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Cars (Anti-theft Systems)

Mr. Haselhurst : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has assessed whether the development of electronic anti-theft systems for cars has reached the point in cost and effectiveness at which he will consider legislation to make their installation mandatory.

Mr. Atkins : Every new car sold in Britain since 1978 has had to have a steering lock. Britain has developed, in co-operation with manufacturers, new standards to improve car locks and to shield window mechanisms. We are pressing for these to be adopted in the EC.

Many cars are also fitted with alarm systems. The variations in their design and location contribute to their effectiveness. The greater standardisation likely to result from obligatory installation might diminish that effectiveness. Moreover, there is a growing volume of complaints about the environmental effects of alarms set off with no apparent attempt at theft.

Parking sensibly, locking up carefully and avoiding leaving valuables in view are all strong deterrents to thieves.

Lorry Weights

Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many inspectors are employed at ports to ensure that lorry weights from incoming vessels are within United Kingdom requirements ; and how many prosecutions were undertaken in 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989 to the most recent practicable date.

Mr. Atkins : The Department currently has a force of 235 traffic examiners who carry out lorry weight checks at inland sites as well as at major ferry ports. Vehicles found to be overweight in ports are prohibited from further movement but are not normally prosecuted because an offence has not taken place until the vehicle has been on a public road. Separate figures for prohibitions in ports are not kept. The number of prosecutions nationally for overloading, with in brackets figures for prohibitions, in each of the years 1986-88 were, respectively, 6,400 (5,700), 5,500 (4,250) and 7,600 (7,700). The figures for the first half of 1989-90 were 3,250 and 2,900. These figures do not include offences taken by the police and local authority trading standards staff.

Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many of the short-span bridges on non-trunk


Column 343

roads will not meet 40-tonne lorry weights ; what will be the cost of repairing or replacing such bridges ; and what is the estimated cost of the traffic delays arising from such work ;

(2) whether his Department has carried out an assessment of the likely extra strengthening costs in the event of the EEC directive on 40-tonne lorries being applied in the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Atkins : It was agreed at a meeting of the European Council of Transport Ministers in July that the United Kingdom's derogation from the directive permitting the use of lorries weighing 40 tonnes should end on 31 December 1998.

In 1988 my Department began a programme--expected to last 10 years--to assess all the bridges on trunk roads and to strengthen them, where necessary, to cater for heavier lorries. The increase from 38 tonnes to 40 tonnes will require about another 400 bridges to be assessed, but it is expected to account for only a relatively small proportion of the total cost of strengthening work.

Last December, the Government made provision through the rate support grant settlement for an additional £27 million expenditure by local authorities in England in 1989-90 so that a start could be made on the long -term programmes of work necessary on their roads. It is too soon to say what proportion of their bridges will eventually need to be strengthened, but a sample survey carried out by my Department in 1987 suggested that it might be about 20 per cent.

In some cases, strengthening may not be the only option. It will be more appropriate to restrict some bridges to vehicles of a lower weight ; in other cases, it would be possible to cater for heavier lorries by reducing the number of lanes of traffic.

It is inevitable that there will be traffic delays while some of the work is carried out, but it is not possible to predict where these will occur or their economic cost. My Department's regional offices will assist in co- ordination of the work to help keep delays to a minimum.

Articulated Lorries

Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what research has been undertaken on the use of 16.5 m articulated lorries in the United Kingdom ; what alterations will be required to existing tractor units, what design requirements will be needed for compatible tractor units for the 13.6 m trailer ; and if he will make a statement ;

(2) when he expects to lay the order allowing 16.5 m articulated lorries in the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement ; (3) why he is advancing by 12 months the implementation of the EEC directive permitting 16.5 m articulated lorries ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Atkins : Once the EC date was imposed on us, there was a serious risk of detriment to the interests of British manufacturers. We therefore advanced implementation to January 1990 from January 1991.

The order will be laid as soon as possible, subject to the completion of the necessary detailed consultation. No specific research was carried out on the proposals leading to the EC directive. The new 13.6 m semi-trailer will require the use of a tractor unit slightly longer than the


Column 344

shortest units now in use : some already exist. The shortest tractor units can still be used with semi-trailers slightly shorter than 13.6 m.

