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Labour Statistics
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the level of unemployment both in actual numbers and expressed as a percentage, according to the latest figures and in 1979 for (a) Birkenhead travel-to-work area, (b) Merseyside, (c) England and (d) Great Britain ; and if he will express the change in the number unemployed in each of the four categories in percentage terms.
Mr. Nicholls : The information requested is contained in the following tables.
Where available, unemployment data are normally given on a seasonally adjusted, consistent basis, with unemployment rates expressed as a percentage of the work force, as given in table 2. The unadjusted data given for England and Great Britain in table 1 can be used to make comparisons with the smaller area figures, for which seasonally adjusted data are not available. However, comparisons over time shown in table 1 are affected by changes to the count as well as seasonal influences, in particular the change from the registrant to the claimant count in 1982.
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|c|Table 1: Unemployment, not seasonally adjusted|c|
Birkenhead TTWA<1> Wirral and ChesterMerseyside England Great Britain
TTWA<1>
|Number |Percentage|Number |Percentage|Number |Percentage|Number |Percentage|Number |Percentage
|rate<2> |rate<2> |rate<2> |rate<2> |rate<2>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 1979
(Registrants) |17,003 |10.6 |- |- |83,666 |12.0 |1,108,433 |5.4 |1,391,220 |5.9
June 1983
(Claimants) |29,632 |18.5 |35,359 |17.2 |- |- |- |- |- |-
Percentage
change |74.3 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
January 1990
(Claimants) |- |- |21,761 |10.5 |84,423 |14.1 |1,277,107 |6.2 |1,586,632 |6.6
Percentage
change |- |- |-38.5 |- |0.9 |- |15.2 |- |14.0 |-
<1>The definition of travel-to-work areas changed in 1984. The current travel-to-work area within which Birkenhead falls is Wirral and
Chester. Data is for the current area back to the earliest available date (June 1983). Earlier data is given for the old travel-to-work
area of Birkenhead.
<2>Narrow based rate.
Table 2: Unemployment, seasonally adjusted
England Great Britain
|Number |Percentage|Number |Percentage
|rate<1> |rate<1>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 1979 |842,300 |3.8 |1,049,900 |4.0
January 1990 |1,221,000 |5.1 |1,512,200 |5.5
Percentage change |45.0 |- |44.0 |-
<1> Workforce rates.
Benefit Claimants
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many unemployed claimants, based on the national monthly returns between 9 October 1989 and the period ending 24 December 1989 and for each region and for Great Britain as a whole (a) have been issued with warning letters for not actively seeking work, (b) had their claims referred to an adjudicating officer for not actively
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seeking work, (c) had their claims allowed or disallowed and (d) have been referred to an adjudicating officer for refusing suitable employment ; and how many of those in (d) have had their benefits disqualified.Mr. Nicholls : The table shows the statistical information for the period 9 October to 29 December 1989 on questions of actively seeking employment and refusal of employment.
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National monthly return-actively seeking referrals and disallowances refusal of employment referrals and
disqualifications
Period ending: 29 December 1989
Actively seeking employment Refusal of Employment
Regions |Claimants |Claims |Allowed |Disallowed |Claims |Not |Disqualified
|issued warn-|referred to |referred to |disqualified
|ing letters |adjudication |adjudication
|officer |officer
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |430 |50 |5 |17 |17 |4 |10
Yorkshire and Humberside 48180 3 18 61 6 2
East Midlands and Eastern 5168 33 11 89 21 20
London and South East 2,689 463 84 71 536 54 59
South West |474 |107 |16 |28 |45 |6 |4
Wales |548 |99 |16 |16 |53 |6 |11
West Midlands |585 |79 |20 |13 |86 |17 |7
North West |831 |76 |30 |20 |45 |9 |8
Scotland |917 |96 |20 |19 |42 |13 |2
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
National |7,470 |1,118 |227 |213 |974 |136 |123
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Members' Interests
Mr. Allen : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he has received any representations on the latest report of the Select Committee on Members' Interests ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : I have received no formal representations.
