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Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment why there has been a delay in assessing employment training training managers for ATO status ; what effect this has had on the original timetable ; how many employment training training managers passed stage one ; how many have been told to make improvements ; how many have failed ; and if he will make a statement about the future timetable for carrying out the full assessment of ATO status in employment training.
Mr. Nicholls : Area office staff began the assessment of employment training training managers for ATO status immediately the programme began and they have continued that process.
It was originally hoped the process would be completed within 18 months of the beginning of the programme. It was recognised that training of managers, many of whom were new to training of this type, needed sufficient time to provide the evidence of the high standards of training required to satisfy the stringent criteria leading to the award of approved status. For this reason, the timetable allowed for the approval process is now set at two years from the date of commencement of operation.
At 31 October 1989, 338 training managers had passed stage 1. The monitoring activities for approved status provide for Training Agency staff to work in partnership with all training managers to offer advice about the developments necessary to achieve full status. No training managers have failed.
The timetable for approved status is set as described.
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Women Managers
Dr. Woodcock : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will outline the steps being taken by Her Majesty's Government to encourage the employment of women in management jobs.
Mr. Nicholls : Employers are bound by the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 to afford equal opportunities at all occupational levels to women and men. The careers service, the employment service and the Training Agency take every opportunity to bring openings in management and other senior appointments to the attention of appropriate women and to advise them of the necessary qualifications and available training.
I and colleagues frequently remind employers of the need to use women's talents to the full, particularly at managerial level, and to emphasise that women must be treated equally with men. We are also supporting initiatives which help to promote women's enterprise. It is encouraging that the number of women managers is rising and that the Institute of Employment Research predicts that by 1995 two fifths of managers and entrepreneurs will be women.
NATO Exercises
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the extent of involvement by his Department in NATO exercise Wintex-Cimex 1987 and exercise Wintex-Cimex 1989 ; what is the number of staff engaged in the exercise planning process and in the exercises themselves ; and what are the posts, ranks and responsibilities of the staff involved.
Mr. Eggar : My Department plays its part in testing those procedures in which we have an interest. Staff participate as required ; it would not be appropriate for me to supply the detail requested.
Computers (Public Safety)
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to ensure all aspects of decision-making at all levels involving public safety will not be compromised by the commercial secrecy of any computer codes which may be involved in such decision- making.
Mr. Nicholls : The Health and Safety Executive is working with Government Departments to develop guidelines and standards for the use of computer software in safety-related applications. Under section 20 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, inspectors have powers to make any necessary examination or investigation.
Industrial Accident Regulations
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will extend the scope of the Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazard (CIMAH) Regulations to cover nuclear installations.
Mr. Nicholls : No. Such an extension is neither appropriate nor necessary. The operation of nuclear installations is already closely controlled by the conditions attached to nuclear site licences granted by the Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965.
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The HSE is currently developing regulations which will apply to nuclear installations requirements similar to those of the CIMAH regulations on the preparation of off-site emergency plans by local authorities and the provision of information to the public.New Businesses
Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many new businesses registered for value added tax in Derbyshire in the latest year for which figures are available.
Mr. Eggar : In 1988, the estimated number of new registrations for value added tax in Derbyshire was 3,110. The net increase in the number of VAT-registered businesses in Derbyshire in 1988 was 740, or 3.3 per cent. bringing the total number of VAT- registered businesses in Derbyshire to 22,770.
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Enterprise Allowance Scheme
Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people in Derbyshire were benefiting from the enterprise allowance scheme in the latest year for which figures are available.
Mr. Eggar : In the financial year April 1988 to March 1989 a total of 1,555 people joined the enterprise allowance scheme in Derbyshire.
Construction Industry (Injuries)
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many occupational injuries per 1,000 workers were reported in the construction industry (a) in total, (b) for employees, (c) for the self-employed and (d) others for each year from 1979 to 1988-89.
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 2 November 1989] : The available information is given in the table. Figures for the periods 1979-80, 1981 to 1985 and 1986 onwards are not comparable owing to changes in reporting arrangements. Figures for 1988-89 are provisional.
