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Mr. Needham : On 14 September 1989, the latest date for which figures are available, seasonally adjusted unemployment in the Province stood at 103,000 which is its lowest level since November 1982.
UDR Recruits (Vetting)
25. Mr. Barry Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received concerning vetting procedures for recruits to the Ulster Defence Regiment ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Cope : Recent events have given rise to concern that a small minority of members of the Ulster Defence Regiment may have associations with members of illegal paramilitary organisations, or other associations, which are incompatible with membership of the security forces. This is unacceptable and the General Officer Commanding has therefore made improvements in the process of screening new recruits to the UDR, including transfers from other Army units, and for follow-up action such as re- screening in cases of doubt. Among the new measures is the establishment of a special unit for screening UDR recruits, which will be manned by members of the Regular Army. They will have advice from the Royal Ulster Constabulary. Some representations have been received which, in general, support these changes.
Local Government
26. Mr. Bell : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what response he has received in relation to the consultative document on local government in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : Over 60 responses to the local government consultative paper were received.
34. Mr. George Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in what ways he intends to change the system of local government in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The Government's proposals for changes in the system of local government in Northern Ireland were set out in the local government consultative paper last November. Responses to that paper are being considered.
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EC Structural Fund
27. Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to promote the types of cross-border developments eligible for European Community structural fund awards.
Mr. Cope : In anticipation of an EC Commission initiative to introduce a transfrontier programme, Ministers from the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland following a recent
intergovernmental conference, instructed officials of both Governments to prepare proposals for submission to the Commission. A preliminary list of cross-border proposals has already been passed to the Commission, and further work is continuing. A formal application cannot be lodged until details of the EC programme become available.
40. Mr. David Young : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he is taking to further cross-border programmes eligible for support from the European Community structural fund.
Mr. Cope : In anticipation of an EC Commission initiative to introduce a transfrontier programme, Ministers from the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland following a recent
intergovernmental conference, instructed officials of both Governments to prepare proposals for submission to the Commission. A preliminary list of cross-border proposals has already been passed to the Commission and further work is continuing. A formal application cannot be lodged until details of the EC programme become available.
Devolution
30. Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from which constitutional political parties he has received a written submission as a framework for devolution in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Brooke : I have been told by the leaders of all the main constitutional parties in Northern Ireland that they support devolution and they have drawn my attention to ideas, expressed earlier in writing and orally, about how progress towards that objective might be achieved.
Home Helps
32. Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he will take to prevent further cutbacks in the home help service ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Needham : The level of resources devoted to particular services is a matter for Health and Social Services boards to determine. Northern Ireland provides the highest number of home helps per 1,000 population in the United Kingdom, and there has been no reduction in the level of funding for the home help service in 1989-90. There has however been increasing demand, and in order to avoid overspending, several boards have reassessed the need among individual clients for the number and extent of visits. In each case every effort has been made to minimise the effect on clients and to ensure that the service is targeted on those most in need.
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Debt Payments
35. Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has had seeking the repeal of the Payments for Debt (Emergency Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971.
Mr Cope : In the last year there have been three questions from hon. Members and one written representation on this subject.
Transport
36. Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the transport needs of Northern Ireland in the context of the single European market.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The transportation programme was submitted to the European Community on 25 September and the Government await a formal response.
Voters (Identification)
37. Mr. Molyneaux : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take action to simplify the rules for identification of voters at polling stations.
Mr. Cope : The list of specified documents used for electoral purposes is kept under review. I should be pleased to consider any improvement which the right hon. Gentleman or other hon. Members would care to suggest.
UDR
38. Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has any plans to alter the role of the Ulster Defence Regiment in relation to the Royal Ulster Constabulary ; and if he will make a statement.
The Royal Ulster Constabulary has primary responsibility for the maintenance of law and order in Northern Ireland ; the Armed Forces, including the Regular Army and Ulster Defence Regiment, will continue to operate in support of the police but only for so long as the threat from terrorism makes that support necessary.
Roadworks
39. Mr. Clifford Forsythe : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will specify the anticipated completion dates for (a) the Killead bypass and (b) the dualling of the A26.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : It is not possible, at this early stage, to specify the completion date for either of these schemes.
