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Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment by standard Great Britain region, including Greater London, what is the current average length of time between a claimant's referral for adjudication and an adjudication officer's decision on grounds of restricted availability and non-availability for work.
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Mr. Eggar : Information is not available in the precise form requested. However, the speed with which adjudication officers make decisions (that is, the time between their receiving a referral and reaching a decision) is monitored in a 5 per cent. sample of cases. The sample shows that for the three-month period ending 30 June 1989, the percentage of restricted availability questions decided within four weeks of referral to an adjudication officer, for each employment service region, was as follows :
|Availability |Restricted availability
|per cent. |per cent.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern |77.5 |70.2
Eastern |92.3 |91.7
Western |68.0 |76.1
Yorkshire and Humberside |91.0 |95.1
South West |65.9 |77.6
Northern |100.0 |96.6
North West |89.4 |83.4
East Midlands |86.3 |89.0
West Midlands |93.1 |93.1
Wales |96.5 |98.2
Scotland |84.9 |90.5
Health and Safety Executive
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish of 28 July, Official Report, column 1044, what is the average duration of appropriate training, in weeks, given to area directors who do not possess formal professional management qualifications, in order to ensure that they have the management skills necessary to perform their duties.
Mr. Nicholls : The amount of training undertaken by area directors employed by the Health and Safety Executive in order to ensure that they have the management skills necessary to perform their duties varies considerably depending upon their individual needs and experience. The average duration of such training, received over a period of time, is approximately six weeks.
Executive Officers (Promotion Board)
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment why no executive officer promotion board is to be held for the north-west region Department of Employment in 1990.
Mr. Eggar : The numbers of staff in the grade, and on the current promotion waiting list, are expected to meet the needs of the Employment Department Group in the north-west region for the coming year.
Mr. V. M. B. Watkins, Redruth
Mr. Mudd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne can expect a reply to his letter of 25 August to the hon. Member for Teignbridge (Mr. Nicholls), on behalf of Mr. V. M. B. Watkins, of Elcon Western (Electrical) Ltd., Trewirgie Road, Redruth, Cornwall.
Mr. Nicholls : I wrote to the hon. Member on 18 October.
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Mrs. Nisbet, Redruth
Mr. Mudd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne can expect a reply to his letter to the hon. Member for Teignbridge (Mr. Nicholls) dated 3 August, concerning Mrs. Nisbet of 2 Sparnon Hill, Redruth, Cornwall.
Mr. Nicholls : I wrote to the hon. Member on 18 October.
Trade Union Rights
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received about the needs for a statutory system to establish a trade union's right to represent its members in negotiations with an employer, and what has been his response.
Mr. Nicholls : I recently received a letter on this matter from the general secretary of the Banking, Insurance and Finance Union. My reply made clear the Government's view that it is for the individual employer to decide whether, and in what cirumstances, to recognise a trade union for collective bargaining purposes. Experience with the statutory recognition procedures contained in the Employment Protection Act 1975 and repealed by the Employment Act 1980 showed them to be highly unsatisfactory in practice.
Training Schemes
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if, in order to reduce the costs incurred by trainees participating in those schemes, he will permit managers of employment training schemes to operate their courses on the basis of four rather than five days per week.
Mr. Nicholls : No. Employment training is designed to be a full-time programme, offering training for a minimum of 30 hours per week over five days.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many filled employment training places there are in the Greater Manchester area ; and what percentage this represents of the original departmental projections.
Mr. Nicholls : On 13 October 1989, the latest date for which information is available, there were 9,456 people on employment training in Greater Manchester. Departmental projections are for internal management purposes only.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to increase the allowance offered to employers under employment training.
Mr. Nicholls : Employers are involved in employment training because they recognise the value of quality training. They do not receive allowances for taking part in the programme.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to review the progress of employment training.
Mr. Nicholls : The progress of employment training, like that of all other programmes run by my Department, is kept under constant review.
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Toxic Waste
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment on what date the Wath Recycling Company was ordered or requested securely to contain toxic waste received from the United States of America ; on what date the containment operation commenced ; and on what date it was implemented.
Mr. Nicholls : On 10 August 1989 the Health and Safety Executive served a deferred prohibition notice on Wath Recycling Limited prohibiting after 23 August 1989 the loose bulk storage of the toxic waste received from the United States of America. The commencement date of the prohibition was subsequently extended to 10 October 1989. The operation to pack the waste into drums commenced on 14 September and was completed on 8 October.
Dyslexia
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many sufferers of dyslexia were assessed as registered disabled persons and had their names entered in the registered disabled persons' register in each of the past seven years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : I regret that this information is available only at disproportionate cost. People who suffer from dyslexia are eligible to register as disabled under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944. They are also eligible to receive help from the special schemes and services provided for people with disabilities by the employment service and the Training Agency.
