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Mr. Douglas Hogg : Proposals to improve working conditions for staff in existing establishments are


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considered on an individual basis according to the needs of the establishment and competing demands on the building programme. The improved provision which is to be made for administrative staff in new training prisons is described in the prison design brief which was published in March, 1989. Copies have been placed in the Library. Work is in hand on the adaptation of the brief to the requirements of local, female and young offender establishments.

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many administrative staff are employed in Her Majesty's prisons in England and Wales.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : On 1 May, there were 1,942 members of the administrative group (including part-time staff) employed in prison service out-stations.

Her Majesty's Prison, Leicester

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the use and cost effectiveness of agency staff in the hospital wing of Her Majesty's prison, Leicester.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : Nurses employed by agencies have been used at Leicester prison from time to time to meet short-term needs. The director of prison medical services considers this to be a medically and financially acceptable means of filling temporary gaps in health care services.

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the introduction of female prison officers at Her Majesty's prison, Leicester.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : Four female officers have now been posted to Leicester. In the governor's view they have settled in well and are making a useful contribution to the work of the establishment.

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why certain petitions from Her Majesty's prison, Leicester to his Department have not been acknowledged, and others have remained unanswered ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : All petitions addressed to the Secretary of State received from prisoners at Leicester and which were handed in prior to 2 April have either been acknowledged or a reply has been sent. All petitions received since that date have been acknowledged. As a local prison, Leicester has a rapid turnover of inmates. Most of the men whose petitions were recorded as outstanding in the Leicester petitions register have been transferred, and replies have been sent to their current establishment. Arrangements are being made to bring Leicester's records up to date.

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are being taken to end the overcrowding of Her Majesty's prison, Leicester.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : Her Majesty's prison, Leicester, in common with other overcrowded local prisons, will benefit from the delivery of substantial numbers of places under the prison building programme. The greatest measure of relief will be provided by the opening of a new local prison at Milton Keynes in 1992.

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are taken to put non-smoking prisoners in cells with other non- smokers if they so wish at Her Majesty's prison, Leicester.


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Mr. Douglas Hogg : Arrangements are made, as far as is practicable, to meet requests from inmates who ask to be located with other non-smokers in circumstances where they are required to share a cell with others.

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to increase the availability of workshops for prisoners in Her Majesty's prison, Leicester.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : There are no plans to increase the number of workshop places at Leicester but efforts are continuing to ensure the full utilisation of existing places.

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why modernisation of the kitchen at Her Majesty's prison, Leicester is behind schedule.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : A new kitchen was to have been provided at Her Majesty's prison Leicester by late 1994. Design work on this scheme has however recently been suspended, as part of an effort to focus resources on schemes in the prison building programme which are either under way, or where work has to start on site in the next two financial years.

Alcoholic Prisoners

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what help has been given to alcoholic prisoners since the pre-release scheme was abolished.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : I am not aware of the pre-release scheme to which the hon. Member refers.

The number of pre-release courses, which will often include advice on the dangers of alcohol abuse, is increasing steadily. It has long been the prison department's policy to seek to educate prisoners about these dangers. In addition, there is now a branch of Alcoholics Anonymous within most adult establishments, and prisoners nearing the end of their sentence can be put in touch with the local Alcoholics Anonymous group near their home address should they wish to take advantage of the counselling service provided.

Eames Report

Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make available the Eames report into suicides in Armley prison, Leeds, to the prison officers' representatives on the Whitley council negotiating body.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : No, but the trade union side on the departmental Whitley council has been made aware of its main conclusions and recommendations.

Police Vehicles

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has plans to streamline police vehicle fleet management as set out in the third police paper "A Report by the Audit Commission".

Mr. Douglas Hogg : It is for individual chief officers and their police authorities to determine how best to manage their vehicle fleets. I understand that forces are now reviewing their arrangements in the light of the Audit Commission report. Her Majesty's inspectorate of


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constabulary will be examining these arrangements in the course of their annual inspection. The Home Office intends to issue guidance to forces on best practice.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

Disaster and Refugee Units

Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff have been employed in each year since 1979 by the disaster and refugee units of the Overseas Development Administration.

