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Number of members |Number of credit unions
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Less than100 |109
100 to 250 |44
250 to 500 |23
500 to 1,000 |8
More than1,000 |6
Workplace Nurseries
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has any plans to change the tax treatment of the receipt of workplace nursery provision by employees ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lilley : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Norwood (Mr. Fraser) on 3 November 1989 at column 361 .
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Refuseniks
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Russian authorities about the case of Mark and Veronika Proekt and their sons, Alexander and Simon, of Leningrad.
Mr. Maude : We have not previously raised this particular case with the Soviet authorities, but we shall be happy to do so if my hon. Friend will provide the necessary details about this case.
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Russian authorities about the case of Boris Tsirelson, and his parents, Simon and Esther, of Leningrad.
Mr. Maude : We take every opportunity to press the Soviet authorities on individual refusenik cases such as that of the Tsirelson family. This case was last raised when my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs met Mr. Shevardnadze in New York on 29 September. We shall maintain our pressure until the Tsirelson family is allowed to emigrate.
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Russian authorities about the case of Emmanuel and Judith Lurie, of Moscow.
Mr. Maude : We take every opportunity to press the Soviet authorities on individual refusenik cases such as Emmanuel and Judith Lurie. My right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised this case when he met Mr. Shevardnadze in New York on 29 September. We have recently heard the very welcome news that Emmanuel and Judith Lurie have at last received permission to emigrate from the USSR.
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Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Russian authorities about the case of Boris and Anna Klemberg, of Kiev.
Mr. Maude : Boris Klemberg recently received permission to emigrate and is now in Israel with his daughter. We shall now include Anna Klemberg among those refusenik cases on which we press the Soviet authorities.
Israel-South Africa (Nuclear Weapons)
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has received from the United Kingdom ambassadors to South Africa, Israel and the United Nations on the allegation made by the United States security services that the Israelis and South Africans are jointly developing a nuclear-capable launch vehicle and a compatible atomic warhead.
Mr. Maude : We are aware of the recent reports in the press to which the question refers. Any collaboration between Israel and South Africa in nuclear weapon or ballistic missile research would be a matter for serious concern. It is not our policy to comment on the substance of confidential diplomatic correspondence.
Microwave Transmission
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what protection has been provided to embassy staff and buildings in Moscow and elsewhere to counteract the effects of microwave radiation.
Mr. Maude : For security reasons, we do not divulge details of measures taken to protect Her Majesty's overseas missions and their staff.
PRIME MINISTER
Homelessness
Q33. Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Prime Minister if she will visit the homeless people sleeping on the South Bank.
The Prime Minister : I have at present no plans to do so.
Central and Eastern Europe
Q45. Mr. Boswell : To ask the Prime Minister what recent representations she has received concerning Her Majesty's Government's response to political events in central and eastern Europe.
The Prime Minister : I have received many representations on this subject, from hon. Members, the public and interested organisations. The Government greatly welcome current developments in Poland and in Hungary which are moving towards democracy, freedom and market-based economic systems. We are taking many practical steps to aid this process and we are prepared to do more. We hope that other countries in the region will evolve in the same way and that current changes in the GDR will continue.
Stevenage
Q93. Mr. Wood : To ask the Prime Minister if she will visit Stevenage.
The Prime Minister : I have at present no plans to do so.
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European Council
Q115. Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Prime Minister if she will raise at the next meeting of the European Council the proposals made by the president of the Council on monetary union and other matters on 25 October.
The Prime Minister : The issue of economic and monetary union will be on the agenda for the next meeting of the European council in Strasbourg on 8 and 9 December. The President of the Council will no doubt present any proposals he wishes to make at that meeting.
Edmonton
Q156. Dr. Twinn : To ask the Prime Minister if she will visit Edmonton.
The Prime Minister : I have at present no plans to do so.
Port Glasgow
Q158. Dr. Godman : To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to visit Port Glasgow in the near future.
The Prime Minister : I have at present no plans to do so.
South Hams
Q195. Mr. Steen : To ask the Prime Minister if she will visit South Hams.
The Prime Minister : I have at present no plans to do so.
Fishing Industry
Q198. Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Prime Minister what representatives she has received from organisations representing the fishing boat building industry regarding the state of the industry ; and if she will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : My hon. Friend the Minister for Industry received a delegation from the Shipbuilders and Ship Repairers Association on 2 November at which the current problems of the fishing boat building industry were discussed.
