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Mr. Nicholls : I would refer the hon. Lady to the reply given by my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Erith and Crayford (Mr. Evennett) on 6 March, at column 543.
Health and Safety
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has for improvements in health and safety legislation.
Mr. Nicholls : The Health and Safety Commission is responsible for bringing forward proposals for the progressive modernisation of health and safety legislation. Details of the commission's future legislative programme will be contained in its plan of work for 1990-91 and beyond, which the commission hopes to publish in May.
Mrs. Kay Jackson
Mr. Evennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how he intends to respond to the recent employment appeal tribunal decision on the case of Mrs. Kay Jackson ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : In line with the assurance given to the House in debate on 8 November 1989, the decision of the employment appeal tribunal will now be honoured in the case of Mrs. Jackson as well as in all the other outstanding tribunal cases. No appeal against it will be made. Following the decision the Treasury solicitor is in touch with the applicants to review their respective positions. In making a child care allowance available to lone parents on ET, the Government sought to give special help and support to a group known to be particularly disadvantaged in the labour market and to face disproportionate difficulties in taking up training. The resources that the Government can commit to child care are necessarily limited. The Government believe that it is right that lone parents should have the first claim on those resources. An order made under the Employment Act 1989 and effective from 19 December 1989 allows the continuation of current special arrangements to lone parents.
Next Steps"
Mr. Soames : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when the employment service will be established as a "next steps" agency ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Howard : The employment service becomes a "next steps" agency on Monday 2 April 1990. The employment service has 35,000 staff dealing directly with the public, helping unemployed people into jobs and paying £4.6 million in benefits for unemployment, making the agency the biggest and the most significant to be set up so far under the "next steps" initiative.
I will be publishing on Monday the agency framework document, which describes how the agency will operate in relation to the Department, and its annual performance agreement, which describes the specific performance targets the agency is aiming to achieve in 1990-91. Copies of these documents will be placed in the Library.
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My hon. Friend the Minister of State is writing to all Members with more details about the agency arrangements and the responsibilities of the agency's chief executive.FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Lithuania
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what direct representations he has made to the Soviet Union about the desirability of negotiations between the Soviet Union and Lithuania ; and whether he intends calling for such negotiations to take place on neutral territory.
Mr. Maude : We have made a number of direct representations to the Soviet authorities urging that progress should be made through dialogue between the Soviet Union and the Lithuanians. We have not made any recommendation as to where such negotiations should take place.
Romania
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in alleviating the plight of Romanian orphans.
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Mr. Maude : Since the Romanian revolution we have given over £6 million of medical and food aid to Romania (though not specifically to the orphanages) directly or through the EC.
Charitable organisations in the UK have sent food, clothes and medical aid to the orphanages. British doctors and nurses are helping, and arrangements are being made for two Romanians to receive training in the UK. We have made small cash grants to help with this, and also to other organisations in the same field.
We are now considering what more we can do.
Ivory
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current stock of ivory available in Hong Kong for trading.
Mr. Maude : The latest available figure for the current stock of elephant ivory held in Hong Kong with valid CITES documentation and therefore available for trade (to the nearest tonne) is 356 tonnes, comprising 102 tonnes of worked ivory and 254 tonnes of raw ivory.
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SCOTLAND
Silicon Chips Industry
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people in Scotland work full or part-time in the silicon chips industry ; and how many of them are in regular contact with (a) chemicals or substances dangerous to their health and (b) hydrofluoric acid.
Mr. Lang : The information requested is not available.
Sport
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many students in (a) secondary and (b) higher education in Scotland regularly take part in sporting activities.
Mr. Lang : Physical education, which may include sport, is a recommended part of the curriculum for all school pupils. Figures for participation by post-school students are not collected centrally.
Hazardous Waste
Mr. Andrew Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many full-time hazardous waste inspectors there are in Scotland.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Six professional staff are engaged for part of their time on waste inspectorate duties, amounting to the equivalent of three full-time officers.
Water Quality
Mr. Andrew Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many scientific staff are employed by the river purification boards in Scotland to issue and enforce consents and to monitor water quality.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The numbers and types of staff employed by river purification boards are matters for each board to determine in the light of its circumstances. Such information is published annually in the reports of the boards which are lodged in the Library.