Commercial Vehicles

Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the total numbers of commercial vehicles in each category of unladen weight registered for 1989 ; what were the totals for each year from 1979 ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Atkins : Information on vehicle stock for 1989 is not yet available. Details of the number of commercial vehicles registered in Great Britain are available by gross weight and were published in "Heavy Goods Vehicles in Great Britain 1988", transport statistics report, August 1989, a copy of which was placed in the House of Commons Library.

The number of heavy goods vehicles has fallen from 506,000 in 1979 to 462,000 in 1988 despite a 25 per cent. increase in road freight activity.

Channel Tunnel (Rail Services)

Mr. Aitken : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been reported to him in the provision of rail services between the Channel tunnel and London ; and whether it remains the Government's policy not to subsidise this project.

Mr. Parkinson : British Rail is planning to spend over £1 billion on upgrading the rail network in Kent and London, on developing Waterloo station and on rolling stock, so that a full international passenger and freight service can commence on the day that the Channel tunnel opens.

In July of last year British Rail began consultations on the proposal to build a new line which would be needed by the end of the century. On the basis of consultation on four route options, British Rail narrowed the choice to a preferred route in March of this year. British Rail also isued an invitation to the private sector to participate in a joint venture. Five positive responses to this invitation were received, and BR subsequently shortlisted two consortia.

Today British Rail has announced that it has selected its preferred partner in a joint venture for Channel tunnel rail services, and that is Eurorail, comprising Trafalgar House and BICC. I very much welcome this announcement.

The broad scope of the joint venture has been settled. It includes the operation of international rail services, not just the construction of the link. The details are still to be negotiated and my approval to the final agreement will be necessary. At this stage, however, I am greatly encouraged by the clear indications that I have had from the private sector that Channel tunnel rail services, including a new Channel tunnel rail link, can be financed commercially and that the new link can still be brought into operation in 1998.

I have been greatly impressed by the confidence, expertise and commitment shown by both the shortlisted consortia, Eurorail and the Acer Group. Eurorail is satisfied that detailed work carried out on the route through Kent confirms that the route proposed by BR is the best solution. It is confident that an acceptable way can


Column 345

be found of continuing the route from the outskirts of London to Waterloo and to a second terminal at Kings Cross with its excellent connections to the north.

This confirmation of the route through Kent, on which so much work has already been done to minimise the environmental consequences, will help to end uncertainty in the county. I welcome that as I welcome the decision to bring forward immediately legislative proposals to allow Ashford international passenger station to be relocated so as to open in 1993, but to fit in with the new line. It is for British Rail and its partner to determine the best route and terminals to be included in a parliamentary Bill, and I accept that now that BR and Eurorail have reached agreement it will not be practicable or sensible for them to examine other possible alternative proposals and projects. It will be for Parliament to decide whether the route can be accepted.

I think that it must be primarily for BR and Eurorail to judge how and when to seek the necessary legislative approval for their proposals. I accept BR's judgment that it is wiser to wait until all the details of the route through London have been finalised before introducing a Private Bill and that will also give the opportunity for further refinement of the detailed measures proposed for Kent. I welcome their stated intention to introduce a Bill in 1990. The provision of the Channel tunnel link is now the responsibility of BR and its chosen partner, Eurorail. I confirm that it remains the policy of the Government that no subsidy will be given to Channel tunnel rail services.

ENVIRONMENT

Local Government Finance

Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many gainers and losers his Department now estimates there will be after the introduction of the poll tax in England.

Mr. Chope : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Bath (Mr. Patten) to the hon. Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham) on 1 November 1989, at column 75.

Lindane

Mr. Graham Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what have been and will be the environmental consequences to the United Kingdom of the recent loss of a container of lindane in the Channel.

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : No signs of lindane pollution have been detected from the continuing joint Anglo-French monitoring programme, set up immediately after the incident.

British and French scientists are confident that any increases in lindane concentrations in the marine environment could be easily detected at levels well below those at which they would represent a risk to human health. They further agree, after having carefully considered the probable rate of dissolution of the lindane in its container and its likely rate of release to the sea, that the chances of the lindane having any significant detectable effect are very slight.

As a precaution joint monitoring continues and if any leakage is detected this would provide important clues as to the whereabouts of the container and so assist recovery action, should this be necessary.


Column 346

Waste Recycling

Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider giving additional incentives to councils to encourage the introduction of further schemes for the recycling of domestic waste ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Our proposals to improve waste management on which we hope to legislate shortly should encourage local authorities to promote recycling. In addition we are carefully considering what further measures might be taken to encourage recycling both at the collection and disposal stages, and are evaluating examples of current best practice and the major experiment in

recycling--"Recycling City"--which is now taking place in Sheffield, with the support of the Government.

