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Mr. Brooke : All the main constitutional political parties in Northern Ireland have expressed a willingness to work towards the devolution of powers to local elected representatives. The Government support this aim, because it seems the approach most likely to command widespread acceptance and serve the interests of all. My discussions with the leaders of the parties have concentrated on this approach.
Community Care
43. Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proposals he has for the reorganisation of community care.
Mr. Needham : My noble Friend Lord Skelmersdale is today publishing a policy paper, entitled "People First", which sets out the Government's proposals for the development of community care in Northern Ireland. A copy is being placed in the Library.
Cross-community Projects
44. Mr. Dover : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many schools are involved in cross-community projects ; and if he will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : In October 1987 I introduced the cross-community contact scheme to stimulate the development of cross-community projects between schools, and youth and community groups. Since its introduction, some 400 schools--about one third of all schools in Northern Ireland--have applied for assistance under the scheme which has an actual budget in 1989- 90 of £450,000. Grant is available for joint, continuing projects most of which are curriculum based.
Private House Building
45. Mr. Michael Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate private sector house building in 1979 and 1989.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : Private house building starts rose 64 per cent. from 4,127 in 1979 to 6,763 in 1989.
Planning Legislation
46. Mr. Clifford Forsythe : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes he proposes to make to Northern Ireland planning legislation.
Mr. Needham : I intend to lay a draft Planning (Northern Ireland) Order before the House in April.
Northern Ireland Members have already been consulted on the proposed draft order, the main points of which will be the introduction of simplified planning zones ; discontinuance notices ; planning agreements and measures for controlling the storage and use of hazardous substances. This will bring the planning law in Northern Ireland substantially into line with that in Great Britain. Also, the draft order will introduce a new measure-- a submission notice procedure whereby the Department of Environment (NI) could require the submission of a planning application from anyone carrying out development without planning permission.
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Prison Service
48. Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about the prison service in the light of the decision of the Dublin Supreme Court.
Mr. Cope : As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said in the House on 14 March the suggestion that persons returned to custody in Northern Ireland would be subject to ill treatment was "an unacceptable slur on the professionalism of the men and women of the Northern Ireland prison service."--[ Official Report, 14 March 1990 ; Vol. 169, c. 481.]
whose members work with courage and commitment often in difficult circumstances. Conditions in the Maze prison and throughout the Northern Ireland prison system compare most favourably with those found elsewhere in Europe and prisoners are able to enjoy the benefits of an imaginative and constructive prison regime.
Strangford Lough
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the representations about the declaration of the Strangford Lough (ASSI) Part 3 were taken into consideration during the consultative period by (a) his Department and (b) the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland considered all representations and objections to the declaration of the Strangford Lough (part 3) area of special scientific interest before confirmation took place on 16 November 1989. At a meeting on 3 November 1989 the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside was given information regarding the representations and objections and took this into consideration before advising the Department of its support for the confirmation of the area of special scientific interest.
Primary Schools, County Fermanagh
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will make a statement on progress towards resolution of controlled post-primary provision in County Fermanagh for the future.
Dr. Mawhinney : The future of controlled post-primary school provision in County Fermanagh is a matter for the Western education and library board. No development proposals relating to controlled post-primary schools in this area have been published. However, at the request of the board of governors of Portora royal school--a voluntary grammar school for boys--the board has published a proposal to the effect that girls should be admitted as day pupils to the school with effect from 1 September 1990. No decision on this proposal can be taken until after the expiry of the statutory two-month objection period which ends on 25 April 1990.
Purchasing Costs
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if his Department achieved the target of 5 per cent. saving in purchasing costs in 1988-89, set by the Paymaster General, through use of the central unit on purchasing.
Mr. Cope : Through the co-ordinating efforts of the central unit on purchasing for Northern Ireland, we
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achieved savings of 6.3 per cent. worth £17.7 million in 1988-89--significantly above the target which had been set.Child Poverty Action Group
Mr. George Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he has any plans to meet representatives of the Child Poverty Action Group.
Mr. Needham : My noble Friend the Minister responsible for health and social services has agreed to meet representatives of the group but not date has yet been arranged.
Energy
Mr. Stern : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to what extent Northern Ireland is self-supporting in terms of fuel for energy production.
Mr. Needham : At present Northern Ireland is entirely dependent on imported fuels for all its energy needs.
Debt Payments
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about the working party on the Payment of Debt (Northern Ireland) Act 1971.
Mr. Cope : The Payments for Debt (Emergency Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971 does not make provision for a working party ; but the public debt policy committee, comprising officials from all Government Departments in Northern Ireland with a major interest in public debt, keeps the problem of public debt under review.
Integrated Schools
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in establishing integrated schools since the making of the Education Reform (NI) Order in 1989.