Arts
4. Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the level of spending per capita on arts in Northern Ireland.
Dr. Mawhinney : Government spending per capita is £2.85.
Accident Statistics
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the level of public funding in each of the past three years for which figures are available
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to counter deaths and injuries as a result of (a) road accidents, (b) accidents in the home and (c) terrorist attacks.Mr. Cope : It is not possible to separate out the precise level of public funding attributable to these purposes.
Maryfield Secretariat
Mr. Peter Robinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total cost of the Maryfield secretariat, including security, from the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement to date ; and what is the total cost of security for the same period.
Mr. Cope : The cost to the British Government in maintaining the Anglo-Irish secretariat since its establishment in December 1985 to 30 September 1989 was £3,132,000, of which £2,003,000 related to manpower costs for security. The cost to the Irish Government is a matter for them.
Mr. Paul Hill
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the cost of transporting Paul Hill from the Old Bailey to Belfast on 19 October ; and what method was used.
Mr. Cope : The cost of transporting Paul Hill from the Old Bailey to Maghaberry prison on 19 October 1989 was £2,890.78. He was flown from RAF Northolt to RAF Aldergrove. Connection journeys were by road.
Japanese Investment
Mr. Yeo : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the level of investment in Northern Ireland by Japanese companies.
Mr. Needham : There are three manufacturing companies in Northern Ireland which are either wholly or partly owned by Japanese companies.
In addition a fourth Japanese company operates a marketing and distribution outlet there.
It is not possible to give precise figures for investment.
Further Education
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to extend further education in Northern Ireland ; and if he will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : Enrolment at colleges of further Education has increased by almost 40 per cent. over the last 10 years. The Department of Education and the area boards have responded to increased demands by the provision of new permanent and temporary accommodation, increased staffing and enhancement of equipment. We will continue to respond to needs as they arise.
Political Parties (Discussions)
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he last met representatives of the political parties in Northern Ireland ; and what was discussed.
Mr. Brooke : Over the past three months I have had introductory meetings with the leaders of the Alliance
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party of Northern Ireland, the Democratic Unionist party, the Social Democratic and Labour party, the Ulster Unionist party, the Ulster Popular Unionist party and the Workers party, and with other elected representatives. My meetings with the party leaders covered a wide range of subjects, including especially the prospects for achieving political progress in Northern Ireland.Education and Library Boards
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total membership of each of the five education and library boards ; how many female members he has appointed to each of these boards ; and if he will make a statement on the level of female representation on the education boards.
Dr. Mawhinney : The membership of each of the five Education and Library boards is :
|Membership |Of whom: are female
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Belfast |35 |7
South-Eastern |35 |3
North-Eastern |35 |6
Southern |35 |7
Western |32 |5
In making appointments to Education and Library boards the Department of Education is keen to ensure that boards are representative of a wide range of educational interests. Bodies which are asked to put forward names for consideration are encouraged to include the names of women.
DEFENCE
UDR
41. Rev. Ian Paisley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the Ulster Defence Regiment.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The Ulster Defence Regiment is an indispensable element of the Army's efforts in support of the Royal Ulster Constabulary in Northern Ireland. I have every confidence that the overwhelming majority of the UDR will continue to carry out their duties professionally, loyally and impartially. The UDR will continue to play its part in the fight against terrorism and no changes are envisaged in its role.
Anti-tank Weapons
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the implications for the design of anti-tank weapons of the development of protective armour on Warsaw pact tanks.
Mr. Alan Clark : The implications of developments in the protective armour of Warsaw pact tanks are kept under review, and, where necessary, improvements made to the design of our anti-armour weapons.
Quality Assurance Headquarters
Mr. Bell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will report progress on the relocation of the quality assurance headquarters and laboratories from London to a site in Teesside ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Neubert : My Department is hard at work on a whole range of matters including the definition of user requirements, the selection of an external consultant to manage the design and construction work, negotiations for the purchase of land and the provision of utilities and road access, and various personnel aspects of relocation.
