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Number of days spent at sea
|1987 |1988 |1989
------------------------------------------------------
(i) |Cirolana|256 |243 |254
(ii) |Corystes|- |183 |249
(k) Operational cost of vessels (to nearest £ thousand)
(k) Operational cost of vessels (to nearest £ thousand)
|1987-88 |1988-89 |1989-90<1>
|(£) |(£) |(£)
------------------------------------------------------------------
(i) |Cirolana |921,000 |986,000 |1,039,000
(ii) |Corystes |- |586,000 |705,000
<1> Forecast.
EMPLOYMENT
Industrial Tribunals
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will now increase the jurisdiction of industrial tribunals, so as to enable them to deal with claims for breaches of contracts of employment following dismissal.
Mr. Nicholls : We consulted widely on this issue last year. This showed overwhelming support for implementation. I have therefore decided that the necessary statutory instrument should be made as soon as practicable. This will mean that an employee making a complaint of unfair dismissal to an industrial tribunal will also be able to ask the tribunal to recover, for example, arrears of pay lost because he was dismissed without notice. At present separate proceedings have to be initiated in the civil courts to recover such damages.
I have also decided that both the conditions set out in section 131(3) of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 should be required to be satisfied before an industrial tribunal can consider a claim. I am sure that the fact that it will be possible to settle simultaneously those contractual disputes between an employer and employee arising from dismissal will be welcomed by both sides.
Mr. Batiste : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will bring forward legislation to extend the jurisdiction of industrial tribunals to enable them to determine claims for breach of contract arising from dismissals from employment.
Mr. Nicholls : We consulted widely on this issue last year. This showed overwhelming support for implementation. I have, therefore, decided that the necessary statutory instrument should be made as soon as practicable. This means that an employee making a complaint of unfair dismissal to an industrial tribunal will also be able to ask the tribunal to recover, for example, arrears of pay lost because he was dismissed without notice. At present separate proceedings have to be initiated in civil courts to recover such damages.
I have also decided that both the conditions set out in section 131(3) of the Employment Protection
Column 499
(Consolidation) Act 1978 should be required to be satisfied before an industrial tribunal can consider a claim. I am sure that the fact that it will be possible to settle simultaneously those contractual disputes between an employer and employee arising from dismissal will be welcomed by both sides.Disabled People
Mr. Colin Shepherd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what account he is taking in his plans for training and enterprise councils of arrangements for training at residential and other specialist colleges for people with disabilities which are currently centrally funded by the Training Agency ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Howard : The TECs will need to take full account of the need for residential and other specialist training provision for people with disabilities. It is important that TECs should have the responsibility for planning, delivering and accounting for all training for people under Training Agency programmes, including people with disabilities, through the full range of help available. They should be developing ways of delivering those programmes so that even people with quite severe disabilities can be trained for local jobs in an integrated setting. The TECs should be taking decisions on the funding and delivery of training with a clear appreciation of, and responsibility for, the cost effectiveness of different means at their disposal.
During 1990-91 and 1991-92 my Department will continue to fund centrally residential training for people with disabilities. Officials will work closely with the providers of training and TECs during that time to pilot possible ways in which TECs might become directly involved in decisions about the referral of suitable trainees and the funding of residential places. A decision on whether to devolve responsibility for referral and funding arrangements wholly to TECs would have to take full account of the need for continuity of provision in this important area, and of the particular circumstances of the providers and their client groups. No such decision will be taken until the pilot arrangements have been thoroughly evaluated.
Skill Centres
Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if, following the recent announcement on the privatisation of the Skills Training Agency, he will make a statement on the future of those employment rehabilitation centres that are located on the same sites as skill centres.
Column 500
Mr. Eggar : Arrangements will be made to ensure the continuation of employment rehabilitation services in localities currently served by employment rehabilitation centres. In most cases they will remain on existing sites for up to three years but in some areas it may be necessary to find alternative premises. The future role of the employment rehabilitation service is being considered in the context of the review of the Department's services for people with disabilities.
Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he plans to continue monitoring the number of trainees with disabilities receiving training at skill centres, following the Skills Training Agency's privatisation.