School Visits
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Lord President of the Council what representations he has received about the delay experienced by a party from Swindon comprehensive school, near Rotherham, on 20 February before it was possible to commence their visit to this place, and if he will urgently consider improvement of the arrangements concerning such visits.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : None. Proposals to duplicate the screening facilities in the Norman Porch in order to speed up access for visitors have already been agreed with the other place and English Heritage. It is hoped that these arrangements will be ready by late spring.
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LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL
Order Paper
75. Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Lord President of the Council what is the current estimated annual cost of producing the House's Order Paper.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : The actual cost of producing the Order Paper in 1989 was £770,000.
Traffic Safety
77. Mr. Michael : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will give fresh consideration to the need to make representations to Westminster city council for traffic measures to improve the safety of hon. Members whose offices are in Old Palace Yard and other locations which involve frequent road crossings.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : I understand that after further consideration of Westminster city council's proposals the Accommodation and Administration Sub-Committee accepts that the regulation of pedestrians in the vicinity of Parliament square is essential to the improved flow of traffic. They consider that a crossing from Old Palace Yard would seriously impede that objective. It is, however, hoped that more effective control of traffic and pedestrians at other points will achieve an overall improvement in the balance between pedestrian safety and traffic flow.
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Chief Whips (Archives)
78. Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will make available accommodation for the archives of Government Chief Whips.
Government Accountability
79. Mr. Allen : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he has any proposals to strengthen the powers of the House to hold the Government to account for their actions ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : No. Ministers are already fully accountable to Parliament.
Timetable Motions
80. Mr. Beith : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will bring forward an amendment to Standing Orders to provide that the Report stage and Third Reading of all Bills will be timetabled only if a minimum of two weekends has passed since Committee stage.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : I have no plans to do so.
Offical Residence
81. Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Lord President of the Council if there are any plans to designate an official residence for the Lord President of the Council.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : There are no such plans.
House Stationery
82. Mr. Stern : To ask the Lord President of the Council when he intends to introduce recycled paper for all House stationery.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : The Services Committee has fully endorsed the principle of advancing the use of stationery made from recycled material by Members and Departments of the House. To this end the authorities of the House have been asked to liaise with HMSO to identify the extent to which it would be appropriate and practicable to use recycled paper for stationery and for parliamentary publications. Their report will be considered as soon as it is received.
Members' Interests
Mr. Allen : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he wll bring forward proposals to strengthen the Register of Members' Interests.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : I have no proposals at present. The appropriate body to consider any changes in the first instance is the Select Committee on Members' Interests.
TRANSPORT
Travel Concessions
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the estimated cost of providing free bus travel to pensioners and disabled persons in England and Wales for the year 1989-90.
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Mr. Portillo : Total local authority expenditure on all travel concessions for pensioners, disabled persons and children in 1989-90 in England and Wales is estimated at £350 million. No information is available on how much of this expenditure is on free bus travel for pensioners and disabled persons.
Air Fares
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the normal business fares and cheapest fares available for flights between (a) London and (b) Manchester to (i) Stockholm and (ii) Moscow.
Mr. McLoughlin : The normal business fares are as follows :
|£
-----------------------------
London-Stockholm |216
Manchester-Stockholm |275
London-Moscow |427
Manchester-Moscow |487
The cheapest fares are as follows :
|Return
£
-----------------------------------
London-Stockholm |189
Manchester-Stockholm |235
London-Moscow |270
Manchester-Moscow |356
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration he has given to differences in the costs of air tickets from Manchester and London to European destinations of similar distance from the two cities ; if there is any action he will be taking ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : Air fares from Manchester or from any other airport reflect the costs of providing the service concerned and the effects of the degree of competition on the route served. Fares from Manchester to European destinations tend to be higher than fares from London for a similar distance because of the lower level of demand which reduces operators' opportunities for achieving economies of scale.
The best way of reducing fares all round, including those from Manchester, is through increased competition. Government policy is to remove restrictions in aviation agreements between Governments so that airlines are free to compete on fares and other aspects of their services, subject only to proper safeguards against anti-competitive behaviour. We have had considerable success in liberalisation, both bilaterally and within the European Community.
