of Telecommunications was published on 23 May. It covers the period 1 January to 31 December 1988. Copies of the report have been laid before each House of Parliament.
Cash Limits
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether any changes will be made to his Department's cash limit and running cost limits for 1989-90.
Mr. Newton : Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary revised estimates, the case limit for class V vote
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2 (support for industry) will be reduced by £1,830,000 from £580, 467,000 to £578,637,000, and the cash limit for class V vote 3 (administration, regulation of domestic trade and industry, and consumer protection) will be reduced by £8,533,000 from £251,763,000 to £243,230,000. The running cost provison for class V vote 3 will also be reduced by £7,930,000 from £185,620,000 to £177,690,000, giving a revised total running cost limit for the Department of £304, 760,000.The decrease in the cash limit for class V vote 2 results from a reduction of £3,175,000 in grant in aid provision for the English Industrial Estates Corporation, reflecting reduced estimates of capital expenditure on the managed workspace programmes. Consequential changes have been made to tables 3 and 4 to reflect this. These tables also reflect matching reductions of £11 million in capital expenditure and receipts which have no effect on the level of grant in aid. The reduction in grant in aid is partially offset by an increase of £1,345,000 in provision to meet the initial United Kingdom contribution to the first account of the common fund. The fund will form part of the framework for international commodity policy agreed by the United Nations conference on trade and development. The necessary resources will be found from the agreed PES provision for overseas aid. Provision for inward investment promotional expenditure is being increased by £526,000, and provision for regional enterprise grants is being reduced by the same amount. The opportunity is also being taken to reallocate provision between the Department's research establishments.
The decrease in the cash limit for class V vote 3 (and the running cost limit) reflects a transfer of provision for the Business Statistics Office and other statistical sections to class XIX vote 18 (Central Statistical Office), in line with the announcement by the Prime Minister on 5 April 1989 (at column 190-191 of the formation of an enlarged Central Statistical Office.
These changes will not add to the planned total of public expenditure.
Post Office
Mr. Andrew Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the Post Office will publish the results from its new end-to -end monitoring system for letter delivery performance.
Mr. Newton : The Post Office, jointly with its users council POUNC, has today published the first results from its new independent end-to-end monitoring system based on the time taken from collection of letters to their actual delivery. Thus performance will now be measured in a way which reflects users' actual experience of the postal system.
The Post Office has also announced, with the endorsement of POUNC, new targets for improving the performance revealed by the figures, and a number of other steps to improve its service, including improved transport arrangements and the provision of better information to households about the best time to post for particular destinations.
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