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Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if there are any proposals to remove the £10 a week training allowance to employment training trainees.
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 23 April 1990] : Trainees will continue to receive an allowance £10 greater than their previous benefit entitlement.
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give details of the single unit price per trainee as contained in the letter sent by the Training Agency, "Employment Training : Termination of Agreement and New Contract Arrangements 1990-91."
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 23 April 1990] : The letter "Employment Training : Termination of Agreement and New Contract Arrangements" gave no figures for, or details of, unit price per trainee.
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Youth Training
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give for Great Britain and the standard regions (a) the total numbers joining youth training/YTS in each of the years from 1987-88 to 1989-90 inclusive and the planned numbers for 1990-91, 1991-92 and 1992-93 and (b) the numbers progressing to a second year in each of the years 1987-88 to 1989-90 inclusive and those expected to progress to a second year in 1990- 91, 1991-92 and 1992-93.
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 23 April 1990] : The following tables show the number of young people starting youth training scheme training nationally and by region, the planned number of entrants nationally, and the number of trainees progressing to a second year nationally and by region to YTS/youth training in the years requested. Planning figures are not available at a regional level, and there are no national figures for trainees expected to progress to a second year.
|c|1 Number of young people starting YTS
training 1987 to 1990|c|
Financial year
|1987-88|1988-89|1989-90
--------------------------------------------------
Great Britain |328,400|314,700|280,400
Scotland |37,700 |40,500 |35,500
Northern |23,200 |23,500 |20,500
North West |52,000 |50,100 |42,800
Yorkshire and
Humberside |36,200 |35,600 |31,500
West Midlands |39,900 |36,500 |31,900
East Midlands and
Eastern |39,200 |36,500 |32,600
Wales |19,200 |18,900 |17,800
South West |24,800 |22,400 |20,300
South East |35,600 |31,900 |29,700
London |20,500 |18,900 |17,900
Note:
Figures rounded to the nearest hundred.
|c|2 Planned YT entrants for 1990 to 1993|c| Entrants |Number --------------------------- 1990-91 |260,000 1991-92 |240,000 1992-93 |217,000
|c|3. Number of young people progressing to a second year
of YTS|c|
|c|training 1987-90|c|
Financial year
|1987-88|1988-89|1989-90
----------------------------------------------------------
Great Britain |183,100|182,800|173,600
Scotland |19,800 |20,100 |20,600
Northern |13,800 |14,100 |14,300
North West |29,000 |28,300 |26,500
Yorkshire and Humberside |20,300 |21,400 |20,400
West Midlands |23,700 |21,400 |19,600
East Midlands and Eastern |22,500 |22,400 |21,000
Wales |10,500 |10,800 |10,400
South West |15,000 |14,800 |13,800
South East |20,300 |19,400 |18,100
London |8,200 |10,100 |8,900
Note: Figures rounded to the nearest hundred.
Government Expenditure
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the percentage distribution of total Government expenditure on employment and training in each of the years 1978-79 to 1989-90.
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Mr. Eggar [holding answer 23 April 1990] : The information requested is contained in table 21.2.12 of chapter 21--"Supplementary Analyses and Index" of "The Government's Expenditure Plans, 1990-91 to 1992 -93", Her Majesty's Treasury, January 1990, Cm. 1021, a copy of which is in the Library.
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the expenditure by planning total for each of the years 1984-85 to 1989-90 inclusive, and the estimated planning total for 1990-91, 1991-92 and 1992-93 in both cash and real terms.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 23 April 1990] : The information requested is as follows :
(£ billion) Year |Cash terms|Real terms -------------------------------------------- 1984-85 |2.9 |3.6 1985-86 |3.1 |3.6 1986-87 |3.5 |4.0 1987-88 |3.6 |3.8 1988-89 |3.6 |3.6 1989-90 |3.4 |3.2 1990-91 |3.8 |3.4 1991-92 |3.7 |3.1 1992-93 |3.7 |3.1 Sources: Tables 21.2.10 (cash terms) and 21.2.11 (real terms) of chapter 21 of "The Government's Expenditure Plans, 1990-91 to 1992-93", Cm. 1021, for the years 1984-85 to 1989-90. Table 6.1 (Cash plans) of chapter 6, Cm. 1006, for the years 1990-91 to 1992-93, with the cost in real terms calculated using the GDP deflator shown in table 21.2.1.