Mr. Bell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the policy of his Department in relation to the appointment of an external project manager with regard to the relocation of the defence quality assurance headquarters and laboratories to Teesside ; what consideration is given to the appointment of local firms ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what is the policy of his Department with regard to the involvement of locally based companies in the process of relocation of offices and services out of London to the provinces ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Neubert : The Department's policy generally and in relation to the appoinment of external project managers is to follow the Government rules for fair and open competition. Successful bidders need to demonstrate that they have a clear understanding of departmental requirements, practical and efficient proposals to meet them and the necessary capacity and experience to manage projects of the size and complexity envisaged. Local knowledge is considered to be a useful additional asset.
Decentralisation
Mr. Bell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's policy with regard to decentralisation of offices and services out of London to the provinces ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Neubert : As has been stated in the House on several occasions, it remains our objective to see a more even spread of defence employment across the regions. We are currently examining a range of further relocation possibilities and shall continue to pursue every opportunity to relocate defence work. But all such moves must be justifiable in both operational and economic terms.
UKADGE
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who owns the intellectual property rights associated with the improved United Kingdom air defence ground environment.
Mr. Alan Clark : I have nothing to add to the answer given to the hon. Member on 7 July at column 302.
Service Pensions
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service men killed in action from 1 April 1973 to the latest date for which records exist, who were engaged on pensionable terms, failed to complete the minimum period of service required in their rank for the award of an occupational pension from his Department before being killed in action.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Pensions awarded under the occupational scheme for the Armed Forces include long-service pensions, invaliding pensions, and attributable invaliding pensions. Since 31 March 1973 there has been no minimum period of service required to qualify for
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the award of an attributable invaliding pension. Consequently, all married service men killed in action since that date have been able to qualify their eligible widow for an occupational pension from the Ministry of Defence.However, I assume that the hon. Member, in referring to the award of an occupational pension, is concerned with those long-service pensions awarded on normal retirement or discharge. The minimum period of reckonable service normally required to qualify for such awards is, for officers, 16 years and, for other ranks, 22 years. Information on the number of service men killed in action since 1 April 1973 who had not given these periods of service before their death is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the cumulative total number of those service men whose deaths were attributable to their service in the armed forces who died (a) in service, (b) after retirement from the armed forces and (c) after being invalidated out of or medically discharged from the armed forces, from 1959 to the latest available date ; and, for each of the above categories for the latest year for which records exist, what was the number of war widows' pensions in payment from his Department.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The information requested on the number of service men whose death was attributable to their service in the Armed Forces is not available. Where applicable, war widows pensions corresponding to those deaths are paid by the Department of Social Security.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence why the award to the widow of a service man of an attributable forces family pension does not assume the promotion of her husband beyond the rank in which he was killed.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : It is normal practice in occupational pension schemes that benefits, whether payable on retirement or death in service, are based on the level of salary actually received by the scheme member at or preceding the last day of service. The Armed Forces pension scheme uses rank held as an alternative to actual salary.
Service Ranks
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the average period of time for which a service man remains in the rank of private or equivalent, for the latest year for which records exist and for each of the armed forces.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The average times spent in the rank of senior aircraftman (SAC) for those leaving the rank on promotion or exit during 1988-89 are given in the table. The time does not include time spent as an aircraftman (AC) or leading aircraftman (LAC). Similar figures are given for promotions during 1988 from able seaman (not including time spent as an ordinary seaman) and marine 1 (not including time spent as marine 2). The average time spent in the ranks of able seaman and marine 1 for those leaving the RN or RM during 1988 are not readily available. Figures for the Army are not readily available.
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Average time (in years) spent in the ranks of
Able Seaman/Marine 1/SAC
|Total |On promotion|On exit
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Able Seaman (1988) |n.a. |4.7 |n.a.
Marine 1 (1988) |n.a. |5.7 |n.a.
SAC (1988-89) |5.7 |6.3 |5.3
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the average period of time for which a service man remains in the rank of Army captain or equivalent, for the latest year for which records exist and for each of the armed forces.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The average times spent in the rank of flight lieutenant for those leaving the rank on promotion or exit during 1988-89 are given in the table. Similar figures are given for promotions during 1988-89 from Lt(RN) and Lt(RM). The average times spent in the ranks of Lt(RN) and Lt(RM) for those leaving the Royal Navy or Royal Marines during 1988-89 are not readily available. Figures for the Army are not readily available.
