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Mr. Peter Walker : Information on the number of household accommodation temporarily under part III of the Housing Act 1983 in bed and breakfast accommodation is collected only with respect to the last day of each quarter. Information is not available on type of household or of the number of children within household. Available information for the 31 December of each year is shown in the table. Estimates for the 31 December 1989 will not be available until April 1990.
Households
accommodated in Bed
and Breakfast
accommodation<1>
|Number
---------------------
1983 |17
1984 |31
1985 |20
1986 |35
1987 |45
1988 |41
<1> Under part III
of the Housing Act
1985.
Food Poisoning
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what factors he has identified within the process of food production as making a significant contribution to the increased number of food poisoning cases reported in each of the last four years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Walker : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 6 December.
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South Glamorgan Women's Workshop
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what submissions he has made, to the European Commission, whether via normal interdepartmental channels or directly to the European Commission, to seek continuation of the present level of funding plus allowances for inflation for the South Glamorgan women's workshop ; and what response has been received.
Mr. Peter Walker : European social fund support for the South Glamorgan women's workshop in 1989 is a matter for the Department of Employment. However my Department has submitted an indicative funding proposal to the European Commission in respect of European social fund support for the workshop in the years 1990, 1991 and 1992 in the context of the proposed integrated development operation for industrial south Wales. This integrated development operation programme has still to be approved by the Commission.
Welsh Language
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date he asked the Welsh Language Board to draw up a strategy for the Welsh language ; on what date he received such a strategy ; whether he has accepted the strategy so prepared by the Welsh Language Board ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Walker : I established the Welsh Language Board in June 1988 with a remit to consider all matters relating to the Welsh language. The board sent its strategy document to me on 23 May 1989. The board has subsequently published further, more detailed proposals, the practical implications of which are currently being considered.
Cleddau Bridge
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give details of central Government assistance in each year since 1970 to the former Pembrokeshire county council and Dyfed county council towards the cost of the construction and maintenance of the Cleddau bridge, Pembrokeshire.
Mr. Peter Walker : No central Government assistance has been specifically directed towards Cleddau bridge. Dyfed and Pembrokeshire county councils have received unhypothecated capital and revenue resources from central Government in support of their expenditure including that associated with Cleddau bridge.
Hospice Movement
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he has any plans to alter the funding of the hospice movement in Wales on lines similar to those recently announced for the funding for Scotland ;
(2) whether, in any new funding plans for the hospice movement in Wales, he will make it his policy to include help for both units that provide a bedded service and those that provide day care only.
Mr. Peter Walker : I am considering plans to offer financial assistance for terminal care in Wales and will be making a statement in due course.
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Redundant Mineworkers Payments Scheme
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the numbers and percentages of the unemployed totals removed from all Welsh unemployed registers as a result of changes that took effect in August in the redundant mineworkers payments scheme.
Mr. Peter Walker : Latest estimates suggest that in Wales about 500 miners have decided to take advantage of the change in the redundant mineworkers payment scheme. It is of course entirely optional for the redundant mineworkers to decide whether or not to register as unemployed.
Travel-to-work Areas
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many of the travel-to-work areas in Wales which had (a) over 10 per cent. unemployment and (b) between 5 and 10 per cent. unemployment in October 1989, are (i) development areas and (ii) intermediate areas.
Mr. Peter Walker : Two development areas had over 10 per cent. unemployment and nine had rates between 5 and 10 per cent. in October 1989. All 11 intermediate areas were in the latter category.
Baglan-Lonlas Motorway
Mr. John Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when it is now proposed that a start will be made on the Baglan-Lonlas motorway section ; and if he will give further consideration to the need to divide the work into two parts and build a bridge to relieve the existing conditions.
Mr. Peter Walker : Tenders for the Earlswood-Lonlas section were received on 15 December and provided they are of satisfactory construction should start before the end of this financial year. Combining the remaining contracts would not achieve an earlier completion of the motorway. An improvement scheme at Baglan roundabout is currently under way, and others at Briton Ferry and Earlswood roundabouts are expected to start early in 1990. All are designed to improve traffic flows on the A48 trunk road.
Neath and Port Talbot Hospital
Mr. John Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when it is now proposed that a start will be made on the new Neath and Port Talbot district hospital.