Mr. Chris Patten : The information is as follows :


Year             |Disaster unit<1>|Refugee unit<2>                  

--------------------------------------------------------------------

1980             |4.0             |-                                

1981             |3.0             |-                                

1982             |3.0             |-                                

1983             |3.0             |-                                

1984             |2.5             |2.5                              

1985             |2.5             |2.5                              

1986             |2.5             |2.5                              

1987             |2.5             |2.5                              

1988             |2.5             |2.5                              

1989             |2.5             |2.5                              

<1> Temporary additional staff are assigned to the disaster unit    

during major and prolonged disasters.                               

<2> The refugee unit was set up in 1984.                            

The total number of permanent posts in the disaster and refugee units will shortly increase from five to seven.

Disaster Relief

Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place between the Overseas Development Administration and non-Government agencies concerned with arrangements for disaster relief since the time of the Armenian earthquake ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chris Patten : Regular meetings, some of which I chair, are held between the Overseas Development Administration and those non-Government organisations concerned with providing disaster and refugee relief. I am planning a review of disaster relief arrangements with non-Government organisations before the summer.

Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the progress that has been made by the United Nations disaster relief organisation in drawing up a register of the assistance available by donor nations to countries facing major disasters.

Mr. Chris Patten : United Nations disaster relief organisation is in the process of drawing up such a register and I understand is in contact with donor Governments.

Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has any plans to provide further assistance to the United Nations disaster relief organisation in order to improve its effectiveness.

Mr. Chris Patten : We have already provided financial assistance to United Nations disaster relief organisation for its important disaster prevention and preparedness


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activities. I am planning to increase this assistance in the context of the forthcoming United Nations international decade for natural disaster reduction.

Renewable Energy

Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to assist developing countries in the development of renewable energy sources ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chris Patten : Over the last decade the Overseas Development Administration has promoted the use of renewable energy sources in developing countries through funding research and development for a wide range of technologies, including efficient wood-fuelled cooking stoves, efficient charcoal manufacture, biogas production, windpumps, microhydro turbines, solar crop drying and the use of waste materials for process heating.

Aid funds have also been used to implement projects aimed at utilising geothermal energy, wind-powered electricity generation, and solar-powered water pumping. They have also been used to help finance the manufacture of efficient wood-fuelled stoves, as well as for building and rehabilitating substantial hydropower installations. We continue to seek ways of helping to carry forward developments in renewable energy which carry real promise of being effective.

Energy Conservation

Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to assist developing countries with measures for energy conservation ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chris Patten : Through our aid programmes we have been assisting developing countries for some years with measures aimed at improving the efficiency of their energy sectors. The provision of British equipment, skills and training has been financed to improve generating efficiency, reduce transmission losses and improve distribution networks. In conjunction with other donors we have also encouraged Governments to adopt appropriate pricing policies for power to ensure that it is used effectively and economically. Against the background of our environmental concerns, we shall continue to give high priority to this kind of assistance in the energy sector.

Mozambique

Sir John Farr : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current situation relating to the development by the Commonwealth Development Corporation of schemes in Mozambique ; and if he will give details of proposals relating to their financing.

Mr. Chris Patten : I authorised the Commonwealth Development Corporation to operate in Mozambique in November 1987.

The CDC is discussing a draft operating conditions agreement with the Government of the People's Republic of Mozambique which we hope will be signed shortly. The CDC are investigating a number of investment possibilities including projects for the development of tea, sugar, forestry, cashew nuts and citrus.


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Fiji

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what amount of grant aid has been allocated to Fiji by Her Majesty's Government ; and if he will list it by category.

Mr. Chris Patten : The latest provisional figure for our bilateral aid to Fiji is £1,595,000 in 1988. £39,000 of this total represents expenditure under grant financial aid agreed in 1981. About £1,555, 000 was spent on technical co-operation (the provision of expert manpower and advice from the United Kingdom and the training of Fijians). I envisage that technical co-operation will continue at around this level. These figures exclude expenditure by the Commonwealth Development Corporation.

CIVIL SERVICE

Civil Service College

Mr. Baldry : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what progress has been made towards establishing the Civil Service college as an executive agency.