Average time (in years) spent in the ranks of
Lt(RN)/Lt(RM)/Fl Lt(RAF)
|Total |On promotion|On exit
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Lieutenant (RN) |n/a |8.4 |n/a
Lieutenant (RM) |n/a |7.3 |n/a
Flight Lieutenant (RAF) 9.4 8.5 10.7
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the average period of time for which a service man remains in the rank of corporal or equivalent for the latest year for which records exist and for each of the armed forces.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The average times spent in the rank of RAF corporal for those leaving the rank on promotion or exit during 1988-89 are given in the table. Similar figures are given for promotions during 1988 from leading hand (RN) and Royal Marines corporal. The average times spent in the ranks of leading hand and RM corporal for those leaving the RN and RM during 1988 are not readily available. Figures for the Army are not readily available.
Average time (in years) spent in the equivalent rank of corporal
|Total |On promotion|On exit
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Leading hand |n/a |4.1 |n/a
(1988)
RM corporal |n/a |5.8 |n/a
(1988)
RAF corporal |5.7 |6.8 |4.7
(1988/89)
Marconi Communications Sets
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Marconi 2955A radio communications test sets have been ordered for the Royal Air Force and Army ; and for which services it is his intention to order more.
Mr. Alan Clark : A total of 330 of these sets were ordered in December 1988 after a competitive tendering action had produced an assessment that they represented the most cost-effective technically viable solution to a particular problem.
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Future requirements, should they arise, may also be subject to a competitive tendering exercise.Submergence Rescue Vehicle
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if it is his intention to publish the results of the recent trials by the Royal Navy of the deep submergence rescue vehicle.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : It is not our normal practice to publish the results of such exercises but I can tell the hon. Gentleman that this exercise, which is conducted at regular intervals, successfully achieved all its objectives.
Advanced STOL Aircraft
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy towards the development of the advanced short take off and vertical landing aircraft.
Mr. Alan Clark : We are engaged with the United States Government in a bilateral programme of studies into the technologies which might be required for an advanced short take off and vertical landing aircraft. This programme, which began in 1986, is expected to take some five years to complete.
Battle Tanks
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy towards the NATO future main battle tank.
Mr. Alan Clark : For a statement on plans to co-ordinate the development of the next generation of tanks I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave yesterday to the hon. Member for Ynys Mo n (Mr. Jones).
Upholder Class Submarine
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the most up-to-date prediction of the date of delivery to the Royal Navy of the first type 2400 Upholder class submarine.
Mr. Neubert : We currently expect that the first type 2400 Upholder class submarine to be delivered to the Royal Navy next summer.
Anti-Air Warfare
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to announce his decision between the NATO anti-air warfare system and the family of anti-air missile systems for Royal Navy warships.
Mr. Neubert : An announcement will be made in the near future.
Army Equipment Exhibition
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the 1990 British Army equipment exhibition will be held ; and on which days it will be open to (a) overseas customers, (b) the press and (c) the British public.
Mr. Alan Clark : The British Army equipment exhibition will be held at Aldershot during the week 3 to 8 June 1990. 3 June is a press day which the national
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provincial and technical press may attend. Overseas customers may attend from 4 to 8 June 1989. The exhibition is not open to the general public.Potton Island (Wastes)
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what amount of (a) toxic wastes and (b) radioactive wastes arising from military experiments exist at Potton island in Essex ; under what environmental regulations these wastes are managed ; what is the long-term plan for the disposal of these wastes ; and what is his estimate of the total cost of this disposal strategy.
Mr. Neubert : There are no known toxic or radioactive wastes at Potton island. The area is being cleared of residual conventional munitions and explosives. To date this has cost some £40,000.
Nevada Test Site
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the total charge levied by the United States in collective historic pounds and in current pounds for United Kingdom use of the Nevada test site for the nuclear testing of United Kingdom warheads (a) since the programme began and (b) since 1979 ; and what arrangements have been made by the United States authorities for the management and disposal of radioactive wastes arising from these United Kingdom nuclear warheads.
Mr. Alan Clark : It is not our policy to publish the costs of these tests. Arrangements for the management and disposal of radioactive wastes are included in the costs levied by the United States authorities. Such wastes are disposed of by the United States under recognised procedures.
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