Mr. Eggar : I do not anticipate that the privatisation of the Skills Training Agency will have any immediate effect on the existing monitoring arrangements.
Industrial Training
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many employees there are in each industry or industrial sector which is represented by a non-statutory industrial training organisation ; (2) if he will list the number of people employed by each of the non-statutory industrial training organisations for which he has figures available ;
(3) if he will publish a list of the existing non-statutory industrial training organisations ;
(4) what information he has on (a) the number of training professionals employed by each non-statutory industrial training organisation as a ratio of the total number of employees in the industry or industrial sector which it covers and (b) how many full-time and part-time training professionals are employed by the Meat Industries Training Organisation ;
(5) what information he has on how many non-statutory industrial training organisations represent (a) more than 50 per cent. of firms in their sector and (b) more than 50 per cent. of the employees in their sector ; and which are the organisations concerned ;
(6) what information he has on how many non-statutory industrial training organisations represent (a) more than 75 per cent. of firms in their sector and (b) more than 75 per cent. of the employees in their sector ; and which are the organisations concerned.
Mr. Nicholls : The table lists all the organisations regarded as independent industry training organisations, together with the latest information available which is from the Institute of Manpower Studies report, "The Full Fact Finding Study of the NSTO System", produced in December 1987 for the former Manpower Services Commission.
Column 499
Industry training organisation Staff Percentage of sector
Employees covered
|<1>Management|Total |in sector |Firms |Employees
|and training
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
British Agriculture and Garden Machinery Association |1.20 |1.50 |20,000 |77 |90
Agricultural Co-operatives Training Council |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
United Kingdom Agricultural Supply Trade Association |0.50 |1.25 |60,000 |65 |83
Foreign Airlines Training Council |0.20 |0.25 |9,000 |73 |78
AFA Technology (Atomic Energy) |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
Aviation Training Association |4.00 |6.00 |150,000 |16 |48
Federation of Bakers |0.15 |0.25 |50,000 |100 |100
National Association of Master Bakers, Confectioners and Caterers |0.50 |0.60 |<2>- |83 |<2>-
Scottish Association of Master Bakers |1.10 |1.20 |<2>- |80 |<2>-
Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate and Confectionery Alliance |2.00 |5.00 |100,000 |89 |90
Bookhouse Training Centre |2.00 |5.00 |20,000 |100 |100
British Brush Manufacturers |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
Builders Merchants' Federation |14.00 |18.50 |62,000 |79 |97
Bus and Coach Training |2.00 |3.00 |174,300 |45 |99
Caravan, Camping and Related Self Catering ITO
(formerly National Caravan Council Limited) |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
Carpet Industry Training Council |1.20 |1.50 |18,000 |60 |78
British Cement Association |<2>- |<2>- |9,000 |100 |100
Ceramics Industry Training Organisation |7.00 |10.00 |35,000 |14 |93
Chemical Industries Association |3.50 |5.50 |200,000 |<2>- |90
China and Ball Clay Industries Training Board |<2>- |<2>- |7,015 |100 |100
British Coal |3.60 |5.00 |140,000 |100 |100
Computing Services Industry Training Council |2.00 |5.00 |44,000 |11 |75
Precast Concrete Industry Training Association |3.00 |4.00 |16,000 |21 |75
Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Products Association |<2>- |<2>- |2,044 |100 |100
Cosmetics, Toiletry and Perfumery Association |0.30 |0.80 |30,000 |<2>- |95
Cotton and Allied Textile ITO |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
Dairy Trade Federation |1.20 |2.20 |93,500 |59 |97
Scottish Distributive Industries Training Council |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
National Association of Industrial Distributors |1.00 |4.00 |20,000 |53 |60
Drinks Industries Training Association |2.50 |4.20 |90,000 |100 |100
Electricity Industry Training Committee |7.00 |7.00 |147,795 |100 |100
Envelope Makers & Manufacturing Stationers Association |0.30 |0.30 |5,000 |100 |100
British Fibreboard Packaging Employers Association
(formerly BFPA) |2.00 |2.75 |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
Fibre Cement Manufacturers Association |1.00 |1.00 |2,098 |100 |100
Food Manufacturers Council for Industrial Training |1.00 |2.00 |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
British Footwear Manufacturers Federation |0.08 |0.10 |48,000 |36 |83
Forestry Training Council |1.00 |2.00 |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