Disabled People
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of disabled people upon leaving the sheltered placement scheme subsequently (i) take up open employment, (ii) have no paid employment and rely on state benefits, (iii) move to some other form of sheltered employment and (iv) join a training scheme or take up further education.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 25 April 1990] : In the year ending 31 March 1989, 14 per cent. of the 720 people leaving the sheltered placement scheme took up open employment. A further 0.4 per cent. moved to some other form of sheltered employment.
We do not have information in the form requested on others who left for a variety of reasons.
DEFENCE
WINTEX 89
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will name the three logistic lead-in exercises which preceded Exercise WINTEX 89 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The logistic exercises preceding WINTEX 89 were Proud Amazon 89, Puff Adder 89 and Prompt Actor 89. These command post exercises provided a lead-in to WINTEX 89 and practised those national transition-to-war logistic plans and procedures which the setting of WINTEX 89 precluded.
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Baron Herman von Richthofen
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who will be financing Baron Herman von Richthofen's visits to Royal Air Force bases in April ; and if he will list by location the bases to be visited.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Baron von Richthofen, the West German ambassador to the United Kingdom, paid a two-day visit to RAF Cottesmore and RAF Wittering earlier this month. The costs of the visit have been met by the Ministry of Defence and the West German embassy.
Stealth Aircraft
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at which Royal Air Force bases the F-117A stealth military jet aircraft has landed.
HILEX 88
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the number of United Kingdom (a) military and (b) civil participants in HILEX 88.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : HILEX 13 was cancelled due to the pressure of other activities at NATO headquarters in the lead-up to an alliance summit which was scheduled to take place during the period of the exercise--28 February to 4 March 1988.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are to replace the NATO crisis management exercise HILEX.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There are no plans to replace HILEX 14.
Exercise Cold Steel
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the proposed Exercise Cold Steel is part of a series of military based regional home defence exercises.
Bomb (Accidental Release)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Don Valley of 5 April, Official Report , column 832 , what was the approximate location of the accidentally released bomb ; and what destructive power the spotting charge it contained had.
Mr. Neubert : The practice bomb was accidentally released north of RAF Bruggen in northern Germany. The spotting charge, which was designed to detonate on impact, had sufficient power only to initiate the release of a small smoke signal.
Radar Transmitters, Pembroke
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research he has undertaken to ensure that the proposed over-the- horizon radar transmitters on the site of the former St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire will not interfere with the operation of RAF Brawdy and other adjacent military installations.
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Mr. Alan Clark : Based on the known characteristics of the over-the- horizon radar transmitter to be sited at St. David's airfield, and its planned mode of operation during its two-year trial, the Ministry of Defence is satisfied that there will be no interference with the operation of RAF Brawdy and other establishments, or with existing navigation aids in the area.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has of the extra vehicular traffic which will be generated during the construction and operation of the proposed over-the-horizon radar on the site of the former St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire.
Mr. Alan Clark : Such estimates will be included in the independent environmental impact assessment to be undertaken later this year.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Pembroke on 23 April, if he will give fuller details of the dangers at close quarters from high- frequency electromagnetic radiation which would be experienced within the boundaries of the proposed over-the-horizon radar on the site of the former St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire, the nature of the danger, the distance at which it is effective and the measures taken to protect employees within the site.
Mr. Alan Clark : High-frequency electromagnetic radiation can cause warming within the body and can therefore cause damage to body tissues. An area within which high-frequency radiation levels would be too high for safe access will exist in front of the proposed over-the-horizon radar transmitter to be sited at St. David's airfield. This area, which will be contained well within the boundary of the airfield will be fenced to prevent access.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if, as part of the consultation process about his proposals for an over-the- horizon radar transmitter on the site of the former St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire, he will arrange for scientific advice, independent of his Department, to be provided to local residents on the safety of the proposed installation.