Construction Industry Training Boards
Mr. Key : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he will now make a decision on the future of the construction industry training boards.
Mr. Nicholls : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 20 July 1989. Consultations with the board and organisations representing employers have now been completed. My right hon. Friend hopes to be in a position to make an announcement shortly.
Social Fund
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will seek to ensure that the share of moneys received from the European social fund by local authorities is measured and distributed in accordance with real need.
Mr. Eggar : The British Government's aim is to secure the maximum support from the European social fund for the national plans and operational programmes which it has submitted. The distribution of European social fund moneys will be governed by the priorities decided upon by the European Commission in its Community support framework.
Footwear and Leather Industries
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people have been employed in the footwear and leather industries in the following years (a) 1960, (b) 1965, (c) 1970, (d) 1975, (e) 1980 and (f) each year since 1980 to the present date.
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Mr. Nicholls : The Department's statistics on employees in employment are arranged according to the standard industrial classification 1980 and a consistent series is available only from June 1971. Figures prior to that date are classified according to the standard industrial classification 1968. The available information (unadjusted for seasonal variations) is as follows :
Employees in footwear and leather industries SIC 1980
Great Britain: June
(Thousands)
|<1>Leather industries|<2>Footwear
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1971 |39.7 |75.3
1975 |36.1 |65.3
1980 |30.0 |58.8
1981 |26.9 |53.5
1982 |25.0 |51.4
1983 |22.9 |52.8
1984 |21.8 |52.8
1985 |21.1 |51.1
1986 |20.4 |51.9
1987 |20.9 |50.8
1988 |20.9 |49.5
1989 |19.2 |46.6
<1>SIC 80, Class 44.
<2>SIC 80, Group 451.
Textile and Knitwear Industries
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons have been employed on the textile and knitwear industries in the following years (a) 1960, (b) 1965, (c) 1970, (d) 1975, (e) 1980 and (f) each year since 1980 to the present date.
Mr Nicholls : The Department's statistics on employees in employment are arranged according to the standard industrial classification 1980 and a consistent series is available only from June 1971. Figures prior to that date are classified according to standard industrial classification 1968. The available information (unadjusted for seasonal variations) is as follows :
Employees in textile and knitwear
industries
(SIC 80, Class 43)
Great Britain: June
|(Thousands)
------------------------------------
1971 |499.6
1975 |418.3
1980 |324.8
1981 |273.0
1982 |256.2
1983 |238.8
1984 |233.5
1985 |234.5
1986 |238.2
1987 |229.0
1988 |231.0
1989 |217.8
YTS
Mr. Trotter : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the total income of an 18 or 19-year-old on the basic level of income support, who is a trainee on employment training and a person of the same age and domestic circumstances, who is a trainee on YTS.
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 27 July 1989] : People on Employment Training (ET) receive a training allowance
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based on the benefits they would receive if they were unemployed plus a training premium of £10 a week. The basic income support for an 18 to 19-year-old is £27.40, which would give a training allowance of £37.40. Non-employed YTS trainees of similar age and circumstances on two year YTS receive minimum training allowances of £29.50 per week in the first year and £35 per week in the second year. Those eligible for one year YTS courses receive a minimum training allowance of £29.50 for the first 13 weeks and £35 per week thereafter. Employed YTS trainees receive a wage equivalent at least to the appropriate level of YTS training allowances. Both ET and non-employed YTS trainees also receive assistance withtraining-related travel and lodging costs where appropriate.
SCOTLAND
Civil Legal Aid
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the average time taken to process civil legal aid applications in Scotland, in each of the past 10 years.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : This information has not been recorded in the past, but time taken to determine applications is one of the performance measures being implemented by the Scottish Legal Aid Board.
Construction Industry
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his assessment of the prospects for the Scottish construction industry over the coming year.
Mr. Lang : Prospects for the Scottish construction industry over the coming year are very good with orders and output for the first half of 1989 at the highest levels since 1978 and 1980, respectively. Orders in the first half of 1989 were up 26.6 per cent. in real terms on those of the same period for 1988, with the private sector performing particularly well. Increased orders point to continued strong growth of output in the coming year, particularly in the private sector.
This favourable picture is supported by the latest business surveys, ie. the Scottish chambers business survey and the civil engineers workload trends survey. These reveal high levels of optimism regarding the general business situation and future levels of employment during the coming year within the construction industry.