Mr. Peter Walker : It is for the West Glamorgan health authority to decide when it wishes to start work on this proposed hospital, subject to the necessary departmental approvals. The authority is currently considering the Department's response to its draft submission for approval in principle.
Urban Programme
Mr. Gwilym Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish information on the achievements of the urban programme and urban development grant for 1987-88.
Mr. Grist : I am pleased to announce the publication of the urban programme and urban development grant
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annual report for 1987-88. The report details the contribution both grant mechanisms are making towards easing the problems of economic and social deprivation in Wales. Copies of the report have been placed in the Vote Office and House Library.EMPLOYMENT
British American Tobacco (Liverpool)
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps his Department is taking to respond to the effects of the recent BAT factory closure in Liverpool.
Mr. Nicholls : The services of the local jobcentre will be available to those who lose their jobs at the BAT factory in Liverpool. My Department, through its employment service and Training Agency, operates a wide range of employment, enterprise and training measures to help those made redundant find new jobs, retrain or set up businesses of their own.
I understand that this closure has not yet taken place.
Unemployed Claimants
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) whether unemployed claimants are assessed as showing good cause for rejecting the offer of an otherwise suitable vacancy from the employment service if they can show that their mortgage repayments were such that they would represent an unreasonably high proportion of the wages they would derive from the employment ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) whether unemployed claimants are assessed as showing good cause for rejecting the offer of an otherwise suitable vacancy from the employment service if they can show that the necessary child care costs they would incur were such that they would represent an unreasonably high proportion of the wages they would derive from the employment ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : Is is for the adjudicating authorities to decide whether a person can show good cause for refusing to apply for or accept a particular vacancy. The Social Security (Unemployment, Sickness and Invalidity Benefit) Amendment No. 2 Regulations 1989 require them to take into account the expenses that would necessarily and exclusively be incurred by the claimant for the purposes of the employment, if they would represent an unreasonably high proportion of the expected remuneration from the employment. However, mortgage repayments and child care costs are general financial commitments and not expenses for the purposes of the employment.
A claimant does not have good cause for refusing any employment if the reasons relate to their income or outgoings, or those of any other member of their household.
Enterprise Allowance and TVEI
Mr. Thornton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide estimates showing for each financial year from 1987-88 to 1990 -91 the amount of actual or planned expenditure on (a) the enterprise allowance scheme, (b) the technical and vocational education initiative and (c) work-related further education.
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Mr. Eggar : Records are kept on the basis of the standard financial year for accounting for Government expenditure which runs from 1 April to 31 March.The figures provided for 1987-88 and 1988-89 are based on actual amounts spent by the Department of Employment Training Agency (Ex MSC, Ex Training Commission) and are taken from published accounts. The figures for 1989-90 are based on the cash limit in the estimate.
The figures for 1990-91 are based on PES 88.
£ million at cash prices
Enterprise allowance scheme<1> |Technical and |Work-related
|Vocational |further
|education |education
|initiative
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987-88 |195.8 |57.8 |112.0
1988-89 |196.7 |92.1 |111.4
1989-90 |187.0 |117.3 |101.5
1990-91 |185.9 |139.1 |103.4
<1> Note for EAS
(a) The scheme transferred to the Employment Service 26 October 1987. The figure shown for 1987-88, however, is for the full year.
(b) The scheme was transferred back to the Training Agency in April 1989.
Earnings
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the highest and what is the lowest rates of pay for jobs currently advertised at Burnley job centre ; and what are the national average figures.
Mr. Eggar : On 14 December 1989, the highest rate of pay for jobs advertised at Burnley jobcentre was up to £240 per week and the lowest rate £66.40 per week.
National average figures for vacancies advertised at jobcentres are not kept and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Health and Safety Executive
Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many inspectors there were in the Health and Safety Executive on 1 December 1979, 1 January 1980 and 1 December 1989, in the agriculture, general factory, specialist factory, explosives, industrial air pollution, mines and quarries, and nuclear inspectorates ; and what was the total number of Health and Safety Executive inspectors on each of these dates.
