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Security Forces (Vetting)
24. Mr. Loyden : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will review arrangements for vetting members of the security forces in Northern Ireland.
27. Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures he has taken to improve vetting arrangements for members of the security forces in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Ian Stewart : Vetting arrangements for the RUC and RUC Reserve are the responsibility of the Chief Constable, and those for the remainder of the security forces in Northern Ireland are a matter for the Secretary of State for Defence.
Catholics (Discrimination)
25. Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in reducing discrimination against Catholics in employment since 1979.
Mr. Viggers : Since the introduction of fair employment legislation in 1976 there have been significant increases in the proportion of Catholics employed in various sectors of employment, most notably in the public sector which accounts for 42 per cent. of Northern Ireland's working population. The proportion of Catholics employed in the public sector as a whole is now more closely in line with their representation in the population. Improvement in the position of Catholics elsewhere in employment has however been less marked and it is this problem that the radical and far-reaching legislation now before Parliament is largely designed to address.
Assembly
26. Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he now has any plans to introduce a devolved assembly in Northern Ireland ; and if he has considered the impact of such a proposal.
Mr. Tom King : I have no present plans.
Harland and Wolff Ltd.
28. Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in the disposal of Harland and Wolff Ltd. ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Viggers : Since the signing of the Heads of Agreement on 22 March significant progress has been made in preparation for the formal completion of the sale. Discussions between officials and the MEBO-Olsen team are continuing and officials have submitted the formal notification of the terms of the disposal to the European Commission. Subject to Commission approval and the satisfactory conclusion of other pre-contract conditions and procedures completion is planned for September.
Physically Handicapped School Children
29. Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of provision of boarding facilities for physically handicapped school children in Northern Ireland.
Dr. Mawhinney : Provision of boarding facilities for physically handicapped children at schools in Northern Ireland is a matter for the education and library boards in the first instance. I have not had any proposals from boards for any change in that provision.
Intergovernmental Conference
30. Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was discussed at the last Intergovernmental Conference ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Tom King : The last meeting of the Intergovernmental Conference in Belfast on 24 May completed the review of the working of the conference provided for in article II of the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Copies of the joint statement issued after the conference and the communique on the review were placed in the Library.
Who Framed Colin Wallace"
31. Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the activities of the security services documented in the book "Who Framed Colin Wallace", by Paul Foot.
Planning Procedures
32. Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to give objectors the right of appeal to the Planning Appeals Commission against the granting of planning permission.
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland why the fencing and planting at No. 35 Ballygelagh road in the borough of Ards have not been provided in accordance with the conditions of planning permission ; what proposals the Department of the Environment, planning division, has to ensure the implementation of the planning approval conditions ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 19 June 1989] : The occupier of the new development adjacent to No. 35 Ballygelagh road submitted a planning application on 18
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January 1989 for the retention of the dwelling without compliance with the condition requiring the erection of the screen fence. Since there was no reasonable ground for refusal, planning permission was granted on 23 May 1989.Mental Handicap
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was his Department's participation in the first European national conference for vocational training for mental handicap which took place in Maastricht, Holland, in April ; what lessons have been drawn from this event ; and what efforts are being made to implement the findings of the conference in the Northern Ireland context.
Mr. Viggers : Two officials from the Department of Economic Development attended the conference together with a representative from the Industrial Therapy Organisation in Northern Ireland. The conference provided an opportunity to learn how other countries are dealing with this particular disability group and the experience gained will be valuable in the planning of future provision in Northern Ireland.
Turbines (Rivers)
Mr. McCusker : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if, further to his written answer to the hon. Member for Upper Bann, 25 April, Official Report, column 483, he will list the principal statutory responsibilities of the Northern Ireland Departments of Agriculture, Environment and Economic Development, for installations affecting the flow in a particular water course for water abstractions and for health and safety at work considerations arising from the operation of such turbines.