National Institute of Fresh Produce |5.00 |6.00 |65,000 |<2>- |<2>-
UK Association of Frozen Food Producers |0.08 |0.10 |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
British Furniture Manufacturers Federation |0.20 |0.40 |78,000 |<2>- |71
British Gas plc |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
Glass Training Ltd. |5.50 |6.50 |39,000 |100 |100
Hairdressing Training Board |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
Joint National Horse Education and Training Council |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
Insurance Industry Training Council |1.00 |2.00 |243,000 |100 |91
National Supervisory Council for Intruder Alarms |1.00 |1.20 |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
Knitting & Lace Industries Training Resources Agency |3.00 |3.50 |90,000 |22 |80
British Leather Confederation |1.00 |1.30 |8,000 |88 |91
Leather Goods (Walsall CCI) |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
Local Government Training Board |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
Man-Made Fibres Industry Training Advisory Board |2.50 |4.10 |15,000 |82 |97
Marine Training Association |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
British Marine Industries Federation |2.00 |3.00 |14,500 |<2>- |86
Meat Industry Training Organisation |<2>- |<2>- |150,000 |<2>- |80
Scottish Federation of Meat Traders Association |5.50 |5.50 |1,500 |<2>- |60
Merchant Navy Training Board |2.00 |2.50 |30,000 |100 |100
Incorporated National Association of British & Irish Millers |4.00 |6.00 |6,000 |96 |100
British Narrow Fabrics Association |0.15 |0.20 |5,500 |80 |86
Newspaper Publishers Association |1.00 |2.00 |20,000 |100 |100
Newspaper Society |2.00 |4.00 |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
British Nuclear Fuels plc |6.70 |7.70 |16,900 |<2>- |<2>-
Flexible Packaging Association |0.60 |0.60 |7,500 |90 |87
National Packaging Confederation |<2>- |<2>- |25,000 |25 |30
Paintmakers Association of GB |2.00 |2.00 |20,000 |33 |85
British Paper & Board Industry Education & Training Council |4.00 |6.00 |34,000 |91 |94
National Association of Paper Merchants |0.07 |0.10 |20,000 |<2>- |75
Periodicals Training Council |3.00 |4.50 |20,000 |49 |80
Petroleum Training Federation |7.50 |11.00 |60,000 |82 |92
Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry |1.00 |2.00 |84,000 |<2>- |71
British Ports Federation |1.00 |2.00 |41,208 |100 |100
Post Office |5.00 |5.00 |191,434 |100 |100
Society of Master Printers of Scotland |1.70 |2.20 |<2>- |71 |<2>-
British Printing Industries |7.00 |21.00 |140,000 |51 |70
Quarry Products Training Council |2.00 |2.60 |32,500 |56 |97
British Railways Board |11.00 |12.00 |139,000 |100 |100
London Regional Transport (Rail Operations) |<2>- |<2>- |21,000 |100 |100
Refractories, Clay Pipes and Allied Industries Training Council |2.00 |2.50 |11,000 |82 |86
National Retail Training Council |4.50 |5.50 |2,400,000 |86 |83
British Rubber Industry Training Organisation |7.00 |10.00 |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
Seafish Industry Authority |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
British Security Industry Association |1.50 |2.00 |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
National Association of Multiple Shoe Repairers |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
Society Master Shoe Repairers |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
Silica and Moulding Sands Association |0.50 |0.70 |1,820 |78 |99
Small Ships Training Group Association |1.30 |1.30 |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
Soap and Detergent Industry Association |1.00 |2.00 |13,500 |<2>- |96
British Soft Drinks Association |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
British Sports and Allied Industries Federation |0.01 |0.01 |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
British Steel Corporation |8.00 |16.00 |51,000 |100 |100
Midland Independent Steel Training Association |2.50 |3.50 |72,000 |<2>- |11
Northern Independent Steel Training Association |5.00 |7.00 |6,500 |82 |93
United Kingdom Sugar Industry Association |3.00 |3.00 |10,500 |100 |100
British Telecom |<2>- |<2>- |223,084 |100 |100
British Timber Merchants Association (England and Wales) |0.07 |0.10 |12,300 |21 |28
Timber Trade Training Association |4.40 |5.20 |38,000 |<2>- |71
Tobacco Industry Training Organisation |1.50 |2.00 |19,368 |100 |100
Association of British Travel Agents |51.50 |64.00 |100,000 |<2>- |90
United Kingdom Softwood Sawmillers Association
(formerly Home Timber Merchants Association of Scotland) |0.10 |0.15 |2,000 |82 |90
Wallcovering Manufacturers Association of Great Britain |<2>- |<2>- |4,101 |90 |<2>-
National Association of Warehouse Keepers |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>-
Water Authorities Association |1.00 |1.50 |50,000 |100 |100
British Waterways Board |<2>- |<2>- |3,000 |100 |100