Mr. Nicholls : The total number of inspectors in (a) the Health and Safety Executive's inspectorates ; and (b) the total number of inspectors in HSE on 1 December 1979, 1 January 1980 and 1 December 1989 were as follows :
|1 December|1 January |1 December
|1979 |1980 |1989
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Total inspectors in Inspectorates
Agricultural |188 |188 |162
Factory |709.5 |703.5 |582
Specialist<1> |211 |210 |184.5
Explosives<1> |13 |13 |11
Industrial Air Pollution<2> |48 |48 |-
Mines and Quarries<3> |115 |114 |-
Mines |- |- |13
Quarries |- |- |47
Nuclear Installations |93 |92 |150
(b) Total inspectors in
HSE<4> |1,449.5 |1,442.5 |1,221.5
<1> Specialist inspectors (including Explosives inspectors) are
currently in HSE's Technology Division. Prior to 1 July 1985
specialists formed part of HSE's Factory Inspectorate.
<2> Industrial Air Pollution Inspectorate transferred to the Department
of the Environment on 1 April 1987.
<3> On 1 October 1989 the Mines and Quarries Inspectorates were
separated.
<4> Include those working outside their Inspectorates on eg line
management duties, contributing to policy or technical standards work.
Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how much money was received by the Health and Safety Executive for each financial year since 1979 ; and how much was asked for by the Health and Safety Executive in each of those years.
Mr. Nicholls : Gross financial provision to the Health and Safety Commission for each financial year since 1979, expressed at 1989-90 price levels, is as follows :
|£(000)s
------------------------
1979-80 |108,363
1980-81 |121,934
1981-82 |122,363
1982-83 |118,265
1983-84 |122,426
1984-85 |119,576
1985-86 |119,000
1986-87 |116,315
1987-88 |117,718
1988-89 |117,086
1989-90 |118,290
Figures have been adjusted for purposes of comparison, to remove provision during 1981-82 to 1984-85 for HSE's dispersal to Bootle and provision for the industrial air pollutant inspectorate until it was transferred to the Department of the Environment in 1987. Discussions regarding funding for the Health and Safety Commission are confidential and take place in the context of the annual public expenditure survey.
Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total number of staff employed by the Health and Safety Executive on 1 December 1979, 1 January 1980 and 1 December 1989.
Mr. Nicholls : The total number of staff, including casuals, employed by the Health and Safety Executive on 1 December 1979, 1 January 1980 and 1 December 1989 was as follows :
1 December |1 January |1 December 1979 |1980 |1989 -------------------------------------------- 4,226 |4,206.5 |3,682
Women's Employment
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what submissions he has made to the European Commission, whether via normal interdepartmental channels or directly to the European Commission, to seek continuation of the present level of funding plus allowance for inflation for women's employment and workshop schemes ; and what response has been received.
Mr. Eggar : The level of funding for these programmes will depend on the Commission's European social fund allocation to the United Kingdom and the priorities of its
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Community support framework for objectives 3 and 4 of the funds. The Commission has announced annual allocations for the United Kingdom for 1990-1992 some 19 per cent. lower than in 1989, and has yet to agree its Community support framework. When it does my Department will seek equitable allocations for all United Kingdom programmes according to the needs of our labour market.Technical and Vocational Education Initiative
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the responsibility of the training and enterprise councils for the continued development of the technical and vocational education initiative.
Mr. Eggar : All training and enterprise councils will be working closely with their local education authorities to help develop and implement the technical and vocational education initiative. The LEA is contracted to deliver TVEI by the Training Agency.
Training and Enterprise Councils
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the relationship between the local careers service and the local training and enterprise councils.
Mr. Eggar : In drawing up its business plan every TEC will want to consult the careers service to ensure that the training needs of young people in the local area will be met.
Tourism
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will publish a table showing the sums of money paid out in section 4 grants to the tourist industry in each of the last five years.
Mr. Nicholls : The total section 4 assistance paid out by the English Tourist Board to tourism projects in England was :
Financial year |£ million --------------------------------------------- 1984-85 |8.44 1985-86 |7.81 1986-87 |9.50 1987-88 |11.86 1988-89 |13.19
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Breath Testing
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Attorney-General if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Bolton, North-East (Mr. Thurnham), on 5 December, Official Report, column 131, he will set out the grounds on which a police officer may stop a motor vehicle.
The Attorney-General : For the purposes of my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, North-East on 5 December, I had in mind the power contained in section 163 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The divisional court has ruled that the police, in the exercise of powers under
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section 163 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, are not prohibited from the random stopping of cars provided that the officer does not behave oppressively or capriciously.Trials (Delays)
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Attorney-General what is the longest period in recent years between offence and trial ; and if he will give details of the case.