Mr. Ian Stewart : The information requested is as follows : (i) If the installation of any structure is likely to affect the flow of water in any particular watercourse, the consent of the Department of Agriculture is required in accordance with article 32 and schedule 6 of the Drainage (NI) Order 1973. The Fisheries Act (NI) 1966 contains requirements to provide and maintain fish passes in dams constructed, re-built, reinstated or heightened since 1842 ; and to close mill sluices for 24-hour periods at weekends or when mills are not in use.
(ii) The Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland has power under section 14 of the Water Act (NI) 1972 to make regulations to control the abstraction of water from waterways if it is considered expedient to do so. No such regulations have yet been made.
(iii) Where turbines form part of an undertaking for which the Department of Economic Development is the enforcing authority for health and safety at work legislation, the principal health and safety enactments which apply to the operation of turbines are the Health and Safety at Work (NI) Order 1978 and the Factories Act (NI) 1965.
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Social Security
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many people awarded transitional protection as a result of the implementation of the new social security legislation from 11 April 1988 at each of the social security offices in South Down are no longer entitled to such a payment ; (2) how many people were awarded transitional protection as a result of the implementation of the new social security legislation from 11 April 1988 at each of the social security offices in South Down.
Mr. Needham : This information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Prisoners
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners in Northern Ireland, who were under 20 years of age when convicted, have now served 10 or more years in prison.
Mr. Ian Stewart : Forty-two. Of these, 16 are Secretary of State's pleasure cases. The remaining 26 are life sentence prisoners.
Housing Executive
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table in the Official Report showing the number of persons recruited and employed in the headquarters, and in each regional and district office of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in each of the last two years, broken down as far as possible into the various departments of the organisation, or as much of such information as is available to him.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 20 June 1989] : The information requested in so far as it can be readily provided is set out in the following tables. The figures shown for industrial and non-industrial staff represent permanent staff in post and do not take account of temporary staff as the numbers of such staff could not be disaggregated between various locations except at disproportionate cost. The figures for temporary non-industrial staff at 31 March 1988 and 31 March 1989 were 193 and 145 respectively. The figures for temporary industrial staff at 31 March 1988 and 31 March 1989 were 207 and 487 respectively.
Information on the composition by departments of non-industrial staff at district office level and figures for recruitment of industrial staff cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.
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Table 1: Non industrial staff at headquarters and regions at 31 March 1988 and 31 March 1989
|At 31 March |Housing and planning |Technical services and |Finance |Personnel and management|Information and |Total
|direct labour |services and information|Secretariat
|organisation |technology
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Belfast |1988 |494 |253 |23 |56 |3 |829
|1989 |516 |262 |23 |49 |3 |853
North East |1988 |277 |84 |12 |23 |1 |397
|1989 |281 |91 |11 |19 |1 |403
North West |1988 |278 |95 |9 |25 |2 |409
|1989 |269 |88 |12 |27 |2 |398
South |1988 |258 |97 |13 |28 |2 |398
|1989 |255 |103 |12 |27 |2 |399
South East |1988 |288 |103 |10 |24 |2 |427
|1989 |296 |103 |13 |22 |1 |435
West |1988 |130 |71 |6 |22 |4 |233
|1989 |149 |63 |7 |19 |2 |240
Headquarters |1988 |62 |139 |206 |153 |19 |579
|1989 |53 |118 |205 |165 |19 |560