Mr. Luce : I am pleased to announce that the Civil Service college will today become an executive agency of the Cabinet Office (OMCS). The college is the chief central provider of training for civil servants. It charges for its courses and government departments are free to go elsewhere. Agency status will add to the managerial freedoms which the college has enjoyed for some time and will enable it to compete more effectively for its business. It will provide a sharper focus for the college's operations and a clearer relationship with my Department. I have set demanding targets against which its performance will be measured in future. Copies of the framework document are being placed in the Library of the House.

EMPLOYMENT

Departmental Staff (Relocation)

Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has any plans to relocate staff of his Department to Runcorn ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Cope : The Employment Department, in common with other Departments, has been conducting a study into the potential for moving posts out of London and the south east. The study is nearing completion and we expect to announce its conclusions and our decisions to the House shortly. At present 27 per cent. of Employment Department head office staff are located in Runcorn.

Strikes (Statistics)

Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has as to the number of strike days lost per 100,000 workers for each year since 1975 in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) France, (c) West Germany, (d) Italy, (e) the EEC average, (f) the United States of America, (g) Sweden and (h) Japan.

Mr. Nicholls : The available information for the years 1977 to 1986 is given in the article "International


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comparisons of industrial stoppages for 1986" published in the Employment Gazette , June 1988, page 335, a copy of which is in the Library. This article also gives a description of the different coverage of the statistics in the various countries. For the data for 1987, the latest available, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Pembroke (Mr. Bennett) on 4 May 1989, Official Report , column 241 . Figures for 1975 and 1976 are given in the article "International comparisons of industrial stoppages for 1984" published in the Employment Gazette , July 1986, page 266, a copy of which is in the Library.

EEC average figures would not be meaningful because of the wide variation in the coverage of the industrial dispute figures in member states.

International Agreements (ILO)

Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list all the occasions on which Britain has been found guilty of breaking international agreements by the United Nations International Labour Organisation.

Mr. Cope : The Government are convinced that United Kingdom law and practice fully conform with ILO obligations.

Construction Industry Training Board

Mr. Heddle : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the outcome of his meeting with the chairman of the construction industry training board in early April.

Mr. Nicholls : I am holding a series of meetings with the chairman of the construction industry training board to discuss plans for training within the construction industry as envisaged in the White Paper, "Employment for the 1990s" (cmd 540).

I have asked the chairman to put forward proposals agreed by the industry for future training arrangements.

Unemployment Benefit

Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment in the last year for which figures are available how many people in the Chesterfield area have had their unemployment benefit payment reduced ; by what average amount ; and for what average period.

Mr. Lee : No figures are kept on the number of people who have their unemployment benefit payments reduced.

Listening Devices

Mr. Cran : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether electronic surveillance listening devices are used by his Department or by any organisation or agency acting on its behalf ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Cope : No electronic surveillance listening devices are used by the Department of Employment or by any organisations or agency acting on its behalf.

Disablement Advisory Service

Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people the Disablement Advisory Service employs ; and if he will make a statement.


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Mr. Lee : There were 190 Disablement Advisory Service (DAS) staff in post on 31 March 1989. I believe that the Disablement Advisory Service performs an invaluable role in encouraging and assisting employers to apply good policies and practices in the employment of people with disabilities.

Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how the Disablement Advisory Service is resourced ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lee : The Disablement Advisory Service consists of specially trained employment service staff. They are organised in 68 teams, covering all parts of the country, and can be contacted through local jobcentres. For very large employing organisations, there is a special head office advisory service, the major organisations development unit, based in London, but available nationwide.

Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if the Disablement Advisory Service distributes leaflets concerning its activities to general practitioners' surgeries ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lee : No. The Disablement Advisory Service's main role is to help employers to adopt and implement good policies and practices in the employment of people with disabilities. It is not directed towards general practitioners or their patients. A new booklet, "Job Hunting for People with Disabilities", appropriate to disabled jobseekers and their advisers, will be issued shortly for distribution to local points of contact, including surgeries, at disablement resettlement officers' discretion.

Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if there are any plans to expand the Disablement Advisory Service's activities ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lee : There are no current plans to expand the Disablement Advisory Service's (DAS) activities. However, DAS activities are being considered as part of my Department's internal review of its policies and services for people with disabilities.