The Attorney-General : Statistics relating to the period of the time between the date of an offence and the date of a trial are not collected. Accordingly, the information which is sought is not readily available and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Nursing Homes
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he takes to ensure that private and voluntary residential and nursing homes charge fees at a reasonable level.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The levels of fees charged are a matter between proprietors and residents or their relatives.
Residential Care
Mr. Ronnie Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide a breakdown of board and lodging expenditure for residential care accommodation in Northumberland in the last financial year.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Information in the form requested is not available.
Transitional Payments
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many transitional payments have been lost as a result of a new claim being made ; and what is the saving in benefit payments.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : I regret that information is not collected in the form requested.
Accountancy Firms
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many outside accountancy firms are employed by his Department ; whether such employment is subject to any guidelines ; and whether he takes steps before employing an accountancy firm to discover whether that firm has been censured by Department of Trade and Industry inspectors in their inquiries under the Companies Act.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Six outside accountancy firms have been employed by the Department since April 1989 on work which is normally undertaken by their management consultancy divisions. Employment is subject to central guidance and guidelines prepared by the Department. The integrity and status of firms is taken fully into account during the competitive selection process.
Residential Homes
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he is taking to determine the number of elderly persons who are (a) residents of
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independent sector residential nursing homes and (b) in receipt of benefit and unable to meet the full costs of that accommodation and are being subsidised by relatives to the extent of (i) up to £10 weekly, (ii) £10 to £20 weekly and (iii) above £20 weekly.Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The fees residents contract to pay for the services they receive in independent homes are a matter between the resident (or his or her relatives) and the home. In those cases where the agreed fees exceed the level of help available through income support, payments can be made from other sources towards the shortfall and these are ignored in calculating benefit entitlement.
Youth Training Scheme
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many 16 and 17-year-olds are currently denied benefit for not taking up YTS places at the Durham office.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The information is not collected because refusal to take up the offer of a place on a youth training scheme need not, of itself, deny benefit to 16 and 17-year-olds.
Social Fund
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what has been the percentage rate of refusals for (a) community care grants, (b) budgeting loans, (c) crisis loans and (d) total, for each month of the operation of the social fund since April 1988 ; and what he estimates the future percentage rate of refusals to be between now and April 1990.
Mr. Scott : Details of the refusal rates for the three types of payment are in the Library. The total refusal rate for the three types of payment can be derived from the numbers of applications decided and awards made which are also available in the Library. Estimates of future refusal rates are not available.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give for each year since 1978 the grants for simple insulation measures made available under single payments and the social fund.
Mr. Scott : The information that is available is shown in the table.
Single payments for draughtproofing
|Total amount |Number of
|paid |payments
|£
December 1981 |14,526 |584
December 1982 |55,940 |2,586
December 1983 |181,337 |8,921
December 1984 |608,317 |23,544
February 1986 |1,827,932 |63,503
May 1987 |4,488,535 |128,255
Source: Annual Statistical Inquiry.
1. Single payments commenced in November 1980 and the first data were
collected in December 1981.
2. The data relate to all payments made during the 12 months prior to
the inquiry. However, they exclude payments made to claimants who
ceased to receive supplementary benefit prior to the date of the
inquiry, therefore the figures quoted may be an undercount of the
actual payments made.
3. Breakdown of single payments for 1987-88 is not available.
4. Since April 1988, provision for draughtproofing has been made
mainly through Community Insulation Projects funded by the Training
Commission, now the Training Agency. Payments for simple measures may
also be available from the social fund.
Halliburton Limited
Mr. Latham : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether, pursuant to the undertaking in the Under-Secretary of State's reply to the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton on 25 July, Official Report, column 641, and her letter dated 6 September, reference POS (3)2487/51, he will now instruct his overseas branch to approach the liaison officer in Italy in order to establish (a) whether Halliburton Manufacturing and Services Limited or any of its related companies paid the correct tax and social security contributions in Italy in respect of Mr. A., and (b) whether any prosecution against the company in question has been undertaken by the Italian authorities.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The overseas branch of the Department has no jurisdiction over any action that may be taken by the Italian authorities. However, inquiries have been made with the authorities in that country and they have advised that they are pursuing the question of payment of contributions with the company. They are not, as yet, in a position to give any more information.