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Injury incidence rates<1> for injuries to employees and the self employed in the construction industry<2> in Great Britain
Year Employees Self employed
|Fatal and major |All reported |Fatal and major |All reported
|Rate per thousand<3>|Rate per thousand<4>|Rate per thousand<3>|Rate per thousand<4>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |<7> |31.5 |<7> |<7>
1980 |<7> |30.0 |<7> |<7>
1981 |1.7 |41.9 |0.1 |<7>
1982 |2.0 |40.7 |<7> |<7>
1983 |2.2 |<7> |0.2 |<7>
1984 |2.4 |<7> |0.2 |<7>
1985 |2.4 |<7> |0.3 |<7>
1986-87<5> |2.7 |19.4 |0.9 |2.3
1987-88<5> |2.8 |19.3 |1.0 |2.4
1988-89<5><6> |2.8 |18.4 |1.3 |2.9
<1> Rates based on injuries reported to Health and Safety Executive's Factory and Agricultural Inspectorates and all other
relevant enforcing authorities, under the Notification of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, 1980 (NADOR) for
1981 to 1985 and the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, 1985 (RIDDOR) for later years.
Rates for the years 1979-80 are based on reports made under various legislation to the Health and Safety Executive's
Inspectorate only.
<2> The construction industry is defined as Standard Industrial Classification 1980 Division 5.
<3> The major injury category was first introduced by NADOR. The definition of a major injury was widened with the
introduction of RIDDOR on 1 April 1986.
<4> Includes injuries causing incapacity for work for more than three days. For the years 1979-80 and from 1986-87 over three
day injury data is based on employers' reports to enforcing authorities. For 1981-82 the over three day injury data is based
on industrial injury benefit claims.
<5> Year beginning 1 April.
<6> Provisional.
<7> Not available.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Trade Deficit
Mr. Orme : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the balance of trade deficit.
Mr. Major : The deficit on visible trade in the third quarter of 1989 was £6.8 billion. In that quarter exports, in both value and volume terms, were at an all-time high. Excluding oil and erratics, export volumes were 8 per cent. higher than in the third quarter of 1988. Imports in the third quarter of 1989 were also at an all-time high, but import growth has slowed down significantly since last year. As domestic demand slows further, import growth should also continue to decline.
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Crown Estates (Revenue)
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the revenue raised by the Crown Estate for the last five years by sea area for (a) dredging licences and (b) mooring rights.
Mr. Major : Statistics on dredging activity are collated by main dredging area. The revenues raised by the Crown Estate from licences to dredge aggregate for the last five calendar years were :
2
£ million
|1984|1985|1986|1987|1988
--------------------------------------------------
East Coast |0.9 |1.1 |1.3 |1.5 |1.9
Thames Estuary |0.4 |0.4 |0.4 |0.4 |0.5
South Coast |0.5 |0.6 |0.6 |0.7 |0.9
Solent and Spithead |0.1 |0.1 |0.1 |0.1 |0.1
Bristol channel |0.3 |0.3 |0.4 |0.5 |0.5
Liverpool Bay and
River Mersey |0.05|0.05|0.06|0.07|0.07
Statistics for the revenue from mooring rights for the last five years are not readily available on the same basis. However, revenue for the 1988-89 financial year by main area of activity was :
|£ (thousands)
----------------------------------------------------------------
East Coast of England |10.2
South Coast of England |96.8
West Coast of England
(with Wales and Northern Ireland) |8.3
Scottish Waters |46.8
Child Care
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what rules he applies to parents receiving vouchers or allowances in lieu of child care facilities not provided by employers ; and what concessions he makes to those employers who do.
Mr. Lilley : Under the normal business tax rules, employers qualify for tax relief on day-to-day expenditure on all forms of child care provision for their employees' children, including cash allowances and vouchers. Tax relief is also available for certain capital expenditure on child care facilities. Cash allowances or vouchers given by employers to employees in lieu of child care facilities are taxable under the normal income tax rules.
Workplace Nurseries
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider a change in the law in relation to the taxation of workplace nurseries and child care subsidies.
Mr. Lilley : Proposals to change the tax law in relation to workplace nurseries and child care subsidies were considered and rejected by the House during the passage of this year's Finance Bill. My right hon. Friend has no plans to reopen this matter.
Emergency Communications
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the liaison arrangements between the Central Office of Information and United States civilian or military authorities on the proposed content of emergency radio and television broadcasts in the United Kingdom during a pre-war crisis.