The Commission has imposed a ban on state aid to fund boat building, but there are support measures available for the industry to help it to develop new products and export services to help in identifying and developing new markets.
ading Ministers (Financial Affairs) Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Prime Minister (1) what safeguards are in place to ensure that Ministers or former Ministers do not allow stockholding companies or financial intermediaries handling their personal affairs to trade in stocks where price-sensitive information has been made available ; (2) what safeguards are in place to ensure that former Ministers do not give price- sensitive information to stock market traders ; whether any breaches have occurred in the period 1982 to 1988 ; and if she will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : For any individual knowingly to deal on the basis of unpublished price-sensitive information obtained (directly or indirectly) from an insider is a criminal offence under the insider dealing legislation. As has been the practice under successive
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Governments, Ministers are given advice, on taking up office, on steps which should be taken and action from which they should refrain in respect of any investments they may hold or acquire so as to avoid a conflict of interest. This includes the advice that Ministers should scrupulously avoid speculative investments in securities about which they have, or may be thought to have, early or confidential information likely to affect the price of those securities. I am unaware of any breaches of the legislation by Ministers or former Ministers having occurred in the period 1982-88.Aging
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Prime Minister what steps she takes to co-ordinate Government policy on aging and related issues.
The Prime Minister : Elderly people, like all other groups in society, are affected by the policies of many different Government Departments. Consequently there are many occasions when policies cannot be made in isolation and Ministers and officials in different Government Departments consult each other as necessary. I am satisfied that these consultations permit issues to be dealt with speedily and effectively.
Cabinet Secretary
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Prime Minister what is her practice on the attendance of the Cabinet Secretary at Commonwealth heads of government conferences.
The Prime Minister : With my agreement, it is the practice of the present Secretary of the Cabinet not to accompany me to Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings, or on other overseas visits, in order to permit him to use these opportunities to visit Civil Service locations outside London in his capacity as head of the home Civil Service.
Engagements
Mr. Stern : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 9 November.
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 9 November.
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 9 November.
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 9 November.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 9 November.
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 9 November.
The Prime Minister : This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.
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WALES
Community Charge
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what will be the average cost per family in Newport that will be demanded by the community charge.
Mr. Grist : If Welsh local authorities spend in line with standard spending assessments for 1990-91 the average community charge in Wales will be £175. However, until relevant population figures from community charge registers are available it would be misleading and unhelpful to produce illustrative figures for individual authorities for 1990-91. Ultimately it will be for local authorities themselves to set their budgets and fix actual community charge levels in spring 1990.
Hospital Ward Closures
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) against what criteria he expects health authorities in Wales to have taken decisions on possible ward closures during the Christmas period ; (2) how many beds will be involved in ward closures during the Christmas period in each health authority in Wales ;
(3) if he will give, for each health authority in Wales, the average number of days per bed that will be involved in ward closures during the Christmas period ;
(4) if he will list the ward closures during the Christmas period planned by each health authority in Wales ;
(5) what arrangements have been made by each health authority in Wales to guarantee the comfort and wellbeing of any patients affected by ward closures during the Christmas period ;
(6) what categories of speciality are involved in possible hospital ward closures during the Christmas period in each health authority area in Wales ;
(7) what guidance he has offered to health authorities in Wales in regard to meeting the personal needs of patients affected by ward closures during the Christmas period.
Mr. Grist : Arrangements for the provision of hospital services over the Christmas period are operational matters for the district health authorities concerned.
Announcements
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what criteria he employs in deciding whether to make an announcement by oral statement in the House, by written answer, by depositing papers in the Library or by press notice ; and how these criteria were applied to his announcement of the proposed system of Welsh revenue support grant on 6 November.
Mr. Peter Walker : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones) on Monday 6 November.
Family Practitioner Committees
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the current or most recent salary level for the administrator post in respect of each of the family practitioner committees in Wales.
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Mr. Grist : The current salary bands which apply to each of the FPC administrator posts in Wales are shown in the table :
Salary
FPC |Minimum|Maximum
|£ |£
----------------------------------------
Clwyd |22,404 |27,258
Dyfed |22,404 |26,210
Gwent |22,404 |27,258
Gwynedd |20,714 |24,233
Mid Glamorgan |22,404 |27,258
Powys |20,714 |23,301
South Glamorgan |22,404 |27,258
West Glamorgan |22,404 |27,258
The maximum salary figures for all the posts except that of Powys FPC reflect an element of salary protection consequent upon assimilation onto the new pay scale for NHS administrative and clerical staff applicable from 1 April 1989.
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what salary level has been set for the chief executive's post in respect of each family practitioner committee in Wales.
Mr. Grist : The flat rate salaries currently proposed for the FPC general manager posts in Wales are shown in the table :
FPC |Salary
|£
------------------------------
Clwyd |29,300
Dyfed |28,300
Gwent |29,300
Gwynedd |28,300
Mid Glamorgan |30,400
Powys |25,500
South Glamorgan |29,300
West Glamorgan |29,300
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the cost of advertising the posts of chief executive for each of the family practitioner committees in Wales.
Mr. Grist : The new general manager posts for the family practitioner committees in Wales were advertised by means of a comprehensive advertisement in the national and specialist health service press. The cost of this was £13,257.