Income Support
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many income support claimants will be removed from transitional protection in April 1990 but will not benefit fully from the uprating announced on 25 October because their weekly income will not increase by the full amount of the uprating.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Based on the May 1988 annual statistical it is estimated that there will be 280,000 such claimants.
Community Charge Benefit
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate what proportion of individuals have taken up their entitlement to community charge benefit in Scotland and in each region in Scotland.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Up-to-date figures for those receiving community charge rebates will be available shortly and I will write to the hon. Member. Estimates of those entitled to community charge rebates can be obtained only when data from the relevant family expenditure survey become available.
Pensions
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of pensioner households have been dependent on state pensions and benefits for at least 75 per cent. of their income in each of the last 10 years.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard [holding answer 7 December 1989] : The latest information available in the form requested is taken from the 1986 family expenditure survey. Information up to that date is as follows :
Year |Per cent --------------------------- 1979 |62 1980 |61 1981 |61 1982 |61 1983 |59 1984 |60 1985 |58 1986 |58 Source: Family Expenditure Survey. Note: A pensioner tax unit is a single pensioner or a married couple where the man is over pension age.
DEFENCE
Contracts
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many contracts over £92,500 have been let by his Department in the 1988-89 financial year and in the current financial year to date ; and how many of these were (a) automatically renewed and (b) open to competition by advertisement throughout the European Community.
Mr. Neubert : The number of contracts awarded by the Ministry of Defence and covered by the provisions of the EC Supplies Directive, for which the current threshold is £142,000 (or £92,000 if the requirement is also covered by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade), was 503 in calendar year 1988. Of these, 396 were awarded following advertisement in the EC Official Journal and 107 were considered to be exempt from advertising and may have been awarded to the previous suppliers. The figures for calendar year 1989 will not be available until early 1990. Figures could only be provided on a financial year basis at disproportionate cost ; The EC statistics for which MOD figures are kept being collected on a calendar year basis.
Accountancy Firms
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many outside accountancy firms are employed by his Department ; whether such employment is subject to any guidelines ; and whether he takes steps before employing an accountancy firm to discover whether that firm has been censured by Department of Trade and Industry inspectors in their inquiries under the Companies Act ;
(2) how many outside accountancy firms are employed by his Department ; whether such employment is subject to any guidelines ; and whether he takes steps before employing an accountancy firm to discover whether that firm has been censured by Department of Trade and Industry inspectors in their inquiries under the Companies Act.
Mr. Neubert : Two outside acountancy firms are currently employed by the Ministry of Defence on accountancy type tasks. Their employment accords fully with current guidelines. The firms themselves were subject to a full and rigorous scrutiny before being contracted by the Department to carry out the tasks in question.
Nuclear Tests
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he can give of the number of nuclear tests carried out by the United Kingdom, the United States of America, the Soviet Union, France, China and other countries in each year since 1985 inclusive.
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Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Dr. Thomas) on Friday 15 December at column 883.
Tucano
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Tucano aircraft have been delivered to the Royal Air Force ; and what is the percentage performance status of the contract.
Mr. Alan Clark : Thirty-one aircraft had been delivered to the RAF by 30 November 1989. The percentage performance status of the contract is 39 per cent.
Mentor Interactive Training
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contracts have been placed with Mentor Interactive Training.
Mr. Alan Clark : Mentor Interactive Training has a number of contracts to provide computer based and interactive video training facilities to several MOD training establishments.
BL755 Cluster Bomb
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he intends to place contracts for a replacement of the BL755 cluster bomb.
Mr. Alan Clark : Proposals for the replacement of the BL755 are currently under consideration.
First World War (Executions)
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he is giving to the possible exoneration of some 300 British soldiers, executed by firing squad for alleged military indiscipline in world war I ; if he will procure a copy of the book "Shot at Dawn" by Julian Putkowski and Julian Sykes for his Department's library ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The events covered in the book "Shot at Dawn" by Julian Putkowski and Julian Sykes must be seen in their historical context. The use of the death penalty in world war I was governed by a penal code which reflected the attitudes of the time. Those attitudes have changed but it would be wrong to judge the historical events of 75 years ago against current attitudes and perceptions. There are no plans to re- open the cases of those men executed. Two copies of the book are held in the Ministry of Defence library.
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