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total staff in post |1988 |1,787 |842 |279 |331 |33 |3,272
|1989 |1,819 |828 |283 |328 |30 |3,288
Table 2: Non Industrial Staff in Post at Regional and District
Offices at 31 March 1988 and 31 March 1
Region and Regional HeadStaff in Post at
quarters and District
Office
|31 March 1988|31 March 1989
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Belfast
Regional Head quarters |457 |464
Belfast 1 |45 |47
Belfast 2 |54 |55
Belfast 3 |56 |59
Belfast 4 |47 |52
Belfast 5 |52 |52
Belfast 6 |45 |46
Belfast 7 |73 |78
|-- |--
Sub Total |829 |853
North East
Regional Head quarters |164 |165
Antrim |43 |46
Ballycastle |15 |15
Ballymena |41 |41
Ballymoney |22 |23
Carrickfergus |28 |30
Larne |23 |23
Newtownabbey 1 |31 |30
Newtownabbey 2 |30 |30
|-- |--
Sub Total |397 |403
North West
Regional Head quarters |181 |169
Coleraine |41 |41
Limavady |27 |27
Londonderry 1 |38 |40
Londonderry 2 |33 |33
Londonderry 3 |29 |29
Magherafelt |25 |24
Strabane |35 |35
|-- |--
Sub Total |409 |398
South
Regional Head quarters |197 |193
Armagh |29 |32
Banbridge |27 |27
Craigavon |25 |24
Kilkeel |10 |10
Lurgan |27 |27
Newry 1 |30 |32
Newry 2 |28 |29
Portadown |25 |25
|-- |--
Sub Total |398 |399
South East
Regional Head quarters |192 |188
Bangor |35 |36
Castlereagh 1 |27 |27
Castlereagh 2 |21 |21
Lisburn 1 |32 |36
Lisburn 2 |20 |21
Lisburn 3 |20 |21
Newtownards 1 |27 |30
Newtownards 2 |19 |18
Downpatrick |34 |37
|-- |--
Sub Total |427 |435
West
Regional Head quarters |131 |133
Cookstown |20 |20
Dungannon |26 |29
Enniskillen |31 |32
Omagh |25 |26
|-- |--
Sub Total |233 |240
|--- |---
Total |2,693 |2,728
Table 3: Recruitment of non-industrial staff during years 1987-88
and 1988-89
|1987-88|1988-89
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Belfast Regional Office |34 |38
District Offices |8 |33
North East Regional Office |1 |6
District Offices |2 |12
North West Regional Office |3 |9
District Offices |0 |2
West Regional Office |1 |4
District Offices |0 |5
South Regional Office |3 |12
District Offices |1 |6
South East Regional Office |9 |8
District Offices |0 |16
Headquarters (including Linenhall Street and Carlton House) |20 |30
|-- |--
Totals |81 |184
Table 4
Industrial staff in post at Regions and depots at 31 March
1989
Depots |31 March 1988|31 March 1989
--------------------------------------------------------------
West Region
Cookstown |28 |22
Dungannon |40 |35
Eniskillen |37 |33
Omagh |37 |32
|------- |-------
Total |142 |122
South Region
Amargh |39 |39
Banbridge |21 |17
Carn |61 |59
Kilkeel |13 |13
Newry |56 |54
|------- |-------
Total |190 |182
North West
Pennyburn |59 |56
Drumahoe |47 |41
Strabane |42 |40
Coleraine |36 |34
Limavady |19 |14
Castledawson |28 |28
|------- |-------
Total |231 |213
Belfast
Gardiner Street |114 |105
Grosvenor Road |98 |87
Paulette Avenue |85 |85
|------- |-------
Total |297 |277
North East
Ballycastle |11 |13
Ballyclare |31 |44
Ballymena |37 |52
Ballymoney |26 |27
|------- |-------
Total |105 |136
Grounds
Maintenance
Staff
Belfast |33 |27
South East |29 |29
North East |32 |28
South |28 |28
West |29 |29
North West |37 |36
|------- |-------
Total |188 |177
Ancilliary Staff
Housing centre |51 |42
Belfast |96 |92
South East |28 |30
North East |32 |30
South |31 |31
West |16 |17
North West |34 |30
|------- |-------
Total |288 |272
|------- |-------
Total staff in post |1,441 |1,379
Column 233
Population Statistics
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are his Department's estimates for the numbers of people aged 65 to 74 years, 75 to 79 years, and over 80 years in Northern Ireland in the years 2000 and 2020 ; and what percentage increase this represents in each category over the actual figures for the last year in which they are available.
Column 234
Mr. Needham [holding answer 19 June 1989] : The information requested is as follows :
Age groups |1988 Mid-year estimates|Year 2000 |Percentage change |Year 2020 |Percentage change ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 65-74 |113,000 |110,000 |- 2.7 |135,000 |+19.5 75-79 |41,000 |41,000 |0.0 |46,000 |+12.2 80 and over 39,000 47,000 +20.5 54,000 +38.5
EMPLOYMENT
Tourist Industry
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will now publish the report of the review committee into the tourist industry which he established in July 1988.