Litter

Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to introduce legislation to allow local authorities to appoint designated officers for the purpose of taking the name and address of any alleged litter offender for subsequent prosecution.

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I am pleased to inform my hon. Friend that our proposals for legislation to tackle the problem of litter, published on 20 July, include a provision which will allow all district and borough councils to operate a fixed penalty scheme for littering. Under such a scheme an authorised officer of the authority will be empowered to issue tickets to litterers requiring payment of a fixed penalty within a set period. Failure to pay the fixed penalty will render the offender liable to prosecution. We are not, however, proposing to give the authorised officer extra powers to demand the name and address of the offender.

Housing Finance (Leicester)

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for the financial years 1981 to 1988 inclusive the following information : (a) the housing investment allocation paid to Leicester city council for each of the years and (b) the housing investment allocation in real terms for each of those years.

Mr. Chope : The following figures give Leicester city council's housing investment programme allocations and also its outturn expenditure for the years requested, in both actual and real terms.


            £ million             £ million                       

            Allocation            Outturn                         

Year       |Actual    |Real terms|Actual    |Real terms           

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

1981-82    |17.036    |24.628    |19.464    |28.137               

1982-83    |18.496    |24.971    |21.063    |28.436               

1983-84    |17.373    |22.416    |22.488    |29.016               

1984-85    |18.900    |23.238    |30.604    |37.628               

1985-86    |15.000    |17.482    |28.395    |33.093               

1986-87    |13.285    |15.002    |26.013    |29.375               

1987-88    |14.277    |15.319    |23.983    |25.733               

1988-89    |13.716    |13.716    |32.393    |32.393               

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Haselhurst : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the subjects on which he is not prepared to answer parliamentary questions.


Column 347

Mr. Patten : I would normally expect to answer questions within my area of responsibility other than those involving disproportionate cost.

Hazardous Waste

Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether Her Majesty's Government intend to ratify the Basel convention on the control of transboundary movement of hazardous wastes and their disposal.

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Yes, together with our European Community partners.

Nature Conservancy Council and Countryside Commission

Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to proceed with the restructuring of the Nature Conservancy Council and Countryside Commission as outlined by the previous Secretary of State for the Environment on 11 July.

Mr. Trippier : Yes.

Green Belt (Derbyshire)

Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give an assurance that he will uphold the terms of the north-east Derbyshire green belt local plan (paragraph 5.20, proposal 6) and reject any application lodged on appeal by British Coal to begin opencast mining in the green belt and around Barlborough.

Mr. Moynihan : No. I cannot give such an assurance. This would clearly prejudice the position of the Secretary of State were an application to come before him on appeal. Minerals can be worked only where they occur, but extraction, including opencast coal, need not be incompatible with green belt objectives provided high environmental standards are maintained and sites are restored to a good standard. As Derbyshire's green belt local plan makes clear, mineral working is a temporary operation which can be acceptable in green belt areas and is not incompatible with the eventual restoration of the area to an open use.

Water Authorities (Foreign Investment)

Mr. Patchett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report the extent of foreign investment in British water authorities.

Mr. Howard : The successor companies to the nine water authorities in England are wholly owned by the Crown.

Works of Art Committee

Mr. Cormack : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will appoint a new member to the advisory committee on works of art in the House of Commons following the resignation from the committee of the hon. Member for Heywood and Middleton (Mr. Callaghan).

Mr. Patten : I am pleased to announce that, with Mr. Speaker's agreement, I have appointed the hon. Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Banks) to the advisory committee.


Column 348

Water Privatisation

Mr. David Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress he has made with preparations for the forthcoming water share offers.

Mr. Chris Patten : I have today placed in the Library the "Pathfinder" prospectus for the 10 water share offers which has been published today. It gives details of the forthcoming offers, apart from the price, share capital and related information. The share price will be announced on 22 November.

Benzene (Toxicity)

Mr. Andrew Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has regarding the toxic and carcinogenic properties of unleaded petrol ; and what assessment he has made of the effects of using benzene in such petrol.

Mr. Roger Freeman : I have been asked to reply.

We are not aware of any information to suggest that there are toxic or carcinogenic properties specific to unleaded petrol.