Marchioness
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is (a) the earliest and (b) the latest date by which he understands the marine accident investigation branch report into the sinking of the Marchioness will be (a) completed, (b) submitted to him and (c) published.
Mr. McLoughlin : The inspector who led the inquiry into the Marchioness accident has submitted his findings and recommendations to the chief inspector of marine
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accidents who is now preparing his report for submission to the Secretary of State. The Accident Investigation Regulations provide for any whose reputations may be adversely affected to see the proposed text of the chief inspector's report so that if any relevant sections are not agreed an alternative can be published as an appendix to the report. This important procedure will take a minimum of two months. Publication is expected to follow as soon as is practicable thereafter.East London River Crossing
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many representations he has received on the east London river crossing ; and what percentage of the total (a) support and (b) object to the proposals.
Mr. Atkins : The decision that the east London river crossing should be built was taken in July 1988 and orders under the Highways Act 1980 have been made, fixing the route of the new trunk road. Further draft orders were published in January 1990 proposing a new design for the bridge across the River Thames and changes to the junctions with the A13, Windsor terrace and the A2016. At the end of the objection period for these further draft orders on 22 February, over 6,200 representations had been received, many in a standard form as a result of campaigns by certain pressure groups. These are being analysed and a breakdown is not available at present.
British Rail
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the latest projected figures for investment in British Rail over (a) the period 1990-1993 and (b) the period 1990-2000.
Mr. Portillo : Chapter 7 of the Public Expenditure White Paper includes British Rail plans to invest £3.7 billion in the financial years 1990-91 to 1992-93, a 75 per cent. real increase over the previous three years. British Rail has included a projection for 1993-94 in its corporate plan, but no projections have been made for subsequent years.
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the total sums which his Department has (a) authorised for investment in the British Rail network and (b) paid to British Rail by way of public service obligation and any other Exchequer grants for the current British Rail financial year and for each of the two preceding years.
Mr. Portillo : All the information requested was published in chapter 7 of "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1990-91 to 1992-93" (Cm. 1007). British Rail's financial year, like the Government's, starts on 1 April.
Road Building
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the latest projected figures for investment in road building in the United Kingdom over (a) the period 1990-93 and (b) the period 1990-2000.
Mr. Atkins : Planned expenditure on trunk road building in England is as follows :
|£ million
------------------------------
1990-91 |1,282
1991-92 |1,322
1992-93 |1,403
|---
Total |4,007
Yearly expenditure plans are made only for the three-year PES period. Road expenditure in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for the respective Secretaries of State. The figures do not include private finance.
Local road building projections are a matter for local highway authorities. Chapter 7 of Cm 1007 lists the information available to the Department about local roads schemes over £1 million in 1990-91 in England.
Public Transport
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the latest projected figure for investment in public transport over (a) the period 1990-1993 and (b) the period 1990-2000.
Mr. Portillo : Information about the investment plans of the nationalised transport industries is contained in the public expenditure White Paper. For those industries for which my Department is responsible, the figures are :
£ million
|1990-91|1991-92|1992-93
----------------------------------------------------------
British Rail |1,052 |1,258 |1,421
London Regional Transport |560 |630 |610
Civil Aviation Authority |90 |85 |106
The figures shown for LRT exclude investment in the Jubilee line extension for which provision is shown separately in the White Paper. Planned investment in this project during the plan period is as follows :
|£ million
------------------------------
1990-91 |40
1991-92 |190
1992-93 |300
The proportion of total local authority resources allocated to public transport is a matter for local discretion. Information on the resources available for local authority capital programmes in 1990-91 is given in paragraphs 76-77 of the Department of Transport chapter of the White Paper (Cm. 1007). No data are available for future years.
The investment plans of private sector transport operators are a matter for them.
No information is available on public transport investment plans beyond 1993.
Merseytravel
Mr. Heffer : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many delegations have written to him requesting a meeting to discuss Merseytravel's case for Government assistance ; and how many he has met.