Wire and Wire Rope Employers Association |1.00 |1.50 |6,750 |68 |89
Scottish Woolen Industries |1.00 |1.20 |5,000 |96 |80
Confederation of British Wool Textiles |3.00 |4.50 |40,000 |83 |86
<1> Includes directly employed operational staff-management, training etc. plus staff employed for YTS.
<2> ITO not included in research or information not available.
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the number of people employed by each of the statutory industry training boards.
Mr. Nicholls : The information is as follows :
Industry training board |Number of
|employers
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clothing and allied products |126
Construction |1,311
Engineering |602
Hotel and catering |446
Offshore petroleum |65
Plastics processing |75
Road transport |470
The source of the information is the 1988-89 annual reports of the industry training boards except for the offshore petroleum figure which relates to the annual report for the year ending 31 December 1988.
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what will happen to the premises and other assets currently held on behalf of their industries by statutory industry training boards when non-statutory bodies assume responsibility for training in the sectors concerned.
Mr. Nicholls : Provisions in the Employment Act 1989 enable a statutory industry training board to transfer all or any of its assets to a successor organisation on trust to be used for charitable purposes which are related to training for employment.
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment which sectors of industry, previously covered by a statutory industrial training board, are no longer represented by non-statutory industrial training organisations.
Column 504
Mr. Nicholls : All significant sectors formerly in scope to industry training boards have either their own independent industry training organisation or access to such an organisation.
Employment Training
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment in what circumstances the DE Training Agency will take steps to recover payments of ET training allowances paid to people no longer entitled to them ; in how many cases the DETA has taken such steps ; how much has been recovered ; whether there have been any prosecutions ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : It is the normal practice to seek recovery in all cases where it is clear that a person has received a training allowance to which they are not entitled. Prosecution would be considered only where there was evidence of fraudulent intent and no prosecutions have taken place in cases of the kind referred to in the question. Information on numbers of cases in which recovery has been sought and the amounts involved is not held centrally.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many (a) women and (b) men on employment training are married parents ; and how many of these have (i) claimed and (ii) been granted child care payments.
Mr. Nicholls : Financial help with child care is available only to lone parents on employment training. At the end of December 1989 about 3 per cent. of all those on the programme were receiving child care payments. It is not known how many claims for child care allowances were made or met or how many trainees making these claims were either men or women or whether or not they were married.
Column 505
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many (a) women and (b) men on employment training are single parents ; and how many of these have (i) claimed and (ii) been granted child care payments.Mr. Nicholls : At the end of December 1989 about 3 per cent. of all those on employment training were receiving child care payments. It is not known how many claims for child care allowances were made or met or how many trainees making these claims were either men or women. All trainees receiving child care payments are single parents.
Mr. Wood : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how he proposes to improve employment training in the light of the establishment of training and enterprise councils ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Howard : Training and enterprise councils (TECs) will have the flexibility to make Employment Training even more responsive to the training needs of both individuals and employers within local labour markets. I am arranging for the TECs to enjoy :
the freedom to decide arrangements for assessment and guidance leading to an agreed individual training programme for all entrants to ET ;
the freedom to decide how training should be designed ; the freedom to determine how training providers are funded ; the freedom to determine many of the terms and conditions for trainees ;
more freedom in the provision of ET to people unemployed for less than 6 months ;
the freedom to enable individuals to train for longer than the existing limit of 12 months (within an agreed budget).