Benzene is toxic at high doses and is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a human carcinogen on the basis of data from workers who were exposed to high levels in the past. The concentration of benzene permitted in petrol is regulated under a European directive and it is not used as an additive to substitute for lead.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Scotch Whisky (Korea)

Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will seek to persuade the Korean Government to equalise the levels of duty on Scotch whisky and other spirits.

Mr. Redwood : It has been our objective for some time to remove the discriminatory features of Korea's tax and tariff treatment of Scotch whisky and other imported spirits, as well as other restrictions on the import and distribution of these products. There has been some liberalisation which has benefited Scotch whisky but discriminatory treatment continues to hold back sales in Korea. We have made strong representations to the Korean Government and will continue to take every opportunity to do so, both bilaterally and through the European Community.

Scotch Whisky (Taiwan)

Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps Her Majesty's Government have taken to overcome the import restrictions faced by Scotch whisky exports to Taiwan.

Mr. Redwood : The authorities in Taiwan are well aware of United Kingdom concerns. Her Majesty's Government have no dealings with the Taiwanese authorities but United Kingdom concerns on this and other matters are put across very clearly in Taipei and London by the Anglo-Taiwan trade committee, a private organisation set up to promote British exports to Taiwan.


Column 349

Selling by Telephone

Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which recommendations of the Office of Fair Trading set out in the document "Selling by telephone," in 1983 he has accepted ; which of these have been implemented ; and what are his reasons for not implementing the remainder.

Mr. Forth : Two of the recommendations in the 1984 report by the Office of Fair Trading on selling by telephone were addressed to Government.

The first related to automatic dialling equipment. Such equipment which transmits recorded messages or synthesised speech may only be used with the consent in writing of the intended recipient. Other such equipment which transmits speech or data has only been approved by the Director General of Telecommunications for connection to the public network where there are legitimate reasons for its use. The Government have accepted the more recent advice of the Director General of Telecommunications that the new branch systems general licence, which will soon be granted under the Telecommunications Act 1984, should contain a condition requiring anyone making telephone sales calls not to do so in respect of any user who requests them to stop.

On the second recommendation, the Government are not convinced that there have been sufficient problems to require the introduction of a statutory cooling-off period for oral contracts resulting from unsolicited telephone calls.

Northern Region

Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will list all offers of regional selective assistance in the Darlington area for each year since 1982 ; and whether he will provide the same information for (a) Stockton-on-Tees and (b) Middlesbrough.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : The offers of regional selective assistance in the Darlington, Stockton and Middlesbrough areas in each year since 1 April 1982 are as follows :


(A) Offers of regional selective assistance in the Darlington    

parliamentary constituency                                       

Company                            |Amount offered               

                                   |£                            

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

1 April 1982-31 March 1983                                       

Nil                                                              

                                                                 

1 April 1983-31 March 1984                                       

Whessoe Projects Ltd.              |1,070,000                    

Brent Chemicals International Ltd. |40,000                       

Stenga Ltd.                        |25,000                       

C. P. Offset                       |25,000                       

Darlington Pattern Making Company  |6,500                        

                                                                 

1 April 1984-31 March 1985                                       

T. E. Catterall Ltd.               |20,000                       

Amdega Ltd.                        |50,000                       

Indescon Ltd.                      |35,000                       

Priestgate Services (No. 29) Ltd.  |30,000                       

                                                                 

1 April 1985-31 March 1986                                       

Harvey Plating Ltd.                |50,000                       

Rallbar Ltd.                       |10,000                       

Areena Shoe Components Ltd.        |50,000                       

Mech-Tool Engineering Ltd.         |70,000                       

Mini-Prints North East             |15,000                       

F. W. Alderson                     |5,000                        

S. R. Steel Ltd.                   |5,000                        

                                                                 

1 April 1986-31 March 1987                                       

Kohlangaz Fire Co. Ltd.            |30,000                       

Con-Mech Group Ltd.                |45,000                       

Darlington Timber Supplies Ltd.    |15,000                       

Mitre Tooling Co. Ltd.             |35,000                       

Epcot Leisure Ltd.                 |15,000                       

BSA Foundries Ltd.                 |175,000                      

Baydale Engineering                |8,000                        

Forge Diesel Services Ltd.         |5,000                        

Amdega Ltd.                        |70,000                       

                                                                 