Lithotriptor Centre
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the waiting list, by health board, for access to treatment at the Scottish lithotriptor centre.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The number of patients awaiting treatment at the Scottish lithotriptor centre on 16 October 1989 was 217. This figure includes five patients from north of England health authorities. The breakdown, by health boards, of the remaining 212 patients is :
--------------------------------------
Lothian |47
Greater Glasgow |52
Fife |19
Forth Valley |10
|Tayside
Lanarkshire |25
Orkney |Nil
Shetland |Nil
Grampian |7
Borders |6
Highland |10
Dumfries and Galloway |3
Western Isles |4
Argyle and Clyde |9
Ayrshire and Arran |10
Milk
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland why the sale of unpasteurised milk is not permitted in Scotland ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The retail sale of unpasteurised milk has been banned in Scotland since the introduction in 1983 of compulsory pasteurisation. This was in response to widespread public concern about the safety of untreated milk following a number of serious outbreaks of milk- borne disease in Scotland (3,500 cases in 12 years including 12 deaths). There are no proposals to relax the ban, which has resulted in the virtual eradication of milk-borne disease in Scotland.
Dyslexia
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many dyslexic children there were in the school population in each of the past seven years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang : Information on dyslexic children is not held centrally.
Hospitals (Opting Out)
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report the names of those hospitals and medical units that have expressed an interest in opting out.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : To date, the Scottish Home and Health Department has been notified of two expressions of interest in possible self-governing status relating to a group of hospitals in Forfar and the Royal Scottish National hospital in Larbert. Self-governing trusts will remain an integral part of the National Health Service and they will not be "opting out" of the National Health Service.
General Practitioners' Contract
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to be in a position to announce final plans to safeguard rural practices from changes arising from the new general practitioners' contract.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The 1990 contract for general medical practitioners, issued in August 1989, makes it clear that practices serving sparsely populated areas will continue to be eligible for the inducement practice scheme through which income can be enhanced and that the Scottish rural practice fund, which is kept under continuous review, is considered to be currently well targeted. It is the task of the review body on doctors' and
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dentists' remuneration to advise the Government on the level of remuneration due to general practitioners and it is not possible at this stage to say what view the review body will take.Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to publish regulations establishing a new contract for general practitioners in Scotland as has happened for England and Wales.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Scottish regulations will be laid before Parliament on Wednesday 1 November 1989.
Auction Marts
Mr. Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report those auction marts which have MLC grading facilities.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information requested is as follows :
Aberdeen and Northern Marts Ltd, Aberdeen
Thomson, Roddick & Laurie Ltd, Annan
James Craig Ltd, Ayr
Biggar Quality Meats, Biggar
Thos Corson & Co. Ltd, Bridgend, Islay
A. & J. Wilson & Co. Ltd, Campbeltown
Wallets Mart Ltd, Castle Douglas
Aberdeen and Northern Marts Ltd, Cornhill
United Auction (Eastern), Cupar
Hamilton Auction Marts Ltd, Dingwall
Reith & Anderson Ltd, Dingwall
Thomson, Roddick & Laurie Ltd, Dumfries
Aberdeen & Northern Marts Ltd, Dundee
Oliver & Sons Ltd, Edinburgh
John Swan & Sons Ltd, Edinburgh
W. Bosomworth & Sons Ltd, Edinburgh
Aberdeen & Northern Marts Ltd, Elgin
Angus Marts Ltd, Forfar
Ben Nevis Auction Marts Ltd, Fort William
L. S. Smellie & Sons Ltd, Hamilton
Andrew Oliver & Son Ltd, Hawick
Aberdeen & Northern Marts Ltd, Huntly
Aberdeen & Northern Marts Ltd, Insch
United Auction (Eastern), Inverness
A. & J. Wilson & Co. Ltd, Kilmarnock
Kirkwall Auction Mart, Kirkwall
Lawrie & Symington, Lanark
Aberdeen & Northern Marts Ltd, Laurencekirk
Shetland Marts Ltd, Lerwick
Harrison & Hetherington Ltd, Lockerbie
Aberdeen & Northern Marts Ltd, Maud
Montrose Auction Mart, Montrose
John Swan & Sons Ltd, Newtown St. Boswells
James Craig Ltd, Newton Stewart
United Auction (Western), Oban
A. & J. Wilson & Co. Ltd, Paisley
Lawrie & Symington Ltd, Peebles
Caledonian Marts, Perth
United Auction (Eastern), Perth
Hamilton's Auction Marts, Portree
Berwick Auction Market Co. Ltd, Reston
United Auction (Western), Stirling
Caledonian Marts Ltd, Stirling
Angus MacDonald & Son, Stornoway
James Craig Ltd, Stranraer
Strathaven Auction Mart, Strathaven
West Mainland Mart Ltd, Stromness
United Auctions (Western) Ltd, Tarbert
Hamilton's Auction Mart Ltd, Thurso
Aberdeen & Northern Marts Ltd, Thurso
Aberdeen & Northern Marts Ltd, Turriff
Aberdeen & Northern Marts Ltd, Wick
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