Waste Disposal
Mr. Andrew Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will outline what measures have been taken to establish which waste disposal sites in Scotland pose a pollution problem from the escape of noxious leachate.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : It is a statutory requirement that river purification authorities (RPAs) be consulted on proposals for development of waste disposal sites. They will indicate whether there may be leachate requiring a discharge consent. Such consents would be given only subject to conditions aimed at ensuring that the discharge will not cause pollution of surface or groundwater. Any breach of discharge consent conditions, and any unconsented discharges, would be investigated by the RPAs as part of their statutory function.
Mr. Andrew Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which waste disposal authorities in Scotland have still not submitted to him a waste disposal plan.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Final waste disposal plans have not yet been submitted by three district councils : Banff and Buchan, Kirkcaldy, and Skye and Lochalsh.
Contaminated Land
Mr. Andrew Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what measures have been taken to establish the extent and location of contaminated land in Scotland.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The Scottish Development Department carried out a pilot survey of vacant land in Scotland in 1988 in collaboration with the Scottish Development Agency and the regional and district councils. This initial survey revealed 48 sites, comprising 402 hectares, that were known to be contaminated and a further 189 sites, comprising 834 hectares, that were suspected of contamination. A follow-up survey will be carried out shortly.
European Structural Fund
Mr. Andrew Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which projects have to date attracted European Commission structural fund suppport, and how much.
Mr. Lang : To the end of 1989, Scotland has benefited from project awards of around £1,268 million from the European Community structural funds. Details of the individual funds are set out in the table :
|£ million
----------------------------------------------------------------------
European Regional Development Fund |869
European Social Fund |277
European Agricultural Guarantee and Guidance Fund |122
<1>These figures relate only to projects: the Structural Funds have
also provided, through the Agricultural Guidance Fund, assistance to
pre-funded schemes such as livestock subsidies-some £290 million
between 1979 and 1988.
It is not practicable to list the projects individually because of the very large number which have been assisted.
Sewage Sludge
Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the estimate of the additional poll tax that will have to be levied in each of the Scottish regions to cover the cost of the reduction of dumping of sewage sludge for each year to 1998.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : This is entirely a matter for the authorities concerned.
Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many tonnes of sewage sludge were dumped at sea by each of the Scottish regions in each year since 1979 ;
(2) how many tonnes of sewage sludge will be dumped at sea by each of the Scottish regions in each year to 1998.
Mr. Lang : The information is set out in the table :
(Wet tonnes) millions
|Lothian |Strathclyde
------------------------------------------------
1979 |0.33 |0.70
1980 |0.32 |1.71
1981 |0.29 |1.51
1982 |0.25 |1.47
1983 |0.22 |1.57
1984 |0.23 |1.71
1985 |0.21 |1.69
1986 |0.17 |1.70
1987 |0.25 |1.70
1988 |0.25 |1.70
1989 |0.25 |1.70
The Government have already announced that the dumping of sewage sludge at sea will cease by 1998. Until then, local authorities wishing to continue the practice will require, as at present, to seek annual renewal of their sea disposal licences. It is not possible to say precisely how much sewage sludge will be dumped at sea in the future. However, the quantities of contaminants in the sludge will require, as at present, to be contained within 1987 levels.
Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the estimated cost of ending the dumping of sewage sludge at sea for each of the Scottish regions for each year to 1998.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The only authorities affected by the ending of the dumping of sewage sludge at sea are Strathclyde and Lothian regional councils. They will be called upon to submit programmes before the end of 1990 for changing to land-based disposal routes. Preliminary assessments indicate that the capital cost of incineration as an alternative to sea disposal might be about £52 million for Strathclyde and £12 million for Lothian but, until the authorities' programmes are available, it is not possible to say what expenditure will be incurred in each year.