Mr. Alan Clark : Yes ; such advice will form part of the independent environmental impact assessment to be undertaken later this year.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has as to the research undertaken by the United States armed forces into electromagnetic interference, otherwise referred to as hazards of electromagnetic radiation to ordnance or hazards of electromagnetic radiation to fuel ; and whether this research will be taken into account in the operation of the proposed over-the-horizon radar on the site of the former St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire.
Mr. Alan Clark : Considerable research has been undertaken both in the United Kingdom and in the United States into electromagnetic interference (EMI) with weapons systems or with flammable atmospheres. The United Kingdom's own stringent standards relating to EMI were taken into account in considering the siting of the proposed over-the-horizon radar transmitter at St. David's airfield. The terms "hazards of electromagnetic radiation to ordnance" and "hazards of electromagnetic radiation to fuel" are not used in the United Kingdom.
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Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give technical details of the high frequencies proposed for the operation of the over-the-horizon radar installation which he proposes for location on the site of the former St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire.
Mr. Alan Clark : The over-the-horizon radar transmitter to be sited at St. David's airfield radiates energy in the high-frequency band between 5 and 28 MHz at a power of 200 kW.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his reply of 23 April, if he will detail the appropriate Welsh Office regulations he intends to follow in undertaking an environmental impact assessment of the proposed over-the-horizon radar transmitter on the site of the former St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire.
Mr. Alan Clark : An environmental impact assessment relating to the proposed siting of an over-the-horizon radar at St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire, will be carried out in accordance with the procedures laid down in Welsh Office circular 23/88.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will arrange for a static exhibition explaining the proposals for an over-the-horizon radar transmitter to be displayed in the city of St. David's, Pembrokeshire, as part of the consultation procedure he has announced to enable local residents to consider the proposals.
Mr. Alan Clark : An appropriate exhibition will form part of the public presentation of our detailed proposals planned for later this year.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the proposed installation of over-the-horizon radar transmitters on the site of the former St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire, will be monitored by the National Radiological Protection Board.
Mr. Alan Clark : No ; but the independent environmental impact assessment, to be undertaken later this year, will have regard to the National Radiological Protection Board's guidelines covering the safety of installations of this type.
Radar Base, Brawdy
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Gower (Mr. Wardell) on 30 March, Official Report, columns 328-29, if he will make a further statement on that part of his answer concerning the obtaining of the necessary approvals.
Mr. Alan Clark : We shall be submitting a formal notice of proposed development to the appropriate planning authority, in this case the Pembrokeshire Coast national park, later this year in accordance with the procedure set out in Welsh Office circular 37/84. This will be supported by a full environmental impact assessment.
Radar Bases
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from Mr. Roger Coghill concerning the alleged incidence of cancer
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near to Polish radar bases, the alleged higher incidence of Down's syndrome children in the vicinity of radar installations and allegations that clear proximity to radar bases in China led to a higher than average frequency of immune system deficiences.Mr. Alan Clark : We have not received any representations from Mr. Coghill specifically on these subjects.
Military Installations
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what powers his Department has to override the decision of a national park authority set to grant permission for military installations proposed for siting in a national park.
Mr. Alan Clark : Where objections to an application for development lead to it being rejected, including where those objections are by a national park authority, the developer has the right of appeal to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment or my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, as appropriate. Where such objections relate to a development by my Department, it would be for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence to decide whether or not simply to refer that proposal to the Secretary of State for the Environment or the Secretary of State for Wales.
Over-the-horizon Radar
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has as to any experiments in over-the-horizon radar that have been conducted by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and China.
Mr. Alan Clark : The Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China are known to possess over-the-horizon radar technology, and a small number of equipments are believed to be in existence. We are, however, unaware of any detailed experiments that may have been conducted by such installations.
St. David's Airfield, Pembrokeshire
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from the Church in Wales and others concerning the historic or religious significance of the site of the former St. David's airfield.
Mr. Alan Clark : I have received no such representations.