The funding for TECs will reflect success in helping people into jobs, self -employment, further education or other full-time training. At least 10 per cent. of ET funding will be for such positive outcomes achieved by their trainees.
The arrangements for payment of training allowances will remain unchanged. These new flexibilities will enable TECs to be creative in designing attractive and effective training options, while building on the excellent experience of employment training to date.
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the total numbers of special group entrants to employment training without being unemployed for six months for the categories (a) people with disabilities, (b) ex-offenders, (c) those seeking high technology shortage skills, (d) on enterprise training, (e) women returners, (f) ex-regulars, (g) inner-city residents in certain pilot areas and (h) lone parents between September 1988 and December 1989 for Great Britain.
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 12 February 1990] : Information on ex-offenders, high technology shortage skills entrants and inner city residents in pilot areas in the special eligibility category could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Information for the other groups is given in the table.
Column 506
Employment training special eligibility group
entrants as a
proportion of all entrants September 1988 to
December 1989
(Estimated)
Group |Estimated
|proportion
|of all
|entrants
|Per cent.
-----------------------------------------------
Enterprise trainees |4.0
People with disabilities |3.0
Ex-regulars |<1>0.5
Women returners |3.0
Lone parents |2.0
<1>Less than.
Health and Safety Executive
Dr. Reid : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to improve the effectiveness of the Health and Safety Executive's work.
Mr. Nicholls : The main responsibility for ensuring effectiveness lies with the Health and Safety Commission. In approving the commission's annual plan of work ministers have regard to effectiveness both of programmes and management systems.
Recent and current initiatives to improve effectiveness include : (
(a) since 1982, all new regulations have been subject to cost-benefit analysis ;
(b) a 1985 Report "Measuring the Effectiveness of HSE's Field Activities" brought together findings on various regulatory and enforcement activities. Since then a number of further studies have been conducted, and action to improve effectiveness taken. (
(c) improving effectiveness is a primary objective of HSE's reorganisation, on a more integrated basis, of its field divisions from this April.
Training and Enterprise Councils
Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will ensure that copies of the operating and business plans for training and enterprise councils are placed in the Library as soon as they are published ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : Training and enterprise councils will be required to publish a summary of their corporate and business plans. I shall arrange for these summaries to be placed in the Library as they become available.
Mr. Blair : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will state the public funding in cash terms and real terms available for each training and enterprise council operative as from 1 April for the terminal year 1990-91, together with the public funding currently available to the Training Agency for 1989-90 for the area covered by each training and enterprise council.
Mr. Eggar : The Government's plans for expenditure on training and enterprise are set out in chapter 6 of the public expenditure White Paper (CM 1006). Budgets for individual TECs will be determined after the TEC's corporate and business plan has been approved and a contract signed. The great majority of TECs (and local enterprise companies in Scotland) are not planning to start operations until later in the financial year.
Column 507
It is not generally possible to compare directly TEC budgets with those of Training Agency Offices. Over 100 TECs are being established, which compares with 57 area offices.Equal Opportunities
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many of his Department's management training courses include sessions on equal opportunities for women ; and what proportion of managers at grade six level and above working outside headquarters has received training on equal opportunities for women.
Mr. Nicholls : All general management courses provided by the Employment Department group include sessions on equal opportunities for women and people from ethnic minority groups and with disabilities. While no detailed figures are available I understand therefore that the great majority of senior regional and operational managers will have received training on equal opportunities issues.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what child care provision his Department provides for pre-school age children of employees ; what child care provision for school holidays or after-school care is provided for employees' children aged five years or over ; what plans there are for increasing provision in the next five years ; and how these are to be funded.