1 April 1987-31 March 1988                                       

Vector Electronics                 |10,000                       

Rennyco Ltd.                       |5,000                        

Aycliffe Paper Winding Ltd.        |5,000                        

Darcham Ltd.                       |65,000                       

Amdega Ltd.                        |100,000                      

Edgeworth Electronics Ltd.         |5,000                        

Harvey Plating Ltd.                |25,000                       

Glassfibre Flagpoles Ltd.          |20,000                       

Mitre Plastics Ltd.                |35,000                       

                                                                 

1 April 1988-31 March 1989                                       

Regis Fibres (UK) Ltd.             |25,000                       

BSA Engineering Ltd.               |10,000                       

J. L. Moore & Sons                 |75,000                       

Stenga Ltd.                        |90,000                       

Thrivewell Ltd.                    |7,500                        

Shildon Manufacturing              |15,000                       

Baydale Architectural Metalwork    |25,000                       

Great Northern Timber Co. Ltd.     |60,000                       

                                                                 

1 April 1989-30 September 1989                                   

No case details published.                                       


(B) Offers of Regional Selective Assistance in the Stockton North     

Parliamentary Constituency                                            

Company                                 |Amount Offered               

                                        |£                            

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

1 April 1982-31 March 1983                                            

Derian Ltd.                             |25,000                       

Supreme Knitwear Manufacturing Co. Ltd. |25,000                       

                                                                      

1 April 1983-31 March 1984                                            

Cleveland Redpath English Holdings Ltd. |4,000,000                    

English Conservatories Ltd.             |25,000                       

Supreme Knitwear Manufacturing Co. Ltd. |25,000                       

John Harrison (Stockton) Ltd.           |27,000                       

Brandtex Manufacturing Ltd.             |25,000                       

                                                                      

1 April 1984-31 March 1985                                            

Fine Organics Ltd.                      |300,000                      

Supreme Knitwear Manufacturing Co. Ltd. |35,000                       

ITM Head Wrightson Teesdale Ltd.        |400,000                      

Josty (UK) Ltd.                         |20,000                       

                                                                      

1 April 1985-31 March 1986                                            

Brandtex Manufacturing Ltd.             |176,000                      

Bellrise Fashions Ltd.                  |12,500                       

Supreme Knitwear Manufacturing Co. Ltd. |25,000                       

John Harrison (Stockton) Ltd.           |20,000                       

Herrewege Brushes Ltd.                  |45,000                       

                                                                      

1 April 1986-31 March 1987                                            

Portrack Security Services              |5,000                        

F. Hills & Sons Ltd.                    |80,000                       

C. & S. Hogarth Ltd.                    |25,000                       

                                                                      

1 April 1987-31 March 1988                                            

Falcon Press (Stockton on Tees) Ltd.    |35,000                       

Artix Ltd.                              |280,000                      

Lionweld Ltd.                           |255,000                      

F. Hills & Sons Ltd.                    |40,000                       

                                                                      

1 April 1988-31 March 1989                                            

Billingham Press Ltd.                   |25,000                       

Spencer & Halstead Ltd.                 |400,000                      

BKE Ltd.                                |10,000                       

                                                                      

1 April 1989-30 September 1989                                        

No case details published                                             


(c) Offers of regional selective assistance in the Stockton, South              

parliamentary constituency                                                      

Company                                           |Amount offered               

                                                  |£                            

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

1 April 1982-31 March 1983                                                      

Parkfield Group plc                               |30,000                       

M. M. Knitwear 1982 Ltd.                          |96,000                       

Cleveland Microfilm Services Ltd.                 |25,000                       

Cardosi's Ltd.                                    |15,000                       

Eyetech Group Ltd.                                |95,000                       

Nerco Products Ltd.                               |5,000                        

Hygena Ltd.                                       |172,628                      

                                                                                

1 April 1983-31 March 1984                                                      

Northdale Rotary Engineering Ltd.                 |22,000                       

Hygena Ltd.                                       |366,000                      

Churchcliffe Glass                                |8,000                        

Panda Supplies Ltd.                               |20,000                       

Sanderson Chemical Consultants                    |20,000                       

                                                                                

1 April 1984-31 March 1985                                                      

Cresstale Ltd.                                    |20,000                       

J. G. Tinkler Ltd.                                |72,303                       

Tabuchi Electric (UK) Ltd.                        |300,000                      

                                                                                