Mr. Atkins : I received three requests to meet delegations ; hon. Members from Merseyside made their views known to me, both orally and in writing. I took these into account before making my decision, which was based primarily on the written submissions prepared by Merseytravel.
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A61 (Environmental Damage)
Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will publish the report of a study carried out by his Department's research laboratory on the A61 in Outwood in the Normanton constituency, giving the findings of the effects on the environment that traffic using this road is having on the local community ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) when he expects to have the report on the traffic nuisance study carried out in December 1989 on the A61 in Outwood, in the Normanton constituency ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : The survey of traffic nuisance on the A61 at Outwood is being carried out as part of a wider study by the transport and road research laboratory to develop methods of assessing the environmental effects of roads and traffic. This involves surveys at 10 sites round the country, selected to represent a range of traffic conditions. The work is not aimed at identifying or solving problems at specific sites, and it is not intended to publish the findings of the Outwood survey separately or otherwise than in the form of statistical summaries. The information gained should enable the Department to refine its procedures for the environmental appraisal of road schemes by giving a firmer indication of the extent to which a new road, bypass or road improvement will reduce the nuisance caused by traffic. The work so far has been of an explanatory nature only. The main part of the study is likely to be completed by late 1991 and published soon afterwards.
I regret that, because of an error in identifying the constituency in which this survey was to take place, the hon. Member was not informed in the usual way. An apology has been sent to the hon. Member by my Department.
Hazardous Cargoes
Mr. Michael Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what controls there are on the transportation of dangerous liquid on the public highway.
Mr. Atkins : The carriage of dangerous liquids by road is subject to the following regulations :
The Dangerous Substances (Conveyance by Road in Road Tankers and Tank Containers) Regulations 1981 ;
The Classification, Packaging and Labelling of Dangerous Substances Regulations 1984, as amended ;
The Road Traffic (Carriage of Dangerous Substances in Packages etc.) Regulations 1986, as amended.
Public Utilities Streetworks Act
Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of the 73 recommendations mentioned in the report of Professor M. R. Horne on a review of the Public Utilities Streetworks Act 1950 have so far been implemented.
Mr. Atkins : Action has been put in hand or completed on all those recommendations in the Horne report which were accepted by the Government in their reponse published in July 1986. About two thirds of the report's recommendations require primary legislation and a consultation document was issued in May 1989 describing the proposed provisions to be included in a Bill which the Government intend to bring forward at a suitable opportunity.
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Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will seek to amend the Public Utility Streetworks Act 1950 to take account of the increased use of roads over the past five years and the traffic delays caused by excavations in road surfaces so as to accord with modern traffic flow requirements.
Mr. Atkins : Yes. Our proposals for legislation to reform the 1950 Act pay particular attention to the need to reduce the amount of traffic disruption caused by street works.
Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans to increase the controls on contractors for failure to reinstate road surfaces under the Public Utilities Streetworks Act 1950.
Mr. Atkins : Our proposals for legislation to reform the 1950 Act include new requirements on undertakers of works to ensure that their reinstatements conform to prescribed standards for a fixed guarantee period.
Crash Barriers
Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to install crash barriers along all Britain's motorways.
Mr. Atkins : Central reserve safety fencing is an integral feature of motorway design. It is installed on all motorways except where the carriageways are widely separated.
Transport Investment
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has undertaken of the relative costs and benefits of investment in (a) car transport and (b) cycle transport.
Mr. Atkins : None. Investment in private means of transport is a matter of personal choice.
Cyclists
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies have been undertaken by his Department concerning the effect of greater numbers of cyclists on decreasing vehicle pollution and global warming ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : We have not undertaken such a specific study, but preliminary results from our cycle routes programme of research suggests that where modal shift to cycling takes place, the transfer is marginal. The evidence suggests that it tends to be from public transport and walking as much as from cars.
Channel Tunnel
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the first train to go through the Channel tunnel.
Mr. Portillo : This is a matter for Eurotunnel. Its projected completion of the tunnel system is 15 June 1993.