Mental Illness and Mental Handicap
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) mentally ill and (b) mentally handicapped persons are at present in prisons in Scotland ; and in which prisons.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The latest figures for 1989 show that medical attention was needed for 4,896 inmates suffering from neurosis or mental disorder. Only 82 inmates, however, were diagnosed as suffering from psychoses and 10 inmates were found to be mentally handicapped in these establishments.
|Psychoses
|Sufferers
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Her Majesty's Prison, Aberdeen |9
Her Majesty's Prison, Barlinnie |41
Her Majesty's Prison and Institution, Cornton |9
Vale
Her Majesty's Prison, Edinburgh |6
Her Majesty's Prison, Friarton |1
Her Majesty's Prison and Institution, Glenochil |4
Her Majesty's Remand Institution, Longriggend |5
Her Majesty's Prison, Perth |5
Her Majesty's Prison, Peterhead |1
Her Majesty's Prison, Shotts |1
|Mentally
|Handicapped
Her Majesty's Prison, Aberdeen |4
Her Majesty's Prison, Barlinnie |5
Her Majesty's Young Offenders Institution, |1
Dumfries
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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Sir John Farr : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the amount spent on compensation for farmers experiencing bovine spongiform encephalopathy so far (a) at the full animal value and (b) at the 50 per cent. animal value.
Mr. Maclean : The information is not available in the form requested. In total, £4,135,729 was paid in compensation from the introduction of the compulsory slaughter policy on 8 August 1988 to the end of February 1990.
Sir John Farr : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total number of cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy notified in the United Kingdom since June 1988 ; and if he will give the annual figures.
Mr. Maclean : The information is as follows for Great Britain :
Year |Suspect
|cases notified
---------------------------------------------
1988<1> |2,517
1989 |8,446
1990<2> |3,987
|---
Total |14,950
<1> From 21 June, when BSE became
notifiable.
<2> Up to 23 March.
Sir John Farr : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what other countries apart from the United Kingdom have suffered from bovine spongiform encephalopathy ; and if he will list the number of animals and countries concerned.
Mr. Maclean : Nineteen cases of BSE have been confirmed in the Republic of Ireland and two cases in cattle exported from Britain to Oman.
Sir John Farr : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress is being made in the discussions with West Germany relating to the resumption of normal export trade of British beef to that country.
Mr. Maclean : The Germans did ask for supplementary guarantees to accompany consignments of beef from the United Kingdom. However, following the European Community's scientific veterinary committee's endorsement of our view that British beef is not a danger to public health they are no longer seeking such guarantees for the great majority of our sales to them.
Salmonella
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list in the Official Report the plants and animals which can harbour salmonella enteritidis.
Mr. Maclean : Any animal or plant has the potential to harbour salmonella enteritidis.
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Sewage Sludge
Mr. Graham : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many tonnes of sewage sludge will be dumped at sea by each of the water authorities in England and Wales in each year to 1998.
Mr. Curry : It is impossible to estimate.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what weights of sewage sludge have been dumped in or off (a) the Bristol channel and (b) Liverpool bay each year since 1979 ; what licences he expects to issue before the end of 1998 ; and what weights of sewage sludge are covered under each licence.
Mr. Curry : The amounts of sewage sludge dumped in the Bristol channel and Liverpool bay each year since 1979 are as follows. About 95 per cent. of the weight is water.
tonnes, wet weight
|Bristol |Liverpool Bay
|Channel
--------------------------------------------------------
1979 |358,280 |1,653,521
1980 |482,000 |1,759,883
1981 |328,040 |1,692,680
1982 |319,880 |1,642,410
1983 |230,145 |1,299,200
1984 |305,200 |1,282,800
1985 |262,513 |1,498,973
1986 |257,405 |1,541,456
1987 |237,956 |1,626,036
1988 |273,609 |1,628,937
1989 |306,414 |1,645,609
Licences are currently held as follows :
|Licensed
|tonnage
|(wet weight)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Bristol Channel |Wessex Water |300,000
|Welsh Water |55,000
Liverpool Bay |North West Water|1,970,000
I have announced that the Government intend to terminate sea disposal of sewage sludge as soon as possible, and at the latest by the end of 1998. Licence holders will be required to develop and implement plans for alternative disposal methods and a prediction of future disposals is not therefore practicable.
Mr. Graham : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many tonnes of sewage sludge were dumped at sea by each of the water authorities in England and Wales in each year since 1979.
Mr. Curry : The information will take a little time to prepare, and will be supplied as soon as possible.
