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Mr. Freeman : The information derivable from annual accounts submitted to the Department for the financial
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years 1986-87 to 1988-89, the latest available, has been placed in the Library. Equivalent information for 1989- 90 will become available in the autumn.Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much speech therapists' pay increased in real terms in the years 1986-87, 1987- 88 and 1989-90 ; and how
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much the pay of physiotherapists, pharmacists, general practitioners, hospital doctors and nurses increased in real terms over the same periods.Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The real-terms increases are as follows :
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Financial year |Speech |Physiotherapists|Pharmacists |General |Hospital |Nurses |therapists |Practitioners |doctors ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1986-87 |2.91 |5.05 |<1>10.10 |4.47 |4.47 |4.66 1987-88 |<2>4.61 |4.70 |0.77 |2.69 |3.89 |5.09 1988-89 |1.54 |4.72 |<4>4.67 |3.27 |4.04 |13.47 1989-90 |<3>0.93 |-0.28 |n/a |0.19 |0.19 |-1.11 1986-87 to 1989-90<5> |13.57 |18.22 |n/a |16.44 |14.25 |27.03 <1> Six per cent. average increases w.e.f. 1 April 1986; from 1 October 1986 Emergency Duty Services remuneration scheme introduced, plus a further increase of £800 on all pay points for basic grade staff. <2> Settlement introduced revised grading definition £450 lump sum. <3> Eighteen month settlement w.e.f. 1 April 1989. <4> Settlement consisted of 3.1 per cent. increase w.e.f. 1 December 1987 plus assimilation to new salary scales w.e.f. 1 April 1988. <5> Percentage real terms increase reflects cummulative percentage settlements deflated by the percentage change in the retail prices index from April of the base year to April of the latest year. n/a=Not available.
National Assistance Act 1948
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the reply to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe, on 13 March, Official Report, column 182, how many requests to conduct an inquiry under section 36 of the National Assistance Act 1948 he has received in each of the last 10 years ; what action was taken in each case ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not available. Where representations are made to the Department which state or imply that a local authority has failed to comply with its statutory duties under welfare legislation, whether or not section 36 of the National Assistance Act 1948 is specifically referred to, appropriate inquiries are made. Since 1 January 1990, seven such representations have been received, each in respect of services for disabled people. Inquiries are continuing in these and some earlier cases ; many have been resolved, either by a decision that there was no breach of statutory duty or by compliance on the part of the authority.
TRANSPORT
Trains (Passenger Limits)
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has for putting statutory passenger load limits on trains ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : My right hon. Friend has no such proposals. He has agreed with BR load factor standards for Network SouthEast and provincial services. The Government are supporting a large rail investment programme which is giving priority to new higher capacity rolling stock to help in achieving those standards.
Footpaths and Bridleways
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for each of the years 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989, the number of temporary traffic regulation orders made by local authorities under section
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14 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to restrict or prohibit the use of footpaths or bridleways for which he gave consent under section 15(2) of that Act for an extension of the period for which the order was in force.Mr. Atkins : Temporary traffic orders affecting footpaths and bridleways are not separately identified from those affecting road traffic. Records are not kept centrally, and the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Roll On/Roll Off Ferries
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what action he proposes to take to assess whether existing roll on/roll off ferry ships and new designs remain unacceptably vulnerable ; (2) when he expects to report on the findings of the Government's research programme on roll on/roll off ferry design and vulnerability.
Mr. McLoughlin : Following the official report of the formal investigation into the loss of the Herald of Free Enterprise, the Department of Transport initiated a wide-ranging programme of research into ways of increasing the safety of ro-ro passenger ferries. The steering committee which supervised the programme has now completed its work, and I am studying its report and recommendations. I hope to make the report and the results of the research widely available shortly.
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents there have been and how many casualties have been sustained in incidents involving roll on/roll off ferries at sea in each of the past 10 years for which records are available.
Mr. McLoughlin : The numbers of accidents involving United Kingdom passenger roll on/roll off ferries for which records are readily available, together with the numbers of lives lost, are :
Year |Accidents |Lives Lost --------------------------------------------1982 |3 |6 1983 |2 |- 1984 |- |- 1985 |1 |- 1986 |- |- 1987 |4 |189 1988 |1 |-
Coal Importing Facilities
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current rated capacity in tonnes per hour of imported coal handling facilities on a port-by port basis (a) in England, (b) in Wales and (c) in Scotland.