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SOCIAL SECURITY
Income Support
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claims for income support have been made since April 1988 at the local offices of his
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Department in (a) west Leeds, (b) Leeds, (c) West Yorkshire and (d) England as a whole ; and how many of these claims were accepted.Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The information is in the table.
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|(a) |(b) |(c) |(d)
|West Leeds |Leeds |West Yorkshire|England
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1988-89
Claims received |8,669 |53,949 |158,155 |3,040,010
Claims awarded |6,549 |43,036 |124,860 |2,373,514
1989-90
Claims received<1> |7,948 |46,947 |138,592 |2,660,959
Claims awarded<1> |5,581 |34,667 |102,141 |1,901,468
<1>Figures (which are provisional and subject to amendment) do not include claims received or
determined after December 1989.
Benefits
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the latest figures of how many people are dependent on (a) income support, (b) family credit and (c) housing benefit, broken down into claimants, dependants and children and into England, Scotland and Wales.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The information is set out in the tables.
(b) Family credit recipients as at 30 September1989<5>
Thousands
|Claimants |Partners |Children |Total number
|dependant on
|family credit
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
England |257 |160 |545 |962
Scotland |39 |23 |77 |140
Wales |22 |15 |46 |84
Great Britain |318 |198 |668 |1,186
<1> Source: Annual statistical enquiry.
<2> Source: Housing Benefit Management Information System-May 1988.
<3> Figures rounded.
<4> Figures relate to non-Income Support recipients on Housing Benefit.
<5> It should be noted that some Family Credit recipients may also be in receipt of
Housing Benefit.
<6> The totals are subject to rounding.
(b) Family credit recipients as at 30 September1989<5>
Thousands
|Claimants |Partners |Children |Total number
|dependant on
|family credit
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
England |257 |160 |545 |962
Scotland |39 |23 |77 |140
Wales |22 |15 |46 |84
Great Britain |318 |198 |668 |1,186
<1> Source: Annual statistical enquiry.
<2> Source: Housing Benefit Management Information System-May 1988.
<3> Figures rounded.
<4> Figures relate to non-Income Support recipients on Housing Benefit.
<5> It should be noted that some Family Credit recipients may also be in receipt of
Housing Benefit.
<6> The totals are subject to rounding.
(b) Family credit recipients as at 30 September1989<5>
Thousands
|Claimants |Partners |Children |Total number
|dependant on
|family credit
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
England |257 |160 |545 |962
Scotland |39 |23 |77 |140
Wales |22 |15 |46 |84
Great Britain |318 |198 |668 |1,186
<1> Source: Annual statistical enquiry.
<2> Source: Housing Benefit Management Information System-May 1988.
<3> Figures rounded.
<4> Figures relate to non-Income Support recipients on Housing Benefit.
<5> It should be noted that some Family Credit recipients may also be in receipt of
Housing Benefit.
<6> The totals are subject to rounding.
Column 56
Mr. Jack : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to publish comparative data on the United Kingdom benefits scheme and that available in other Community member countries.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Since 1979 the Department has produced an annual publication entitled "Tables of Social Benefit Systems in the European Communities". Copies of this publication are in the Library.
Social Fund
Mrs. Wise : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list in the Official Report the social security offices which received an extra allocation of money for the social fund.
Mr. Scott : The information requested is as follows :
London North Region
Ealing
Euston
Highgate
Paddington
Poplar
Tottenham
Wood Green
Walthamstow
London South Region
Ashford
Brighton
Camberwell
Crawley
Croydon
Kennington Park
Oval
Peckham
Portsmouth, South
Southwark
Midlands Region
Birmingham, Northfield
Birmingham, Perry Barr
Birmingham, Washwood Heath
Chesterfield
Coventry, East
Leicester Lower Hill Street
Mansfield
Nottingham, Castle Gate
Nottingham, David Lane
Nottingham, Shakespeare Street
Nottingham, Station Street
Stoke, North
Stoke, South
North East Region
Bishop Auckland
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