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£ |per cent.
35,000 |-0.1
40,000 |-0.2
45,000 |-0.3
For the purpose of the RPI all tax relief is assumed to be at the standard rate of tax.
DEFENCE
SSBN 007
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to place the order for SSBN 007.
Mr. Neubert : We expect to place the order for the third Vanguard class submarine later this year.
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Coolant Water Discharges
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what level of radioactivity, and which radio-nuclides, are released into the Clyde by the Royal Navy, which are the result of nuclear powered submarine coolant water discharges.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Treated liquid containing a small amount of radioactivity is discharged from the Clyde submarine base into Gareloch. The radio-nuclide of principal significance is Cobalt 60. In 1988 the total level of discharge was 0.000029 terabecquerels, which is less than 1 per cent. of the limits agreed with the Scottish Development Department.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what level of radioactivity, and which radio-nuclides, are released into the Irish sea by the United States Navy, which are the result of nuclear powered submarine coolant water discharges ; (2) when the USS Simon Lake (AS33) stopped releasing processed reactor coolant water, from United States nuclear powered submarines, into Holy Loch ; and at what depth of ocean it is now the practice to release the processed coolant water ;
(3) what volume of processed coolant water from nuclear-powered submarines, on average, is discharged per excursion ; and which radio-nuclides, and in what quantities, this coolant contains from the discharges made by the USS "Simon Lake".
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Matters concerning the operation of United States Navy nuclear-powered submarines are for the United States Government. Her Majesty's Government remain satisfied that while in United Kingdom waters the United States Navy continues to operate its nuclear- powered warships in accordance with the recommendations of the International Commission of Radiological Protection (ICRP).
Sultan's Forces, Brunei
Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any payment is made by the Sultanate of Brunei for the provision by the United Kingdom of troops and training to the Sultan's forces.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Appropriate payments are made by the Government of Brunei for individuals attending training courses in the United Kingdom and for loan
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service personnel serving with the Brunei armed forces. In addition, the Government of Brunei meet the full costs of the British Gurkha battalion stationed in Brunei.Local Government Finance
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will show (a) how many training establishments within the armed services have sought to register trainees as students for poll tax purposes and (b) a full list of all those establishments.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The information requested is not held centrally.
THE ARTS
Arts Funding
Mr. Jack : To ask the Minister for the Arts what is the increase in funding for the arts for the year 1990-91.
Mr. Luce : Funding for the arts will increase in 1990-91 by £45,221,000 to £494,193,000.
Lizzie"
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will make a statement on his latest actions in relation to "Lizzie", the fossil found near Bathgate, West Lothian.
Mr. Luce : I have nothing to further to add to the answer I gave to the hon. Member on 6 March, Official Report, column 585.
Tourism
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Minister for the Arts what contribution the arts makes to tourism in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Luce : The arts play an important part in United Kingdom tourism. The Policy Studies Institute report, "The Economic Importance of the Arts", published in 1988, calculated that some 42 per cent. of arts attendances in London were by tourists while tourism with an arts ingredient was worth in 1986 £3.1 billion or 25 per cent. of total tourist earnings for that year.
The most recent figures published by the British tourist authority relating to the number of visits to tourist attractions in the United Kingdom in 1988 indicate the continuing importance of museums and galleries to United Kingdom tourism. Of the 10 most popular attractions visited, four are museums or galleries.
SCOTLAND
Technology Academies
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on what the budget for technology academies in 1989-90 was spent.
Mr. Lang : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 March at column 159.
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Capital Allocations
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total money allowed to local authorities for capital spending in (a) 1989-90 and (b) 1990-91.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Capital consents issued by the Secretary of State for local authority capital programmes totalled £790 millon in 1989-90. Authorities also have considerable other resources for capital spending. No comparable figure is yet available for 1990-91.
EMPLOYMENT
Northumbria (Tourism)
Mr. Cummings : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of overseas visitors visited the Northumbrian tourist area in the last five years ; and what steps are being taken to encourage visitors to the north-east.
Mr. Nicholls : Estimates of the percentage of overseas visitors who visited Northumbria in the years 1984 to 1988 are as follows :
Overseas visitors
to Northumbria
tourist board area
1984 |1.9
1985 |1.7
1986 |2.0
1987 |2.1
1988 |1.8
Part-time Workers
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assistance the Government is giving to the training of part-time workers.
Mr. Nicholls : The primary responsibility for training the employed, whether they work full or part-time, rests with the employers. The Government's employment training programme offers part-time training opportunities in certain circumstances for a number of groups of unemployed people. These include people with disabilities, returners to the labour market and lone parents.
Tourism
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment why grant aid for tourism development under section 4 of the Development of Tourism Act 1969 was withdrawn for England ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : The decision to withdraw funding from the section 4 scheme in England was made because of serious doubts about the scheme's continuing value and effectiveness ; and in the light of record levels of capital investment in the tourism industry.
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Youth Training, Peterlee and Seaham
Mr. Cummings : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people on Government employment training schemes have left the course before completion in the Peterlee and Seaham areas ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : Information about the number of people leaving employment training before completing their planned training in the Seaham and Peterlee areas is not available.
Youth Training
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many young people over 18 years are on YTS special training needs endorsements.
Mr. Patrick Nicholls : On 31 December 1989, 15,900 young people aged over 18 were on YTS with special training needs endorsements.
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Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to introduce an increase in the youth training allowance ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : The minimum value of the lower and higher levels of the youth training allowance will remain at £29.50 and £35 respectively. However, from 29 May, youth training trainees will be eligible for the higher rate of the trainee allowance when they reach their 17th birthday, instead of after completing a fixed period of training, which is the current rule. In consequence, most trainees will qualify for the higher level of the trainee allowance earlier than is the case now.
An increasing proportion of YTS trainees have been taken on as employees while training, and will be in receipt of a wage from their employer, not a training allowance. Those who remain as trainees (not employees) are increasingly likely to be in receipt of supplementary payments from employers. Both trends are most encouraging and show that employers are accepting more responsibility for bearing the costs of training young people.
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