Dr. Mawhinney : The Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 only came into force on 20 February. Since then, however, a number of schools have approached the Department of Education (NI) for advice about integrated status. Statutory proposals have already been submitted to education and library boards on behalf of five proposed new grant- maintained integrated schools and acquisition procedures for integrated status have also begun at a number of existing grant-aided schools. These latter procedures will include the holding of secret, postal ballots of parents, and it has been arranged that these will be conducted on behalf of school governors by the Electoral Reform Society in London.
Violence
Mr. Hayward : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he intends to take any further measures in the light of recent violent incidents in Northern Ireland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Brooke : I have signed an order to proscribe the Irish People's Liberation Organisation (IPLO) under the
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Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1978. The order has been laid before Parliament and since midnight the IPLO has been a proscribed organisation. We shall be asking both Houses to affirm the order in the next few weeks. Organisations such as the IPLO have no place in a democratic society such as ours.Fair Employment Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Londonderry, East of 20 March he will state whether the Fair Employment Commission has indicated that it will be bound by the agreement reached with the Fair Employment Agency.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 23 March 1990] : The code of practice was agreed with the former Fair Employment Agency. The question of the agency or the new commission being bound by the code of practice does not arise.
The code of practice and the questionnaire used to collect the "religious affiliation" of Northern Ireland civil service staff gave an assurance to staff that such information would be treated confidentially. The code of practice states that the information will be used solely for the purposes of monitoring the policy on equal opportunities and on no account will statistical summaries be produced for any other purpose.
Exceptionally, the code of practice does provide for the release of information to the Fair Employment Commission in the discharge of its statutory responsibilities. Section 19 of the Fair Employment (NI) Act 1989 places regulations on the commission regarding the confidentiality of such information.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland further to his answer to the hon. Member for Londonderry, East of 8 February, Official Report, column 745, how many (a) Protestants and (b) Roman Catholics in each grade and section listed in that answer, the Fair Employment Commission must employ to comply with present requirements ; and what percentage balance it is seeking to reach those targets.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 20 March 1990] : The Fair Employment Acts 1976 and 1989 make preferential treatment of individuals of one religious belief or political opinion unlawful but affirmative action measures to encourage members of an under-represented group, including goals and timetables, are lawful. The commission has a target for its workforce and at a press conference in February 1989, the chairman of the then Fair Employment Agency said that the agency advertisements
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would specify that it is particularly interested in receiving applications from Protestants. He also said that for its support staff, the agency should have a target of 25 to 30 per cent. Catholic and 70 to 75 per cent. Protestant and that this was already being achieved. For operations staff the target was to achieve a Protestant share of applicants for each vacancy advertised of 50 to 55 per cent. and a target for the group as a whole of 50 to 55 per cent. Protestant and 45 to 50 per cent. Roman Catholic. The commission intends to publish information on the composition of its staff and the applicant flow when it has reached it full staffing complement later this year.Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information the Fair Employment Commission has on religious affiliations of its present staff.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 20 March 1990] : The commission is monitoring the community background of its applicants and staff in accordance with the provisions of the Fair Employment (Northern Ireland) Act 1989. The commission intends to publish information on the composition of its staff and the applicant flow when it has reached its full staffing complement.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the Fair Employment Commission to reach its final staffing complement ; and which posts at present remain unfilled.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 20 March 1990] : The commission hopes to reach its full staffing complement by autumn 1990. At present, posts are unfilled in the following Northern Ireland civil service equivalent grades : one grade 6, two deputy principals (one of which is a research post), one staff officer (complaints), one administrative assistant and the chairman's personal secretary. Salmon Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many salmon and grilse were caught in River Bush in each of the last 10 years ; how many were recorded passing upstream at Bushmills each year ; how many each year are believed to have spawned naturally and successfully ; what is the estimated number of (a) parr and (b) smolts produced each year ; what has been the estimated survival rate of smolts to adults ; how far the information acquired corresponds with information gained from other studies ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 26 March 1990] : Following is the information :
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|c|Salmon-grilse catches in the River Bush|c|
|Number caught |Number passing |Estimate num- |Number of |Marine survival
|(angling in res- |upstream |ber spawning |smolts |smolt to adult
|tricted stretches |percentage
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1980 |246 |973 |783 |20,503 |12.0
1981 |219 |925 |798 |14,537 |6.3
1982 |224 |850 |741 |10,779 |10.4
1983 |138 |520 |480 |26,968 |8.6
1984 |87 |<1> |<1> |30,009 |<1>
1985 |433 |1,765 |1,501 |30,514 |7.9
1986 |519 |2,584 |2,271 |19,066 |9.8
1987 |406 |2,209 |1,952 |22,156 |11.7
1988 |474 |2,783 |2,442 |22,994 |12.5
1989 |140 |733 |579 |17,812 |4.3
<1> No data due to breakdown of electric barrier.