Mr. Ryder : No liaison arrangements have been made between the Central Office of Information and United States civilian or military authorities on the proposed content of emergency radio and television broadcasts in the United Kingdom during a pre-war crisis.
Benjamin Report
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will arrange for a copy of the report by Professor Bernard Benjamin, "Accessibility and other problems relating to statistics used by social scientists", to be placed in the Library.
Mr. Lilley : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 31 October at cols. 153-54. I understand that the report is available on request from the Economic and Social Research Council.
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Pensions
Mr. Neil Thorne : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider removing the attributable forces family pension from taxation.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 27 October 1989] : I have no plans to do so.
War Widows
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his Department's definition of a war widow for the purpose of taxation.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 27 October 1989] : There is no definition of war widow in tax legislation. Section 318 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 defines the pensions and allowances, generally regarded as war widows' pensions, which are not treated as income for tax purposes.
Rugby Players (Tax)
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his reply of 25 October to the hon. Member for Wakefield, if he will specify the information that is available about income tax paid by rugby union players in respect of relevant earnings.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 30 October 1989] : For the reason given in my reply of 25 October to the hon. Member at column 451, no such information is available.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
County Courts
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Attorney-General what plans he has to make county courts more accessible for disabled people, especially in terms of physical accessibility, provision for the hard of hearing, clarity of signposting.
The Attorney-General : New and adapted or reconditioned court buildings provide, to the maximum possible extent, all the facilities required for the disabled, including lifts and ramps as necessary. Other buildings have had improvements incorporated where this has been feasible. New court rooms are designed to high acoustic standards which benefit the hard of hearing. Internal signs are made as clear as possible. Court staff are always available to assist disabled court users.
Court Fees
Mr. Archer : To ask the Attorney-General how much money was raised by county court fees, respectively, in the years 1986-87, 1987-88 and 1988- 89 ; how much money was spent on county court services, other than on judicial salaries in each of these years ; how much money was raised in High Court fees in each of these years ; and how much money was spent on High Court services other than on judicial salaries in each of these years.
The Attorney-General : The income raised by fees in the county court and the Supreme Court (High Court and Court of Appeal) respectively for the last three years, and the total cost of the civil courts, exclusive of judicial costs,
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are shown in the table. It is not possible to give a precise breakdown of costs between the Supreme Court and county courts. Civil business is treated as a single entity and many of the components of the overall figure, for example administrative overheads, are not broken down in this way. However, an estimate based on 1988-89 figures suggests that 75 per cent. of the cost is attributable to county court and district registry services, and 25 per cent. to other Supreme Court services.
£ millions
|1986-87|1987-88|1988-89
------------------------------------------------------------------
County Court fees |91.5 |96.4 |97.4
Supreme Court fees |43.2 |47.0 |52.5
Total fees |134.7 |143.4 |149.9
Non judicial cost of civil courts |121.1 |133.5 |143.9
Excess of fees over cost |13.6 |9.9 |6.0
County Courts (Civil Justice Review)
Mr. Archer : To ask the Attorney-General what additional staff accommodation, judges and registrars will be made available to the county court in order to implement the recommendations of the civil justice review.
The Attorney-General : Implementation of the civil justice review recommendations are to be phased over a period of five years. Resources for the first stages of the programme are currently the subject of public expenditure survey negotiations.
Legal Aid
Mr. Archer : To ask the Attorney-General what was the percentage increase (a) in legal aid fees and (b) in total costs per legal aid certificate in each year since 1979.
The Attorney-General : (a) No rates are prescribed for non- matrimonial civil cases. From 1 October 1988 a system of prescribed rates and fees was introduced for legally aided matrimonial work, which were increased by 6 per cent. with effect from 1 April 1989. Rates for non- matrimonial legal aid work remain in the discretion of individual court taxing officers.
For criminal cases prior to 1982 there were no prescribed rates for remuneration. With effect from 1 October 1982 rates were prescribed by regulations. Those rates have been increased by the following percentages :
|Solicitors|Counsel
|per cent. |per cent.