1 April 1985-31 March 1986                                                      

British Visqueen Ltd.                             |400,000                      

Elta Plastics Ltd.                                |50,000                       

Cresstale Ltd.                                    |75,000                       

Harcros Chemicals UK Ltd.                         |400,000                      

Supreme Knitwear (1986) Ltd.                      |25,000                       

                                                                                

1 April 1986-31 March 1987                                                      

Laserprint and Display Ltd.                       |5,000                        

Cresstale Ltd.                                    |85,000                       

                                                                                

1 April 1987-31 March 1988                                                      

Supreme Knitwear Manufacturing Company Ltd.       |100,000                      

Wireless Video Products                           |5,000                        

Stainton Metal Company Ltd.                       |50,000                       

Tees Components Ltd.                              |48,000                       

Silleck Mouldings Ltd.                            |170,000                      

Sanyo Electric Manufacturing (UK) Ltd.            |721,000                      

                                                                                

1 April 1988-31 March 1989                                                      

De Novo Engineering Ltd.                          |20,000                       

Ready-To-Assemble Furniture Ltd.                  |400,000                      

Styles Precision Components Ltd.                  |20,000                       

Dalestone Concrete Products Ltd.                  |70,000                       

E. H. Education and Training (E. E. Hughes T. A.) |10,000                       

                                                                                

1 April 1989-30 September 1989                                                  

No case details published                                                       


Column 352


(D) Offers of regional selective assistance in the Middlesbrough            

local authority district                                                    

Company                                       |Amount offered               

                                              |£                            

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

1 April 1982-31 March 1983                                                  

Seaway International Cables Company Ltd.      |20,000                       

Fabrikat industries Ltd.                      |230,000                      

Collin Maintenance and Inspection Services    |200,000                      

                                                                            

1 April 1983-31 March 1984                                                  

Norlite Windows Ltd.                          |14,000                       

A. C. Walker and Co.                          |10,000                       

Solar Pans Ltd.                               |50,000                       

                                                                            

1 April 1984-31 March 1985                                                  

Henry Newbould Ltd.                           |480,000                      

                                                                            

1 April 1985-31 March 1986                                                  

Cleveland Cable Company Ltd.                  |45,000                       

                                                                            

1 April 1986-31 March 1987                                                  

Chemoxy International Ltd.                    |200,000                      

                                                                            

1 April 1987-31 March 1988                                                  

Marinecrown Ltd. T/A Tees Inshore Engineering |25,000                       

Bulkhaul Ltd.                                 |100,000                      

Stanley Vickers Ltd.                          |45,000                       

Northern Systems Ltd.                         |30,000                       

Amberley Foods Ltd.                           |550,000                      

Recovery Ltd.                                 |15,000                       

Maval Engineering Company Ltd.                |25,000                       

                                                                            

1 April 1988-31 March 1989                                                  

Gordian Print Ltd.                            |22,000                       

River Tees Engineering and Welding Ltd.       |50,000                       

Wearparts Ltd.                                |60,000                       

Cherry Marine Ltd.                            |15,000                       

                                                                            

1 April 1989-30 September 1989                                              

No case details published                                                   

Notes:                                                                      

<1> In accordance with normal practice, information has been restricted to  

that published in the quarterly tables in "British Business".               

<2> The figures relate to the Parliamentary Constituency areas of           

(a) Darlington                                                              

(b) Stockton North                                                          

(c) Stockton South                                                          

and to the local authority area of                                          

(d) Middlesbrough, excluding that part of the Stockton South Parliamentary  

Constituency within the borough boundary.                                   

Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many jobs have been created or safeguarded by regional aid in the Northern region since 1984.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : The number of jobs expected to be created or safeguarded in the Northern region through offers of regional develpment grant (RDG) and regional selective assistance (RSA) since 1984 is :


-

Regional Development Grants                  

Financial Year |Jobs                         

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

1984-85        |<2>846                       

1985-86        |11,340                       

1986-87        |18,389                       

1987-88        |21,156                       

1988-89        |25,013                       

               |---                          

  Total        |76,744                       


Regional Selective Assistance                

Financial Year |Jobs                         

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

1983-84        |14,133                       

1984-85        |13,579                       

1985-86        |5,984                        

1986-87        |9,600                        

1987-88        |6,123                        

1988-89        |4,487                        

1989-90<3>     |3,708                        

               |---                          

  Total        |57,614                       

<1> The northern region is the north east    

region plus Cumbria.                         