The River Bush experiment is highly regarded internationally and the data produced are regularly integrated with those from other studies, through the ICES salmon working group on which DANI scientists are represented. This is a continuing process and current comparisons are not yet available.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information he has as to the total catch of salmon at sea which are bound for (a) the Foyle river system including the Roe and the Faughan, (b) the River Bann system, (c) the River Bush and (d) other salmon rivers in Northern Ireland ; and what percentage of the total run this represented in each of the last five years, or as much of such information as is available to him.
Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 26 March 1990] : Following is the information :
(a) None.
(b) None.
(c) For River Bush wild salmon stock information is only available for the last three years as follows :
Year |Estimated sea catch|Relevant percentage
|of salmon bound for|of total run
|the River Bush
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987 |4,804 |68.5
1988 |5,237 |65.3
1989 |5,931 |89.0
(d) None.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information he has on the age at which salmon smolts in the River Bush migrate to the sea ; how long they normally spend there ; what percentage of an annual cohort returns are (a) one sea winter, (b) two sea winter, (c) three sea winter and (d) four sea winter fish ; and what percentage of the annual salmon run over the last five years has returned in each month of the year.
Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 26 March 1990] : In the last 10 years 25.1 per cent. of River Bush smolts have migrated to sea at one-plus years of age, 73.8 per cent. at two-plus years of age and 1.1 per cent. at three-plus years of age.
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The percentage of annual returns of various sea ages is as follows (average of last 10 years) :(a) 1 sea winter : 87.8 per cent.
(b) 2 sea winter : 12.2 per cent.
(c) 3 sea winter : 0
(d) 4 sea winter : 0
|c|Mean Percentage Monthly Returns
1985-89|c|
Month |Percentage of
|Run
------------------------------------------
January |0.007
February |0.020
March |0.280
April |0.587
May |1.283
June |3.944
July |26.215
August |25.655
September |14.656
October |15.079
November |2.402
December |1.276
The three places of decimals indicate activity throughout the year rather than precision.
Fisheries Research
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many permanent staff, and of what grades, have left employment at the fisheries research laboratory at Coleraine in each of the last three financial years and the current year ; which of these posts have been filled with (a) permanent appointments and (b) temporary staff ; how many of the temporary staff (i) were and are presently employed for periods of less than one year and (ii) were and are as well qualified as the permanent staff they replaced ; and what training programme is employed for such temporary staff.
Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 26 March 1990] : The information requested is as follows :
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Year |Grade of staff leaving<1> |Replacement action
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1986-87 |Principal scientific officer |Post filled by permanent
| appointment
|Laboratory attendant |None, the post was dropped from
| complement
1987-88 |None
1988-89 |None
1989-90 |Higher scientific officer |Post to be advertised for
| permanent appointment
|Assistant scientific officer |Post initially filled by temporary
| staff pending the transfer of a
| permanent assistant scientific
| officer from within DANI on 5
| March 1990
|Laboratory attendant |Post filled to date by temporary
| staff
<1>Includes resignation, retirement, promotion, transfer and career breaks.
In each case the temporary staff were appointed for periods of less than one year. The temporary assistant scientific officers appointed in 1989-90 were at least as well qualified as the previous permanent postholder. There are no formal qualifications required for laboratory attendant appointments. Appropriate on-the-job training was provided for temporary staff to allow them to carry out the duties required.
Public Relations
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the latest figures for the number of staff presently employed, and the full complement of staff, including vacant posts in the press and public relations office of his Department ; and what is the proposed complement for 1990-91.
Dr. Mawhinney [holding answer 12 March 1990] : At present, 54 staff are employed in the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments. The full complement, including vacant posts is 59. The proposed complement for 1990-91 is 61.
HEALTH
Infertility
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the prevalence of infertility in England.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not collected centrally. The White Paper "Human Fertilisation and Embryology : A Framework for Legislation" (Cm. 259) published in November 1987 indicated that about one in 10 couples are thought to be infertile and a greater number are estimated to seek specialist help at some stage.
AIM Programme
Dr. Bray : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he is supporting the extension of the European Commission AIM programme for health care.
Mr. Freeman : We strongly support the continuation of the advanced informatics in medicine (AIM) programme. The Department has been pressing for an adequate budget through the relevant official committees, and I have written in support to Vice-President Pandolfi, the Commissioner responsible. United Kingdom organisations have made the largest contribution of any EC member state to the present stage of the programme, and we wish to see this continue.
Care Funds
Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to issue guidelines on the assessment of individual needs by social services departments under the care funds system.