--------------------------------------------
1983-84 |5 |5
1984-85 |4.5 |4.5
1985-86 |4 |4
1986-87 |<1>5 |5
|<2>6.5 |5
1987-88 |6 |5
1988-89 |5.4 |5.2
<1> with effect from 1 April 1986
<2> with effect from 1 October 1986
(b) For civil cases the percentage increase in total costs per legal aid certificate in each year since 1979 was :
|per cent.
------------------------------
1979-80 |18.44
1980-81 |14.91
1981-82 |26.25
1982-83 |17.89
1983-84 |14.18
1984-85 |10.36
1985-86 |10.16
1986-87 |10.22
1987-88 |8.99
1988-89 |16.22
For criminal proceedings in magistrates courts the percentage increase in total costs per legal certificate in each year since 1979 was :
|Per cent.
------------------------------
1979-80 |19.08
1980-81 |23.50
1981-82 |5.98
1982-83 |6.93
1983-84 |7.73
1984-85 |8.85
1985-86 |7.46
1986-87 |11.54
1987-88 |14.95
1988-89 |10.06
For criminal proceedings in the higher courts information is available only from 1985. The percentage increase in total costs per legal aid order for solicitors from that year was :
|Per cent.
------------------------------
1985-86 |9.79
1986-87 |13.53
1987-88 |11.32
1988-89 |4.40
No information is available on counsel's fees by reference to legal aid orders for the higher courts.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Naturalisation
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for naturalisation were made to the immigration and nationality department in (a) 1987, (b) 1988 and (c) the current year to date.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The number of applications for naturalisation received in caseworking groups was as follows :
|Number
---------------------
1987 |22,696
1988 |24,632
1989 |46,515
Because of delays in the initial processing of applications, the figures for the years in question may include applications received in a previous year.
Citizenship
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of applications received for registration for citizenship by 31 December 1987.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The number of applications for registration for citizenship received in caseworking groups
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during 1987 was 57,322. In addition, there were a substantial number of applications for registration received in the Home Office which were received in groups after 1987. A figure for this is not currently available.Animal Experiments
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy not to grant any licence under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to Perrycroft Lodge kennels in Malvern.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Applications for licences and certificates under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 are considered individually on their merits but it is not our practice to comment on particular applications.
Game Licences
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to review the system of game licences in the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : We have no plans to review the system of game licences.
Deportations
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been deported from the United Kingdom in each of the past 10 years (a) for being illegal immigrants and (b) for other reasons.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Information on persons removed from the United Kingdom between 1987 and 1988 under the enforcement powers in the Immigration Act 1971, either as illegal entrants or under the deportation process, is published in tables 23 and 24 of "Control of Immigration : Statistics, United Kingdom 1988" (Cm. 726), a copy of which is in the Library.
Drug Addicts
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will advise chief constables to make available police pathology lab photographs of the bodies of dead drug addicts to schools and parents in order to show the effects more realistically.
Mr. Waddington : We have no plans to give such advice. Many schools have already introduced a programme of drugs education and all schools will be required to do so under the national curriculum.
HM Prison, Shrewsbury
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the causes for delay in selling houses owned by his Department in Shrewsbury to prison officers based at Her Majesty's prison, Shrewsbury ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waddington : Since the introduction of the discount sale scheme of quarters to prison officers in June 1987, over 4,500 applications have been received in England and Wales. Approximately 3,400--75 per cent.-- sales have so far been completed, with a further 500 accepted offers currently with solicitors.
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Inevitably there have been some delays in dealing with difficult cases and at Shrewsbury there have been particular problems with four properties in The Dana opposite the prison. A detailed survey was needed to determine the areas of land to be sold with each property and the question of rights of way and inclusion of associated lock -up garages had also to be considered. The deeds, dating back to 1598, were rather obscure and had to be investigated by the Treasury Solicitor to establish proper title.The delay in these cases is regretted but the Treasury Solicitor is in possession of all necessary deeds and documents, together with detailed plans for conveyance purposes, and is reaching completions as quickly as possible.
Criminal Injuries Compensation Board
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average time taken by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board between the receiving of a claim and bringing the matter to settlement ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge (Mr. Shersby) on 17 October 1989 at column 16 .
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is satisfied with the efficiency and staffing of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.