<2> Offers were made under the revised RGD   

scheme from 29 November 1984. Following the  

closure of the scheme on 31 March 1988, all  

outstanding offers were made in the period   

ending 31 March 1989. Prior to November 1984,

 RDG's were not linked to the creation or    

preservation of jobs, so no estimate is      

available of the effect on employment of     

payments under that scheme.                  

<3>  Period to 30 October 1989.              

Notes:                                       

1. Some RSA and RGD offers will relate to    

the same jobs but it is not practicable      

accurately to identify these.                

2. The figures for both schemes are based on 

offers made.                                 

3. Regional enterprise grants have also been 

available for firms employing less than 25   

people in development areas since April      

1988. Job creation or safeguarding is not,   

however, a condition of the scheme.          

4. Other Government Departments have no      

job-linked regional aid schemes.             

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Haselhurst : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the subjects on which he is not prepared to answer parliamentary questions.

Mr. Ridley : It is not possible to provide a definite and exhaustive list of questions which I might exceptionally decline to answer on grounds other than cost and commercial confidence. Each question will continue to be considered on its merits.

Ticket Touts

Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will make it his policy to introduce a system of licensing for ticket touts.

Mr. Forth : No.

Crown Immunity

Mr. Patchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any plans to remove Crown immunity from those establishments run by his Department subject to consumer protection and environmental health laws ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Forth : I refer the hon. Member to the reply my hon. Friend gave to the hon. and learned Member for Leicester, West (Mr. Janner) on 20 October 1989 at column 279.

Export Seminar

Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the cost to small firms wishing to attend the seminar organised by his Department on exporting to Belgium and Germany on 21 November.

Mr. Redwood : The exporting to Belgium seminar on 21 November costs £35 per delegate, including lunch.


Column 354

European Trade Committee

Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what trade union representation exists on the European trade committee.

Mr. Redwood : There is no trade union representation on the European trade committee. Members are selected on the basis of their wide experience of exporting and their knowledge of western Europe.

EMPLOYMENT

Earnings

Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide information covering each of the last five years showing the number of employees whose earnings fell below (a) the national insurance contributions lower earnings limit ; and (b) the PAYE threshold ; and if he will estimate what proportion of these employees are (i) women, (ii) female part-timers and (iii) part-timers.

Mr. Nicholls : The available information from the new earnings survey is not sufficiently precise to make reliable estimates separately distinguishing the numbers with earnings below these two thresholds. However, the numbers are broadly estimated to be in the following ranges :


April    |Millions         

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

1984     |2"-3             

1985     |23/4-3¬          

1986     |23/4-3¬          

1987     |3-3"             

1988     |3-3"             

It is estimated that women account for 75 per cent. of these employees, that female part-timers account for 70 per cent. and that all part-timers account for 90 per cent.

Restart

Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when results from the Restart cohort survey will be available ; if a copy of any preliminary findings and subsequently the full results will be published or placed in the Library ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Eggar : The final results from the Restart cohort study are likely to be available in the middle of 1991. A decision on publication will be taken in due course.

Employment Training

Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information is collected on the ET2 form which is completed for each employment training trainee by training managers ; and if he will give as much information as he has for each region and for Great Britain as a whole showing how many employment training trainees have achieved vocational qualifications ; how many have received any form of training bonus : and how much.

Mr. Nicholls : The information which is collected from the ET2 trainee record form is detailed in the following


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table. Information from the forms on qualifications obtained and numbers receiving training bonuses is still being analysed and its reliability assessed. No information is available about the amount of training bonus paid to trainees.

Employment Training--

Information Collected from ET2, Trainee Record Form--

Name and address

National Insurance number

Date of birth

Sex

Marital Status

Age band

Duration of unemployment

Whether disabled/health problem

Ethnic origin

Referral source

Eligibility code

Literacy and numeracy need

Whether trainee referred to Training Manager

Date of assessment

Training Agent/Training Manager Reference number

Date training started

Date training expected to end

Placed on project in first 4 weeks

Date of Training Manager action

Training Manager reference number

Date training ended

Main training occupation classification code

Type of training received

Whether studied for vocational qualification or credit

Whether gained vocational qualification or credit

Whether fulfilled agreed action plan

Whether received training bonus

Leaving code

Training Manager reference number


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