Veterinary Executive Agencies
Mr. Gill : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further progress has been made towards establishing the central veterinary laboratory and the veterinary medicines directorate as executive agencies ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : Further to the Minister's written reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Ludlow (Mr. Gill) on 26 February 1990 at column 69, I am pleased to confirm that
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the central veterinary laboratory and the veterinary medicines directorate will become executive agencies with effect from 2 April 1990.The efficiency of both agencies will be judged primarily through cost recovery. Additional performance measures relating to their objectives will also be used to measure operating efficiency and quality of service and will be developed through the agencies' corporate plans.
The financial targets for the central veterinary laboratory for 1990-91 will be :
100 per cent. recovery of full costs ;
an overall efficiency gain of 1.5 per cent. ;
a reduction of 1.5 per cent. on the 1989-90 index of
representative unit costs for diagnostic tests.
The financial targets for the veterinary medicines directorate for 1990-91 will be :
100 per cent. recovery of full costs ;
an overall efficiency gain of 1.5 per cent. ;
a reduction of 1.5 per cent. on unit costs for appropriate areas of licensing work and residue sampling.
The performance indicators for both agencies are set out in their framework documents, copies of which are being placed in the Library of the House.
Animal Feed (Irradiation)
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to what extent irradiation is used in respect of animal feed ; what controls exist over kilogram dosage ; what labelling requirements exist to inform end-users that irradiation of foodstuffs has taken place ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : No United Kingdom animal feedingstuffs are irradiated.
HEALTH
Agency Nurses
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the number of agency nurses employed in the National Health Service.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The number of agency nursing and midwifery staff (whole-time equivalent) employed in the National Health Service in England at 30 September 1988, the latest date for which figures are available, was 6,240.
Hypnosis
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he intends to extend his policy governing practitioners of hypnosis to practitioners of subliminal techniques ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : Hypnosis is subject to legislation only when used for entertainment purposes. We have no plans to seek to control the therapeutic use of hypnotism or similar techniques.
District Health Authority Chairmen
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he can now announce details of the outstanding appointments of district health authority chairmen from 1 April.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : I have today announced the following appointments :
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Chairman |District |Term of Office --------------------------------------------------------------- Mr. T. Benyon |Milton Keynes |2 years Cllr. D. G. Lloyd |Shropshire |2 years Mr. F. S. Cronin |Sunderland |2 years
One appointment is still under consideration and I expect to make an announcement on this shortly.
Dental Practitioners (Retirement)
Mr. Anthony Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether it is intended to pay compensation to general dental practitioners who, having attained the age of retirement prescribed in the NHS (General Dental Services) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 1989, SI 832, will have their names removed from dental lists on 1 April.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Yes. I have made a determination under section 8(3) of the Health and Medicines Act 1988 specifying the rates at which payments shall be made to eligible dentists whose names are compulsorily removed from the lists on 1 April 1990. Parliamentary approval of this new expenditure will be sought in the main estimate for family practitioner (part) and other services, England (class XIII, vote 2). Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £250,000 will be met by repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund.
Medicines
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) who attended the meeting of the Committee on Review of Medicines that reviewed the alcohol content of gripe water ; who gave evidence to the meeting ; and what conclusions were reached ;
(2) if he will introduce legislation to permit publication on the deliberations and conclusions of the Committee on Safety of Medicines and the Committee on Review of Medicines ;
(3) what alcohol limits are permitted in gripe water currently on sale ;
(4) who are the members of the Committee on Review of Medicines.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : There are no present plans to amend section 118 of the Medicines Act, 1968 which generally prohibits the disclosure of information obtained in pursuance of the Act. The statutory appeal procedures are not complete in the cases to which the right hon. Member refers. It would be inappropriate to comment in any way prejudicial to them.
The current membership of the Committee on Review of Medicines is as follows :
Professor D. H. Lawson (Chairman) MD FRCP
Consultant Physician, Royal Infirmary, Glasgow
Visiting Professor University of Strathclyde
Mr. A. G. Amias FRCS FRCOG
Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, St. Georges Hospital, London
Professor T. H. D. Arie MA BM BCh FRCP FRCPsych FFCM DPM (Eng) Professor of Health Care of the Elderly, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham
Professor C. J. Bulpitt MD MSc FRCP
Reader of Epidemiology, Head of Division of Geriatric Medicine, Royal Postgraduate Medical School,
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