Non-EEC Workers

Mr. Gregory : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take action against the restaurant chain Garfunkels over the employment of illegal non-EEC workers ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Renton : I have been asked to reply.

Action has been taken in the past to deal with illegal entrants and other immigration offenders employed by the restaurant chain Garfunkels. However, there was insufficient evidence available to act against their employer. I will, of course, consider any such evidence which my hon. Friend may wish to provide.

Labour Statistics

Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many new jobs have been created since May 1979.

Mr. Lee : There are no figures for job gains and job losses. Between June 1979 (there are no estimates for May) and December 1988, the latest date for which figures are


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available, there was a net increase of 1,148,000 in the work force in employment in the United Kingdom. The figures have been adjusted for the effects of seasonal variation. The work force in employment is the sum of employees in employment, the self- employed, Her Majesty's forces and participants in work-related Government training programmes.

Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what estimates he has of the average number of people employed by companies with turnovers of (a) less than £250,000, (b) £250,000 to £500,000, (c) £500,000 to £1,000,000, (d) £1,000,000 to £2,000, 000, (e) £2,000,000 to £5,000,000 and (f) £5,000,000 and above.

Mr. Cope : The information requested is not available. The Department's employment estimates are taken from short term surveys and censuses of employment which do not relate employee numbers to company turnover.


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Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many (a) part-time and (b) temporary employees there were in the Leeds metropolitan district for each of the years 1979 to 1989 shown by (i) gender and (ii) as a percentage of all employees (1) in manufacturing industries (2) in the service sector ;

(2) how many employees were in employment in manufacturing in the Leeds metropolitan district in each of the years 1979 to 1989 ; (3) how many manufacturing and non-manufacturing employees there were in employment in the Leeds metropolitan district for each of the years 1979 to 1989.

Mr. Lee : The available employee estimates for the area are from censuses of employment taken in September 1981 and September 1984 and are given in the table. More up-to-date employee estimates for local areas, from the September 1987 census of employment, will become available later this year.


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Employees in employment<1> in the Leeds metropolitan district<2>                                                                         

Standard Industrial           Division of SIC   September 1981                      September 1984                                       

Classification (SIC)                                                                                                                     

1980                                                                                                                                     

                                               |Number (thousand)|Per cent.        |Number (thousand)|Per cent.                          

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Manufacturing industries     |2-4              |85.5             |100.0            |71.8             |100.0                              

of which:                                                                                                                                

  Male part-time             |-                |0.9              |1.0              |0.7              |1.0                                

  Female part-time           |-                |5.5              |6.5              |4.3              |6.0                                

                                                                                                                                         

Service industries           |6-9              |187.4            |100.0            |196.1            |100.0                              

of which:                                                                                                                                

  Male part-time             |-                |7.7              |4.1              |9.4              |4.8                                

  Female part-time           |-                |47.0             |25.1             |49.8             |25.4                               

                                                                                                                                         

Non-manufacturing industries |0,1, 5-9         |216.3            |-                |223.0            |-                                  

                                                                                                                                         

All industries and services  |0-9              |301.7            |-                |294.7            |-                                  

<1> Excludes the self-employed and members of Her Majesty's forces; employees in temporary employment are included but are not           

separately identified; part-time workers are defined as those working not more than 30 hours a week.                                     

<2> The district is defined in terms of ward boundaries as at 1981.                                                                      

Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were self-employed in the Leeds metropolitan district for each of the years 1979 to 1989.

Mr. Lee : The information is available only for Census Day in April 1981. In the census returns 24,601 people living in the Leeds district said that they were self-employed.


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This information is available in the Library.

Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the unemployment rates by highest qualification held for men and women in each of the standard regions and for Wales for each of the years 1983 to 1988.