Mr. McLoughlin : My Department does not have this information.
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many applications have been received, by county, to expand or significantly alter existing coal importing facilities at ports (a) in England, (b) in Wales and (c) in Scotland ;
(2) how many new applications have been received, by county, to develop and operate coal importing facilities at ports (a) in England, (b) in Wales and (c) in Scotland.
Mr. McLoughlin : Since 1985 no port developments have needed the Secretary of State's approval. Port undertakings are generally free to develop whatever facilities they wish on existing port land. Port developments elsewhere need either planning permission or statutory powers by means of an order under the Harbours Act or a private Bill. I am not aware of any recent applications for statutory powers for port developments for the express purpose of importing coal.
A1, Barnet
Mr. Gorst : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish statistics for personal injury connected with use of the gap in the central reservation of the A1 Barnet way, opposite Hyver hill, for the years 1987, 1988 and 1989 ; what evidence he is considering in reaching his decision on whether to close the gap ; what recommendations he has received from the London borough of Barnet in connection with proposals to close the gap ; and whether they have conveyed to him the views of local residents about the effects of any closure.
Mr. Atkins : No personal injury accidents were recorded at this gap for the years in question. The closure of the gap, in association with other works planned for the Barnet way, was proposed in consultation with the London borough of Barnet, as the Department's agent for this part of the A1 trunk road, and was not opposed by the council's public works committee. The evidence being considered includes representations from or on behalf of seven residents of Hyver hill opposing closure, and the Department's own knowledge of and maintenance plans for the road. The leader of the council wrote to me about the effect of the proposed closure on local residents.
Underground Train Drivers
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will instruct the railway inspectorate to examine the period of experience required before a driver may take sole charge of an underground train ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Portillo : Drivers of London underground trains are presently recruited from guards who are trained to drive as part of their duty, and who can apply to become drivers after six months' service. Candidates for driver posts receive a further 14 days of basic training, followed by a period of rolling stock and route training specific to the line on which they are to drive.
As the number of guards is declining, London Underground has developed proposals to recruit drivers directly. This is at present being discussed with the unions concerned and I have asked the railway inspectorate to review the conclusions of those discussions with London Underground in due course.
St. John's Wood Underground Station
Mr. Kaufman : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ask for a report from the chairman of London Underground on the safety aspects of the renewed removal from service of an escalator at St. John's Wood underground station.
Mr. Portillo : Although closure of an escalator is inconvenient to passengers, the alternative facilities are not unsafe.
Rail Accidents
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) passengers and (b) British Rail staff died as a result of accidents involving passenger trains in each of the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive.
Mr. Portillo : The table shows fatalities in accidents involving all trains. I am unable to specify those attributable solely to passenger trains. Similarly, the staff figures include all railway employees ; no separate figures are available for BR staff fatalities.
|Passengers|<1>Staff |Total -------------------------------------------------------1980 |25 |24 |49 1981 |35 |22 |57 1982 |18 |25 |43 1983 |27 |25 |52 1984 |39 |20 |59 1985 |31 |16 |47 1986 |31 |13 |44 1987 |39 |12 |51 1988 |68 |13 |81 <2>1989 |31 |14 |45 <1> Includes contractors' staff from 1984 onwards. <2> Provisional figures.
Road Accidents
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people died as a result of road accidents in each of the years from 1980-89 inclusive.
Mr. Atkins : The information is as follows :
|c|Persons killed in road accidents: Great Britain, 1980-89|c| |Deaths ---------------------------1980 |6,010 1981 |5,846 1982 |5,934 1983 |5,445 1984 |5,599 1985 |5,165 1986 |5,382 1987 |5,125 1988 |5,052 1989 |<1>5,230 <1> Provisional.
The 7 per cent. decline in road deaths between the 1981-85 average and 1989 has achieved a level which represents one of the lowest in Europe. Nevertheless, we have set ourselves the target of reducing the toll by one third by the year 2000.
Iron Foundries (Rail Equipment)
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his actions in relation to the Office of Fair Trading, Rail Equipment Investment, the Atlas steel foundry in Armadale and William Cook plc in the light of the debate on 23 March.
Mr. Portillo : I understand that the Director General of Fair Trading is considering, in the normal way, what advice he should give in this case. The action to be taken in the light of that advice will be a matter for the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. The procurement of equipment for British Rail is a matter for the board, which requires that it be obtained from an approved foundry, whether in this country or elsewhere.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Ardglass Harbour
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when capital funds will be released for the construction of the new harbour at Ardglass in South Down ; and if he will give a commencement date for the scheme.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : I have nothing to add to my reply to the hon. Gentleman's question on this issue on 1 February 1990, Official Report, column 341.