Mr. Nicholls : The Employment Department group operates two care- parent schemes for pre-school age children at Bootle and Sheffield. We run holiday play schemes for children aged five years and over at Runcorn, Sheffield, London (two) and Coventry ; with other Government Departments we run play schemes at Bootle, Edinburgh and London and we have places in other Government Department schemes at Glasgow and Liverpool. We hope to open four day nurseries this year at Bootle, Runcorn, Sheffield and Swindon. All parts of the group are actively pursuing initiatives to increase child care provision. The group provides support for this where it can be justified in value for money terms. Staff who wish to take advantage of play schemes and nurseries are required to contribute towards the running costs.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what grade is his Department's equal opportunities officer.
Mr. Nicholls : My Department's equal opportunities officer is a grade 6.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what measures he has implemented to ensure that recruitment and promotiion policy in his Department does not directly or indirectly discriminate against applicants who were mature students or women returning to work following a career break due to child care.
Mr. Nicholls : The Employment Department group is committed to a policy of equal opportunity in recruitment and promotion. A statement to this effect is included in all recruitment advertising and in all circulars notifying staff of promotion panels and inviting applications.
Column 508
There are clear guidelines on the advertising of recruitment opportunities to ensure that they can be seen by all eligible job seekers from all parts of the community and to ensure that the advertisements do not impose potentially discriminatory criteria such as unnecessary age restrictions. In order to meet the needs of women returners, recruitment opportunities are, whenever practicable, advertised as suitable for part time workers. Staff involved in recruitment are trained in selection procedures to avoid unfair discrimination.For promotion, all staff are considered on their merits as individuals regardless of sex, racial origin, disability and age. Where a minimum period of service is required this applies to all staff. For staff who have returned to work after a period of absence, service before and after the break may be aggregated.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of civil servants in his Department are women at each of the grades (a) seven, (b) six, (c) five, (d) four, (e) three, (f) two and (g) one.
Mr. Eggar : In the Employment Department group at 1 January 1990 women comprised 12 per cent. of staff at both grade seven and grade six level, 14 per cent. at grade five and 11 per cent. at grade three. There were no women at grades one, two and four.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what action he has taken, and what action he intends taking, to implement the recommendations within his area of responsibility of the European Commission's childcare network report : "Caring for Children--Services and Policies for Childcare and Equal Opportunities in the United Kingdom."
Mr. Nicholls : The report was prepared for the European Commission which has not yet developed any proposals. The Government believe that policy on child care is a matter for member states. The United Kingdom's policy is that it is for families themselves to determine how their children are to be brought up and how parents, where they wish to do so, can best combine paid work and family
responsibilities. The Government, through the Department of Health and the ministerial group on women's issues, have encouraged the development of a range of high-quality child care options for both parents and employers.
Labour Statistics
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many women and men of the employed labour force have a length of service in employment of (a) less than two years and (b) less than five years ; and what number and proportion of those employed for less than five years are part-time workers working (i) less than eight hours, (ii) less than 12 hours, (iii) less than 16 hours and (iv) less than 20 hours a week, giving the most recently available figures.
Mr. Nicholls : Estimates from the 1988 labour force survey, as requested, are shown in the table.
Column 509
Employees and self-employed, by length of time continuously employed by current employer or continuously self-employed by basic usual hours<2>
worked per week, by sex-Great Britain, Spring 1988
Thousands and per cent.
Employees Self-employed
Men Women Men Women
Length of employment/hours worked per week |000's |Per cent. |000's |Per cent. |000's |Per cent. |000's |Per cent.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Less than 2 years |3,261 |- |3,641 |- |574 |- |259 |-
At least 2 but less than 5 years |2,167 |- |2,182 |- |472 |- |177 |-
Total less than 5 years |5,428 |100 |5,823 |100 |1,046 |100 |436 |100
of which
Work less than 8 hours |117 |2.2 |395 |6.8 |12 |1.2 |58 |13.4
At least 8 but less than 12 hours |99 |1.8 |461 |7.9 |<1> |<1> |33 |7.5
At least 12 but less than 16 hours |79 |1.5 |564 |9.7 |10 |0.9 |34 |7.9
At least 16 but less than 20 hours |44 |0.8 |365 |6.3 |<1> |<1> |19 |4.3
<1> Sample size too small for reliable estimate.