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total cost of appointing chief executives to the family practitioner committees in Wales, including advertisers, costs of interviews, travel and meetings for everyone involved, and the costs of staff time involved.
Mr. Grist : This information is not yet available as the appointment exercise is only now being completed and several final accounts have still to be presented.
A55 Expressway
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how he proposes to protect the environment of North Wales consequent upon the completion of the A55 Expressway ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Walker : I am confident that planning authorities will in discharging their responsibilities continue to take full account of the need for balance between conservation and new development.
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Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has received a copy of the Institute of Welsh Affairs report entitled "Prospects for North Wales : the New A55 Expressway ;" and if he will make a statement on his response to its recommendations.
Mr. Peter Walker : The chairman of the institute forwarded a copy of the report to me on 11 October. I attach a copy of my response which I am also placing in the Library.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will establish a task force to respond to the effects of the A55 Expressway ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Walker : I expect to make an announcement before the end of the year in response to the views which my hon. Friend the Minister of State has sought on how the opportunities presented by the A55 improvements can best be used to the advantage of north Wales.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the annual increase in inward migration in Wales consequent upon the completion of the A55 Expressway ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Walker : The mid-year estimates of population for Gwynedd and Clwyd indicate an increasing net inward migration since 1981 into both counties. I would expect this trend to continue as the A55 improvements bring forward further opportunities for industrial and economic development.
BP Plant (Balan Bay)
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will ask Her Majesty's chief inspector of pollution to investigate the potential dangers to the local population in South Wales from the incident on 6 July at the British Petroleum Balan Bay plant.
Mr. Grist : Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has already investigated this incident and are satisfied that there was no danger to the local population on account of atmospheric emissions from the plant.
SOCIAL SECURITY
NATO Exercises
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security 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.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The Department plays its part in testing those procedures in which it has an interest. Staff participate as required ; it would not be appropriate for me to supply the detail requested.
Registered Unemployed
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the effect of the changes in social security on the number of registered unemployed.
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Mrs. Gillian Shephard : We expect the changes will result in a reduction of some 50,000.
Local Office, Norcross
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average length of time it takes his Department's office at Norcross, Blackpool to reply to letters from (a) claimants and (b) hon. Members ; and what steps are being taken to speed up the process.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Information on the average time taken to reply to letters from claimants is not available, but the quality of service provided by the Department's offices at Norcross is currently being monitored. The average time taken to reply to letters from hon. and right hon. Members is between five and six days.
Wheelchairs
Mr. Mills : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current level of support for the provision of wheelchairs for disabled people.
Mr. Scott : This is a matter for the Disablement Services Authority to which my hon. Friend may wish to address his question.
Hostel Board and Lodging Charges
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what arrangements will be made, following the recent changes to hostel board and lodging charges, to cover charges for ineligible services once the present transitional arrangement period ends ; and what is the position for the payment of ineligible services payments for new hostels.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Hostel dwellers are expected to meet their normal, day-to-day service charges from income support, in the same way as other income support recipients. As explained in the statement given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Croydon, Central (Mr. Moore) on 16 March ( Official Report, column 546 ), from April 1991 the money expended by the central unit to maintain hostel income will be transferred to existing funding sources. We would expect hostels to take this into account when setting their charges. The Department of Social Security has transferred a total of over £2 million in a full year to the Department of the Environment, Scottish and Welsh Offices to help certain new hostels.
Income Support
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the overall cost of (a) increasing the rate of income support for all single people under 25 years to the same rate as those over 25 years and (b) extending entitlement to full income support to all those under 18 years in receipt of bridging allowance, special hardship allowance and those registered as waiting for a YTS place with no other income ; and if he will express these figures as a percentage of the total social security budget.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The overall estimate cost of (a) increasing the rate of income support (and aligned income-related benefits) for all single people under 25 years is £205 million, or 0.4 per cent. of the total social
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security budget, and (b) extending entitlement and giving the full income support personal allowance to all under 18 years in receipt of bridging allowance and "severe hardship" allowance is £12.5 million, or 0.025 per cent. of the total social security budget.Information about those registered as waiting for a YTS place is not available.
Community Charge Rebate
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the numbers of adult residents of (a) each London borough and (b) each district council likely to be entitled to the maximum rebate, during the first year of operation of the community charge in England and Wales ; and if he will express these figures as a proportion of the estimated population of each local authority liable to community charge.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : It is not possible to estimate the number of adult residents in each local authority area who will be entitled to maximum community charge benefit in 1990-91. Current estimates suggest that, in Great Britain as a whole, between one quarter and one third of those liable to pay the full community charge will be entitled to community charge benefit.
Tax Benefit Model Tables
Mr. French : To ask the Secretry of State for Social Security when he expects to publish the 1989 edition of the tax benefit model tables.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Copies will be placed in the Library today.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Agricultural and Food Research Council
75. Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about the Agricultural and Food Research Council's research and development budget.
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