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Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : We expect to issue guidance in the autumn after wide consultations in the summer.
Medical Research Ethics
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he intends to introduce a legally binding code of medical research ethics as proposed by a committee of Ministers in the Council of Europe.
Mr. Freeman : No. The recommendation accepted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 6 February 1990 was that member states should either adopt legislation or take any other measures to ensure the implementation of a series of principles concerning medical research on human beings. The Department of Health will shortly be issuing updated and expanded guidance on the supervision of research on human beings. This guidance may be further revised in the light of experience.
Drug Trials
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will require all authorities running drug trials to offer no-fault compensation to all participating healthy volunteers.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Guidance to health authorities, which will be issued shortly, emphasises that those volunteering to participate in research studies should be made aware of what the arrangements are for obtaining compensation in the event of an injury arising from the research. It is then a matter for the individual concerned to decide whether or not the arrangements are acceptable.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will place a statutory limit on the number of drug trial studies a healthy volunteer can participate in per year ;
(2) if there is any monitoring of the number of drug trials each volunteer student participates in over time ;
(3) what safeguards there are to prevent students from taking part in more than one drug trial simultaneously ;
(4) if there is any evidence of volunteers taking part in more than one drug trial simultaneously.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : No information is held centrally about individuals who choose to volunteer to participate in medical research projects. There are no plans to introduce limits on the number of times a person can volunteer.
The Department recommends that a declaration about the state of health and any current medication should be obtained from healthy volunteers. They should also be asked to give their permission for notice to be sent, when necessary, to their general practitioner. Refusal to permit such communication should lead to rejection as a participant.
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NHS Trusts
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines have been issued to regional health authorities in assessing the business plans of National Health Service opt-out trusts and in particular on whether such trusts will be expected to shoulder their share of health authorities' deficits in the form of loans or other short-term finance from regional health authorities.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Subject to the passage of the necessary legislation. It will be for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State to assess applications including business plans submitted by applicants for NHS trust status--on an individual basis in the light of local circumstances.
Private Homes (Fees)
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that where a person moves from a National Health Service hospital to a private nursing home or private elderly persons home, it will be made clear to her or him, in writing, before the transfer, whether the district health authority will pay the fees under a contractual arrangement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Circular HC(89)5 which was issued to health authorities in February 1989, together with a booklet "Discharge of Patients from Hospital"--copies are available in the Library--emphasised that proper arrangements should be made for any necessary continuing care before patients are discharged from hospital. Arrangements, including care in a private residential or nursing home, should be made in good time and be acceptable to the patient and, where appropriate, the patient's relatives or carers. Where a person moves from hospital to a private nursing home, it should be made quite clear to him or her in writing before the transfer whether or not the health authority will pay the fees, under a contractual arrangement.
Charges
Ms. Jo Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish a table showing prescription, dental and optical charges in April 1979 and April 1990 in current and constant prices showing both the cash and real increase for each charge.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The table sets out the latest available information in relation to prescription and dental charges. No comparable figures for optical charges are available because the supply of NHS spectacles ceased in July 1986. Information relates to financial years.
|£
----------------------------------
Prescription charges
1979-80 |0.20
<1>1990-91 |3.05
<2>1990-91 |1.43
Average dental charge
1979-80 |6.83
<1>1988-89 |19.84
<2>1988-89 |10.54
<1> Current prices.
<2> 1979-80 prices.
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In 1979 a total of 185 million NHS prescription items were dispensed without charge. In 1988, the latest year for which figures are available, 269 million items were dispensed free.Wakefield DHA
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will call for a report from the chairman of Wakefield district health authority on the full cost of (a) the out-of-court settlement to be paid to Mr. Ray Corner, the authority's former district finance officer, (b) the legal fees incurred by Mr. Corner which are to be met by the authority, and (c) the authority's own legal fees in its defence against the action ; and under which budget heading the payments will be made ;
(2) if he will direct Yorkshire health authority to conduct an inquiry into the circumstances leading up to the dismissal of Mr. Ray Corner as district finance officer of Wakefield district health authority and to publish the report of the inquiry.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This is a local management issue ; the hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman of Wakefield district health authority, Mr. Brian Hayward for further information.
Guy's Hospital (Psychiatric Team)
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to reach a decision on the request that his Department's funding of the psychiatric team for single homeless people, attached to Guy's hospital, London, be extended for a further year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman The funding of the team is secure until the end of May. We are considering the possibility of extending support thereafter and expect to be in a position to reach a decision soon.
Beverley Lewis
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what action he intends to take as a result of the reports he has received from the Gloucester health authority and Gloucestershire social services department into the death of Beverley Lewis ;
(2) when he expects to receive the coroner's report on Beverley Lewis's death.
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