<2> Paid hours usually worked each week, excluding paid and unpaid overtime and meal-breaks.
Source: 1988 Labour Force Survey.
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table showing the rate of unemployment in each member state of the European Community at the latest available date.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 2 March 1990] : The information requested is available from the Library in the following publications : "Main Economic Indicators", published by OECD ; and "Unemployment in the Community", published by Eurostat.
Equal Pay
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to seek to amend the equal pay for work of equal value legislation.
Mr. Nicholls : My right hon. and learned Friend has no plans at present to amend the equal pay legislation. The Equal Opportunities Commission, which has a statutory duty to review the legislation, is currently doing so and any proposals for change which may emerge from the commission's review will be carefully considered, as will proposals put forward by any other interested bodies including those already made by the Confederation of British Industry.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will list for each of the past 25 years the average pay for a woman as a proportion of that for a man.
Mr. Nicholls : Women's hourly earnings as a proportion of men's are shown in the table. Comparable data are not available before 1970 or in the period 1971 to 1973.
|per cent.
------------------------------
1970 |63.1
1974 |67.4
1975 |72.1
1976 |75.1
1977 |75.5
1978 |73.9
1979 |73.0
1980 |73.5
1981 |74.8
1982 |73.9
1983 |74.2
1984 |73.5
1985 |74.1
1986 |74.3
1987 |73.6
1988 |75.1
1989 |76.4
Note:Based on average gross
hourly earnings, excluding
overtime, of full-time
employees aged 18 and over,
whose pay was not affected by
absence, as at April of each
year.
Source:New Earnings Survey.
Domestic Servants
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has as to how many domestic servants are (a) men and (b) women.
Mr. Nicholls : It is estimated from the 1988 labour force survey that in spring 1988 there were 20,000 men and 171,000 women in employment in domestic services in Great Britain.
Sexual Harassment
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his Department's policy on sexual harassment at work ; whether guidance on reporting complaints has been issued to all staff ; how many complaints have been reported in the past five years ; and what disciplinary action has been taken.
Mr. Nicholls : My Department's policy is that sexual harassment at work is not tolerated and is treated as a disciplinary offence. Guidance on our policy and on the reporting and handling of complaints is included in our personnel handbook which is available to all staff.
We have monitored this policy since 1 July 1985 and in the period from then to 31 December 1989 (the last date for which figures are available) 88 cases have been reported.
Appropriate action has been taken in all cases. Disciplinary penalties imposed have ranged from warnings to being employed in a lower grade.
Pin-ups
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will issue instructions for the removal of all offensive pin-ups in all his departmental premises.
Mr. Nicholls : My Department's policy is that sexual harassment at work is not tolerated and is treated as a disciplinary offence. The guidance issued to staff gives examples of what might constitute sexual harassment. These include
"displays or circulation of sexually offensive material, for example pin- ups".
My right hon. and learned Friend does not therefore consider that any further instructions are needed.
Column 511
Action for Jobs
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how much of the expenditure on action for jobs television advertising in 1988- 89 was spent through the Central Office of Information.
Mr. Eggar : All of the expenditure on action for jobs television advertising in 1988-89 was spent through the Central Office of Information.
Radiation (Code of Practice)
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many copies have been published of the draft approved code of practice , "Part 4 Dose Limitation--Restriction of Exposure : Additional Guidance on Regulation 6 of the Ionising Radiation Regulations," produced by the Health and Safety Commission ; to whom this document has been distributed ; by what date any comments should be sent to the Health and Safety Commission ; and what response his Department is planning to make to the consultative document.
Mr. Nicholls : A total of 7,000 copies were printed of the consultative document, published on 5 February 1990, containing the draft approved code of practice on restriction of exposure to ionising radiations. Copies were distributed to international organisations, professional bodies, government departments, employers' associations, representatives of workers, and local authorities. Copies were also placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Comments should be sent to the Health and Safety Commission by 30 April 1990.
My right hon. and learned Friend will await the advice of the Health and Safety Commission in the light of comments received on the consultative document.
Training
Mr. Blair : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to set up by no later than 31 December 1992 a comprehensive and effective framework of sector training organisations.
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