Mr. Lee [holding answer 19 May 1989] : Estimates from labour force surveys are as shown in the following table :


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Unemployment rates for persons of working age<2> by highest qualification and region                                                                                                                                                                                               

                             1983                                  1984                                  1985                                  1986                                  1987                                  1988<3>                                                 

                            |Men               |Women             |Men               |Women             |Men               |Women             |Men               |Women             |Men               |Women             |Men               |Women                                

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Northern region                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

A' level or higher          |10.1              |<1>-              |10.9              |10.3              |11.3              |9.3               |10.0              |8.9               |9.1               |<1>-              |9.1               |<1>-                                 

O' level or equivalent      |15.7              |12.8              |17.8              |10.8              |14.2              |11.3              |16.2              |13.1              |11.8              |12.5              |<1>-              |10.9                                 

Below O' level              |24.3              |15.4              |19.6              |28.1              |23.8              |18.2              |20.5              |<1>-              |28.7              |16.6              |16.9              |16.2                                 

No qualification            |22.5              |11.5              |24.6              |15.0              |21.5              |13.2              |23.9              |13.3              |21.1              |11.9              |26.0              |14.5                                 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Yorks and Humberside region                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

A' level or higher          |8.3               |7.2               |7.1               |9.0               |7.0               |7.9               |7.5               |6.7               |6.8               |5.1               |6.1               |8.5                                  

O' level or equivalent      |11.4              |11.3              |13.4              |11.5              |14.0              |11.0              |11.9              |9.4               |9.4               |10.3              |9.2               |8.1                                  

Below O' level              |18.9              |14.2              |17.3              |15.3              |15.1              |13.6              |17.8              |16.8              |15.6              |11.0              |14.6              |<1>-                                 

No qualification            |18.8              |10.9              |17.4              |11.8              |19.9              |12.2              |18.2              |11.4              |21.5              |11.8              |20.4              |11.8                                 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

East Midlands region                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

A' level or higher          |5.4               |<1>-              |4.8               |<1>-              |5.7               |6.9               |6.1               |7.6               |6.0               |6.1               |3.6               |6.3                                  

O' level or equivalent      |<1>-              |10.2              |11.2              |9.8               |<1>-              |6.4               |10.1              |8.9               |9.6               |7.9               |<1>-              |9.2                                  

Below O' level              |12.9              |<1>-              |15.7              |13.5              |16.1              |13.0              |12.7              |14.6              |9.9               |11.2              |11.3              |<1>-                                 

No qualification            |12.3              |10.1              |15.0              |10.0              |15.5              |11.9              |13.5              |9.8               |17.2              |13.5              |13.1              |8.4                                  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

East Anglia region                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

A' level or higher          |6.3               |<1>-              |4.6               |<1>-              |4.5               |<1>-              |4.5               |<1>-              |6.2               |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-                                 

O' level or equivalent      |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-                                 

Below O' level              |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-              |<1>-                                 

No qualification            |12.4              |8.2               |9.3               |7.8               |10.4              |11.8              |10.3              |9.6               |8.7               |10.9              |6.2               |7.0                                  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

South East region                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

A' level or higher          |5.3               |6.9               |4.8               |6.9               |4.6               |6.9               |5.1               |7.1               |5.2               |6.0               |3.2               |4.5                                  

O' level or equivalent      |8.5               |7.4               |7.0               |7.9               |6.8               |6.7               |7.3               |7.8               |6.0               |7.5               |5.0               |5.2                                  

Below O' level              |11.9              |11.4              |11.4              |10.3              |11.8              |11.3              |11.2              |9.9               |8.4               |8.5               |6.6               |7.8                                  

No qualification            |12.4              |9.6               |12.6              |10.0              |12.3              |9.9               |13.5              |9.5               |13.1              |8.9               |10.7              |8.2                                  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Greater London              |A' level or higher|6.6               |6.8               |5.9               |7.7               |5.3               |7.0               |7.1               |8.1               |6.6               |6.0               |4.5                                  

O' level or equivalent      |10.0              |8.3               |8.1               |9.3               |8.3               |8.0               |9.2               |8.1               |8.6               |8.0               |6.8               |5.3                                  

Below O' level              |11.9              |11.9              |12.4              |13.0              |14.1              |13.3              |14.4              |11.3              |9.6               |7.5               |8.2               |9.6                                  

No qualification            |14.3              |10.0              |14.7              |12.3              |14.8              |12.4              |16.5              |11.4              |16.7              |9.6               |15.4              |10.7                                 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

South West region                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