Mr. John Patten : To deal with the steep rise in the number of applications the board's complement has been increased from 220 in 1987 to 320 now and a new office has been opened in Glasgow. We are in close touch with the chairman of the board about ways of improving efficiency at the board and tackling the problems of delay and backlog caused by the increased workload.
Child Abuse
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will instigate a report to discover the sociological and psychological backgrounds on child abusers ; (2) if he will instigate a research project to discover how widespread the problem of child abuse is within the community ; and what are the effects upon the individual child, the family unit concerned, and the sentencing and removal of the abuser.
Mr. John Patten : A table listing recent, current and planned research into child abuse funded by all Government Departments was placed in the Library in May this year. This covers the period 1989-90 and includes projects on the perpetrators, prevalence and effects of child abuse to be undertaken mainly by health departments. The Home Office is undertaking research into prevention and evidential matters. We are also preparing for publication a statistical study of criminal proceedings for offences against children, taking in sentencing. It is too early to say what projects Departments will be including in 1990-91 research programmes.
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up a national prevention programme against child abuse.
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Mr. John Patten : The Government are supporting a number of preventive measures. An important factor in preventing child abuse is to ensure that children are taught how to keep themselves safe, and to this end a set of guidelines for parents, drawn up by the organisation KIDSCAPE, has been incorporated in the Home Office crime prevention handbook "Practical Ways to Crack Crime". Three million copies of the handbook have been distributed.
The Department of Health provides a financial contribution towards the administrative expenses of a number of national voluntary organisations which campaign for the prevention of child abuse, for example the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and Childline. The Department of Health also funded the production of a training package by the Open university which was launched earlier this year and which aims to provide people who have had little or no knowledge of the subject of child abuse, as well as professionals and voluntary workers, with greater awareness and recognition skills.
Broadwater Farm (Police Raid)
Mr. Bernie Grant : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to how many police officers and other personnel were used in the raid on Broadwater Farm by the police on Friday 29 September ; if any armed police officers were used ; how many press, radio and television journalists accompanied the police, and representing which newspapers, radio and television stations ; how many observers accompanied the police and from where ; what briefing was given to the observers and the press by the police ; and where and for how long the observers and the press were kept incommunicado.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that 229 police officers were involved in the operation but none of them was armed. Eight media organisations accompanied the police. There were four personnel (one reporter, three crew) from Independent Television News, three (one reporter, two crew) from BBC News, two (one reporter, one photographer) from the Press Association, and one journalist from each of The Mail on Sunday, BBC Radio News, the News of the World, the Tottenham and Hornsey Journal and Independent Radio News. Four observers accompanied the police, of which three were members of the Haringey police liaison committee and the fourth was the director of criminal justice studies at Reading university. All the observers and the media representatives were present throughout the entire main briefing given to the police officers at the police training centre at Hendon. They were incommunicado from the time they joined police early on the morning of 29 September until about 5 pm that afternoon when the operation commenced.
Attempted Suicides
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many attempted suicides have been recorded in prison establishments in England and Wales during 1989 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waddington : We have received reports of 463 apparent suicide attempts made by inmates in prison service custody so far during 1989.
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Suicides
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many suicides in England and Wales have occurred during 1989 (a) at prison establishments and (b) in remand establishments ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waddington : At the end of October 1989 verdicts of suicide had been returned on 20 inmates who died in prison establishments in England and Wales during 1989. Of these inmates eight were on remand. Inquests have yet to be held on 13 other inmates, of whom 10 were on remand, who have died in prison department custody during this period and whose deaths are thought to have been suicides.
Prisoners
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the sentence and remand prison population for England and Wales for the latest date available, and for each year since 1979 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waddington : The latest available information is that in September 1989, 10,536 remand, 222 non-criminal and 37,851 sentenced prisoners were held in prison service establishments. A further 30, most of whom were on remand, were held in police cells. Average populations in each of the last 11 years were published in table 1.5 of "Prison Statistics England and Wales 1988" (Cm 825), a copy of which is in the Library.
Acid House Parties
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many arrests for drug-related offences have been made to date at events described as acid house parties ;
(2) what information he has on which drugs and in what quantities have been seized by police at events described as acid house parties.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : This information is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Drugs
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in each of the last 10 years have been fined for drug-related offences.
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