Stevens Inquiry
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when it is anticipated Mr. John Stevens will report the results of his investigation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Cope : I understand that Deputy Chief Constable Stevens is expected to report the findings of his inquiry to the Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary some time during the month of April.
Education Reform Brochures
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about the level of resources expended on the brochure, "Education Reform--What it Means to You".
Dr. Mawhinney : It is important that the Northern Ireland public should be properly informed about the most radical changes to education in the Province for almost 50 years. I am satisfied that the level of expenditure involved was the minimum consistent with achieving this objective.
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total cost incurred in the preparation
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and design of the brochure entitled, "Education Reforms--What it Means to You" ; and which office was responsible for having this work carried out.Dr. Mawhinney : This work--at a total cost of £32,386--was carried out on behalf of the Department of Education by McCann-Erickson (Belfast) Ltd.
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total cost of the (a) manufacture/printing, (b) distribution and (c) advertisement of the brochure entitled, "Education Reform--What it Means to You".
Dr. Mawhinney : The information requested is as follows :
|£ -----------------------------------------(a) Manufacture/printing |158,535 (b) Distribution |89,600 (c) Advertisement |252,523
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which firm printed the brochure entitled, "Education Reform--What it Means to You".
Dr. Mawhinney : The brochure was printed by Reproprint Limited, Burnley.
Pin-ups
Mr. McNamara : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will issue instructions for the removal of all offensive pin-ups in all departmental premises.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 5 March 1990] : The Northern Ireland civil service issued instructions to staff on 12 October 1988. It is the duty of line managers in the Northern Ireland civil service to ensure that any material of a sexual or divisive nature (including posters, flags, insignia and other articles) which is potentially offensive or may cause apprehension is not displayed or circulated in the workplace. A similar line is taken in the home civil service group of the Northern Ireland Office.
Marine Research
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table to show how much of (a) the staff and (b) the finances made available to the newly formed merger of fisheries research laboratory staff will be dedicated to (i) the research vessel Lough Foyle, (ii) marine fish stock assessment, (iii) other marine research, (iv) research on the river Bush and (v) other fresh water research.
Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 20 March 1990] : Information in the form requested is not available. The areas identified are continuing to receive attention as previously, with intensification of effort planned for marine science and fish stock assessment being met with additional resources.
The balance of future effort in each area will reflect perceived priorities of the policy/scientific needs of the Department of Agriculture.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the daily running costs of the research vessel Lough Foyle when it is in berth at Belfast.
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Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 20 March 1990] : The marginal cost of the vessel in port is estimated at £600 per day.Fisheries Research Laboratory
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what have been the annual running costs of the fisheries research laboratory in Coleraine in each of the last two years broken down into (a) salaries, (b) equipment, (c) overheads and (d) total.
Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 20 March 1990] : The information is as follows :
|c|Costs<1> of DANI Fisheries Research Laboratory, Coleraine, ( £000):|c| |1988-89|1989-90 -------------------------------------Salaries: |179 |218 Equipment: |19 |63 Consumables: |30 |32 Travel: |15 |12 Overheads: |36 |49 |-- |-- Total |279 |374 <1>Excluding expenditure on marine research vessel.
Freshwater Biological Unit
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what have been the annual running costs of the freshwater biological unit at Antrim for each of the last two years broken down into (a) salaries, (b) equipment, (c) overheads and (d) total costs.
Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 20 March 1990] : The information is as follows :
|c|Costs of DANI Freshwater Biological Investigation Unit (£000):|c| |1988-89|1989-90 -------------------------------------Salaries: |189 |211 Equipment: |28 |36 Consumables: |43 |45 Travel: |4 |6 Overheads: |40 |45 |-- |-- Total |304 |343
Salmon
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information he has, or is collected by the Fisheries Conservancy Board, in respect of catches of salmon and grilse by anglers.
Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 20 March 1990] : None.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Gould : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he has any plans to introduce the community charge in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 20 March 1990] : The Green Paper of January 1986 "Paying for Local Government", which formed the basis for the Great Britain reforms, made it clear that the proposals did not apply to Northern Ireland. This reflected the fact that local government arrangements in Northern Ireland are significantly different from those in the rest of the United Kingdom and we have no present plans to replace the existing system.