A' level or higher          |6.0               |6.7               |5.2               |8.7               |5.0               |6.7               |5.7               |7.6               |4.6               |6.8               |3.8               |3.9                                  

O' level or equivalent      |9.1               |8.0               |8.6               |9.1               |<1>               |9.2               |8.8               |7.8               |6.2               |9.9               |5.6               |7.1                                  

Below O' level              |10.9              |13.6              |14.2              |11.4              |12.4              |9.2               |10.3              |11.3              |8.7               |9.9               |6.8               |8.1                                  

No qualification            |12.1              |8.9               |11.2              |9.2               |10.4              |8.7               |12.9              |9.1               |14.1              |10.1              |9.2               |9.0                                  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

West Midlands region                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

A' level or higher          |7.7               |7.4               |7.9               |9.7               |6.5               |8.2               |6.0               |7.3               |6.6               |5.2               |4.9               |4.1                                  

O' level or equivalent      |13.0              |12.3              |15.2              |12.4              |13.5              |12.8              |13.3              |10.4              |15.3              |12.9              |7.2               |8.2                                  

Below O' level              |17.7              |17.1              |19.4              |17.8              |21.5              |15.3              |15.6              |16.1              |14.7              |13.2              |10.8              |9.8                                  

No qualification            |21.2              |13.2              |20.4              |11.7              |21.6              |13.9              |18.5              |11.8              |20.5              |11.4              |13.3              |9.8                                  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

North West region                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

A level or higher           |8.7               |7.9               |9.7               |9.1               |8.6               |6.9               |8.0               |8.0               |7.8               |7.4               |6.9               |6.8                                  

O' level or equivalent      |13.8              |11.1              |12.4              |10.5              |12.5              |11.1              |11.7              |12.3              |9.6               |11.0              |8.3               |8.0                                  

Below O' level              |19.8              |14.2              |20.6              |17.5              |18.2              |15.4              |21.5              |18.1              |18.8              |14.4              |14.1              |14.4                                 

No qualification            |21.7              |13.6              |23.9              |14.0              |21.7              |13.7              |22.9              |12.4              |21.1              |15.1              |22.2              |12.9                                 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Wales                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

A level or higher           |10.1              |<1>               |9.3               |10.9              |8.7               |<1>               |8.4               |8.5               |8.4               |8.2               |7.8               |<1>                                  

O' level or equivalent      |15.4              |11.6              |<1>               |12.4              |<1>               |<1>               |13.2              |13.0              |11.2              |10.5              |<1>               |10.2                                 

Below O' level              |16.6              |<1>               |<1>               |<1>               |19.1              |<1>               |28.0              |21.8              |17.6              |<1>               |17.0              |<1>                                  

No qualification            |20.9              |13.3              |20.7              |14.5              |20.2              |14.9              |21.9              |13.5              |21.8              |13.7              |17.1              |14.5                                 

<1> Sample size too small for a reliable estimate.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

<2> Men aged 16-64, women aged 16-59.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

<3> Preliminary results (1988 only).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Source: Labour Force Surveys.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Wages Councils

Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if, pursuant to his reply of 23 May, Official Report , columns 506-7 , he will provide the references to any published evidence from employers in wages council trades that they are more ready to offer young people employment ; if he will place in the Library copies of any written but unpublished evidence available to him ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Nicholls : The evidence consists of comments made by certain organisations in their responses to the consultation document on wages councils and in other correspondence. It is not the Department's practice to ascribe particular comments to individuals or organisations.

Employment Training

Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will consider introducing a gardening and caretaking scheme under employment training.


Column 62

Mr. Nicholls : Training in both gardening and caretaking occupations is already offered under employment training where there is a demand for such training from long-term unemployed people and where there are suitable employment opportunities following training.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Sprint Programme

Mr. Cousins : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proportion of the spending of the EEC Sprint programme was spent in Britain in each year of the programme's existence ; and if he will list the projects and agencies supported by Sprint in Britain since the programme started.

Mr. Forth : The detailed breakdown of funding requested by the hon. Gentleman is unavailable. However, during the 1984-88 Sprint pilot phase, it is possible to attribute at least 2.3 million ecu to United Kingdom beneficiaries out of Sprint funding of 18-63 million ecu.


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