Radiation
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what cash is set aside within his Department for (a) research into radiation and (b) health and safety work related to radiation ; and what is the proportion of this expenditure to the total budget.
Mr. Neubert : Separate information is not maintained on the cost of health and safety work related to radiation or on the cost of research into radiation.
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the maximum total radiation dose
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recorded for any Rosyth dockyard workers registered in the defence radiological protection services record-keeping system ; and over what period it was accrued ; and what are the 20 highest doses recorded.Mr. Neubert : The maximum lifetime total radiation dose for a worker currently registered in the DRPS's record-keeping system is 595.89 mSv. This total dose accrued over the period 14 December 1964 to 31 December 1989.
The 20 highest radiation doses recorded for workers so registered are as follows :
Highest Radiation Doses--Rosyth Dockyard
Cumulative Dose (mSv)
595.89
479.20
478.22
452.68
439.11
403.83
401.59
393.76
374.00
369.33
368.40
359.03
354.67
342.72
328.71
314.39
311.17
300.47
300.24
299.36
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedure exists for individual workers after exceeding recommended radiation dosages in any one year.
Mr. Neubert : In the event of an overexposure of a dockyard worker to ionising radiation, action would be taken in accordance with regulations 29 and 30 of the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1985.
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the distribution of total radiation exposure for Rosyth dockyard workers in the ranges (a) 0 to 5 mSv, (b) 5 to 10, (c) 10 to 15, (d) 15 to 20, (e) 20 to 25, (f) 25 to 30, (g) 30 to 35, (h) 35 to 40, (i) 40 to 45, (j) 45 to 50, (k) greater than 50, (l) greater than 100, (m) greater than 200, (n) greater than 300, (o) greater than 400, (p) greater than 500, (q) greater than 600, (r) greater than 700 and (s) greater than 750, in numbers and in terms of percentage of the overall work force.
Mr. Neubert : A breakdown of cumulative radiation exposure for workers currently registered in DRPS's record-keeping system as employed at Rosyth dockyards is as follows :
|c|Cumulative radiation exposures|c|
|c|Rosyth dockyard|c|
Dose range (mSv) |Number |Percentage
|of |of
|persons |workforce
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
0 to 5 |63 |1.25
5 to 10 |46 |0.91
10 to 15 |48 |0.95
15 to 20 |31 |0.61
20 to 25 |27 |0.53
25 to 30 |20 |0.40
30 to 35 |13 |0.26
35 to 40 |14 |0.27
40 to 45 |13 |0.26
45 to 50 |16 |0.32
Greater than 50 (50 to 100) |101 |1.99
Greater than 100 (100 to 200) |93 |1.84
Greater than 200 (200 to 300) |42 |0.83
Greater than 300 (300 to 400) |12 |0.23
Greater than 400 (400 to 500) |6 |0.12
Greater than 500 (500 to 600) |1 |0.02
Greater than 600 (600 to 700) |0 |0.00
Greater than 700 (700 to 750) |0 |0.00
Greater than 750 |0 |0.00
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Ministry of Defence records for Rosyth dockyard are complete in itemising exposure levels for every worker for as long as he or she has worked in the dockyard.
Mr. Neubert : The records in question comply with the requirements of the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1985.
Iraq Contract
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when International Military Services was made aware of the Iraqi export order placed with Sheffield Forgemasters and Walter Somers ; (2) what was the day on which his Department was first aware of the military implications of the Iraqi contract ;
(3) what was the day on which it became known that Dr. Gerald Bull had conceived plans involving piping for a gun or launcher ; (4) when the Defence Export Services Organisation secretariat was made aware of the Iraqi order with Sheffield Forgemasters and Walter Somers ;
(5) what was the day on which his Department was first made aware that Iraq was acquiring export material for a major gun or launcher.
Mr. Alan Clark : In the light of the charges laid against an individual yesterday and in the light of the continuing investigations by Customs and Excise, it would be inappropriate to give any further information.
Iraq (Military Trade)
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what special unit exists within his Department to examine aspects of military trade with Iraq.
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