Mr. Lee : I have no plans to publish the report.
Employment Training
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report (a) the number of ET starts (b) the number of people who have left the scheme and finished their courses, (c) the number and percentage of those leaving and finishing who obtained a nationally recognisable qualification and (d) the qualifications obtained for the latest available date.
Mr. Nicholls : To 9 June, the latest date for which information is available, 317,800 people had started on employment training. Information broken down as requested about trainees who have left the programme is not available.
Training
Mr. Clelland : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the sources for the figures for the number of single parents on employment training schemes at December 1988, given by his Department to the Gateshead metropolitan borough council's special programmes committee on 25 January.
Mr. Nicholls : [holding answer 15 May 1989] : The information provided to the special programmes committee of the Gateshead metropolitan borough council about the number of single parents joining employment training was provided by the Department's officials from the normal management information system. It relates only to those people who entered the programme under the special arrangements for lone parents in receipt of income support on an order book through the Department of Social Security. In addition, lone parents may enter under other eligibility conditions, including the main one of being unemployed for six months or more.
The information I provided on 7 April about single parents on employment training to the hon. Member in my reply to his previous question is correct ; there is no information presently available about the total number of single parents on the programme.
Column 235
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
China
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the application for asylum by a member of the Chinese educational mission in Middlesex.
Mr. Renton : I have been asked to reply. An official of the Chinese embassy walked into Ealing police station on 11 June and asked for political asylum. The application is under consideration.
WALES
Derelict Land (Shotton)
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will call a conference on Clwyd county council, Alyn and Deeside council and Deeside town and community councils with a view to discussing how 7,000 new jobs might be created on the derelict industrial land adjacent to Shotton steelworks ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Walker : Clwyd has clearly benefited from the success of the Government's policies to revitalise industrial and economic performance in Wales. Unemployment in the county has fallen by 4,860 in the last 12 months. Regional aid approvals since January 1988 are associated with capital investment of £590 million, including £200 million inward investment, forecasting some 11,300 new jobs. I am confident that this progress will be maintained and I see no reason to convene a meeting along the lines proposed.
Broadcasting
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many times he has had formal talks with the chairman of the Welsh Fourth Channel S4C ; and what plans he has for further meetings.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : My right hon. Friend has visited S4C twice since becoming Secretary of State, most recently last month. He has had informal discussions with the chairman and members of the authority, as well as with senior staff, on both occasions.
Radiation
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he now intends to conduct an aerial survey for radioactivity in the restricted area of North Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list those sites for which he has given authorisation for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste during the last five years.
Mr. Grist : A list of current authorisations for the disposal of low -level radioactive waste issued in the last five years is as follows :
Column 236
ClwydNorth East Wales Institute of Higher Education
Kelsterton College
Connahs Quay
Wales Gas Board
Maelor Works
Marchwiel
Wrexham
Clwyd Health Authority
Maelor General Hospital
Croesnewydd Road
Wrexham
Clwyd Health Authority
Ysbyty Glan Clwyd
Bodelwyddan
Porton Products Ltd.
Unit 9
Ash Road
Wrexham Industrial Estate
Wrexham
Pilkington PE Ltd.
Glascoed Road
St. Asaph
Dyfed
West Wales General Hospital
Glangwili
Carmarthen
Penglais Estate
University College
Aberystwyth
Welsh Plant Breeding Station
Plas Gogerddan
Aberystwyth
Animal Health Research Unit
Peithyll
Capel Dewi
Aberystwyth
Withybush General Hospital
Haverfordwest
Gwent
Nevill Hall Hospital
Brecon Road
Abergavenny
ReChem International Ltd.
Pontyvelin Industrial Estate
New Road
Panteg
Pontypool
Royal Gwent Hospital
Newport
St. Woolos Hospital
Newport
Allt-Yr-Yn Hospital
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