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Mr. Gould : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken to ensure that the local government finance system in Northern Ireland is fair and accountable ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 20 March 1990] : Since 1973 the provision of local authority-type services in Northern Ireland has been on a very different basis from the rest of the United Kingdom. Ninety per cent. of the expenditure on these services is administered by Northern Ireland departments as a fully integral part of the public expenditure survey systems and as such is subject to the full scrutiny of Parliament. The remaining 10 per cent. is administered by the district councils. In those circumstances, Northern Ireland has not experienced the problem of accountability which has been a key issue in the Government's approach to the reform of local authority finance in Great Britain.
Mr. Gould : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has any plans for a revaluation of property for domestic rating purposes in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 20 March 1990] : The case for both commercial and domestic revaluation of property in Northern Ireland is kept under review. Any plans would, as in the past, be announced well in advance.
Terrorism
Mr. Maginnis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many terrorist killings of United Kingdom citizens have occurred in the Irish Republic between 1972 and 15 November 1985 ; and if anyone has been made amenable to the courts for these murders.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 23 March 1990] : The information is not currently available in the form requested. I will write to the hon. Gentleman shortly.
Mr. Maginnis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many terrorist killings of United Kingdom citizens have occurred in the Irish Republic since 15 November 1985 ; and if anyone has been made amenable to the courts for these murders.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 23 March 1990] : The information is not currently available in the form requested. I will write to the hon. Gentleman shortly.
Mr. Maginnis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will continue to press the authorities in the Irish Republic concerning terrorist murders within its jurisdiction of citizens of the United Kingdom ; when he last made representations on this issue ; and what response he has had.
Mr. Cope : This subject has been raised on a number of occasions and latterly at the intergovernmental conference in February 1989 following the death of Mr. Keys. In all our discussions on security co-operation the desirability of bringing the perpetrators of all terrorist murders to justice is foremost in our minds.
Electoral Register
Mr. Maginnis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers in the Royal Ulster Constabulary are unable to register to vote because
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of the likelihood of the Provisional IRA using the information contained in the electoral register as a source of information in order to target them.Mr. Cope [holding answer 23 March 1990) : I have no reason to believe that members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary are deliberately not registering as electors.
Mr. Maginnis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will consider introducing a special confidential register of electors for the Royal Ulster Constabulary through which secure postal voting arrangements could be implemented ; and for inclusion in which the Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary would vouch his officers to the chief electoral officer.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 23 March 1990] : The introduction of a special confidential register of electors would present practical difficulties and there are no plans to introduce a separate register of this kind. But, as I explained in my reply to a recent question from the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen), Official Report, 26 February 1990, column 37, we continue to keep the matter under careful review.
Security Forces (Home Security)
Mr. Maginnis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) whether he will consider making available to all members of the security forces living in Northern Ireland the opportunity to have installed basic home security measures ;
(2) whether, in the light of the circumstances surrounding the terrorist killing of Royal Ulster Constabulary Inspector Derek Monteith in Armagh, there has been a review of the level of threat at which home security measures become available to members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary ; and if the criteria have changed.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 23 March 1990] : The personal safety of members of the security forces living at home in Northern Ireland is kept under constant review by the appropriate service authorities. It would not be appropriate for me to indicate publicly what measures have been or may be taken.
Mr. Maginnis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether, in his consultations with the Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, he is regularly briefed on the various sources of threat to members of the police force in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 23 March 1990] : Yes.
SCOTLAND
Infertility
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list the infertility services provided by each health board ; (2) what is the prevalence of infertility in Scotland.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : I have nothing to add to the replies I gave to the hon. Member for Holborn and St Pancras (Mr. Dobson) on 28 July 1989, Vol. 157, column 969-70.
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Education Spending
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list those years in the period 1974 to 1989 when financial cuts in real terms were made in public expenditure on Scottish education.
Mr. Lang : The years in the period 1974-75 to 1988-89 where the rate of increase in education expenditure was less than the rate of increase in the GDP deflator are as follows :
1975-76
1976-77
1977-78
1979-80
1982-83
1983-84
1985-86
Airflow Beds
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many airflow beds are in use in Scottish hospitals ; what was the position in 1980, 1985 and 1988 ; and what are the reasons for their purchase and use.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Information about the number of airflow beds in use is not held centrally. Such beds are used where clinically indicated.
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