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Mr. Maclean : Responsibility for expenditure is largely decentralised to line managers who are in the best position to seek value for money, and there is no comprehensive record of savings achieved. However, information on savings in the field of purchasing in 1988-89 (the latest available period) indicate that departmental action has saved about £6.7 million or 6.9 per cent. of the purchasing spend. The central unit on purchasing provides general guidance on best purchasing practice and it is not possible to attribute specific savings to its advice.
Contaminated Pigfeed
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) where the pigs on farms in Yorkshire and Hampshire discovered to have eaten pigfeed contaminated with Cyanox 425 were slaughtered ;
(2) if he will publish the preliminary results of his tests into the issues of pigs contaminated with Cyanox 425.
Mr. Maclean : The Department has been involved in investigations since early this year into a number of cases of Ataxia (hind limb weakness) in breeding pigs. This condition has occurred on over 60 farms, mostly in Yorkshire. Although the condition is not fatal animals suffering from it are often slaughtered for welfare reasons and some 700 animals have been slaughtered in this way, mostly on the farms. Pigs subjected to post-mortem examination exhibited lesions consistent with poisoning by an organophosphorous compound. The common factor between the affected farms was the use of feed from one particular consignment of wheat screenings imported from France. Farmers were warned not to feed suspect material to their animals and the feed supplier withdrew the original material from sale. Samples of the feed were analysed at the central veterinary laboratory. The material was found to be contaminated with Cyanox 425 (widely used in the plastics industry) and Isofenphos, an organophosphorous pesticide which is licensed in France but not in this country. It is believed that the second of these was responsible for the outbreak. There was no threat to human health. Residues of both these agents in the meat of slaughtered animals were well within internationally recognised safety limits. We believe that none of the animals concerned entered the food chain ; but even if they had, the amounts consumed even by an extreme consumer of sows and boarmeat would have been well within the acceptable daily intake prescribed internationally.
I am grateful for the co-operation which has been shown by the feed company and by the manufacturers of
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Cyanox 425, and I must pay tribute to the high quality of the work carried out by the veterinary investigation service and the central veterinary laboratory. The Department's officials visited France to investigate the circumstances surrounding this contamination and the Department will be pursuing with the French authorities the question of how it arose.Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list by county the number of farms where pigs have been discovered to have eaten pig feed contaminated with Cyanox 425.
Mr. Maclean : The total number of pig farms which received the suspect feed is 106 in all : 93 located throughout Yorkshire, seven in Humberside, one in Nottinghamshire and five in Durham.
Wool (Guaranteed Price)
Mr. Hague : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will announce the guaranteed price for wool for the 1990 clip ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : Together with the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland I have reviewed the state of the wool market and prospects for the 1990 clip.
1989-90 has been a difficult year for the wool industry. There is now a world surplus of wool, and the domestic market has been affected by a decline in consumer spending. This, and other factors, including the withdrawal of China as a major buyer, have had an adverse effect on average market prices which have fallen back sharply from a high point of 145p/kg to as low as 90p/kg, well below the 1989 clip year guranteed price of 129p/kg. For 1990 the prospects remain uncertain.
Ministers have also had to take account of the Government's already announced intention of legislation to end the wool guarantee as soon as parliamentary time is available. I know and understand the wish of the British Wool Marketing Board that this should be done as soon as possible.
It has also been necessary to draw up a new financial agreement to cover the period from 1990. Following discussions with the industry the new financial agreement with the British Wool Marketing Board will last for two years. It will provide a new flexibility to enable the returns to producers to reflect more quickly any substantial recovery in the wool market above the guarantee price.
In the light of the review and taking account of these factors, it has been decided to set the guarantee at 125p/kg for the 1990 clip year--a reduction of 4p/kg on the 1989 guarantee price. At the same time the deficit in the stabilisation fund is being written off as provided for in the existing financial agreement. This relieves producers of a significant burden equivalent to about 18p/kg over two years.
I believe that these various elements constitute a significant step towards actual market prices and provide a sound basis for preparing for the ending of the guarantee. At the same time the new financial agreement enables producers to benefit at an early stage if market prices should recover markedly.
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HOUSE OF COMMONS
Franked Pre-paid Envelopes
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will issue guidance on the use of House of Commons franked pre-paid envelopes within the European Community.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : House of Commons franked or pre-paid envelopes are not valid for use within the European Community. Current arrangements do allow, however, for the cost of official postage to countries within the European Community to be reimbursed by the Fees Office. Discussions are at present taking place to establish a more convenient procedure. Subject to their outcome, relevant guidance will be included in the regulations governing the use of the House emblem, House of Commons stationery and post -paid envelopes, which is issued to Members.
Television (Live Subtitling and Signing)
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Lord President of the Council what arrangements he has made to demonstrate the application of live subtitling and signing to the televised proceedings of the House.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : As part of its continuing review of the experiment, and in response to requests from hon. and right hon. Members as well as from organisations representing the deaf, the Select Committee on Televising of Proceedings of the House has organised separate trials of both the live subtitling and the signing of Prime Ministers's Question Time.
The live subtitling trial will take place in the weeks beginning 14 and 21 May. The subtitling itself will be carried out "as live" and unrehearsed, but for the convenience of the majority of Members who wish to attend Prime Minister's Question Time in the Chamber, it is proposed that only an unedited recording of the subtitled material will be shown on a special monitor set up in the No Lobby. Four separate Prime Minister's Question Times will be subtitled and the tapes will be available for viewing between 4pm and 5pm on each Tuesday and Thursday of the two weeks trial period. Copies of the tapes will also be supplied to organisations representing the deaf in order to give them an opportunity to submit comments to the Select Committee if they wish.
The trial with sign language insets will be conducted on the same basis, but will take place in the weeks beginning 4 and 11 June. The tapes will be shown between 5pm and 6pm on each Tuesday and Thursday of the trial period.
The purpose of these trials is to establish the acceptability to Members from an editorial and aesthetic point of view of the use of these two techniques for assisting the deaf. In the case of live subtitling, it will also be important to test the ability of the system (which involves the use of innovatory technology) to cope with the speed and specialist vocabulary of Question Time.
I should, however, stress that there is as yet no commitment on the part of the broadcasters to adopt these techniques as part of their parliamentary coverage and the Select Committee itself has not reached any conclusions on the subject.
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DEFENCE
Exercise Mallet Blow
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total cost to (a) NATO and (b) to the United Kingdom of Exercise Mallet Blow.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Wansbeck (Mr. Thompson) on 30 March 1990 at column 331.
Faslane Submarine Base
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance has been issued to his Department's personnel at the nuclear submarine base on whether signing the petition organised by Dumbarton Conservative party to oppose planning permission for the Faslane peace camp would infringe the Queen's regulations.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Queen's regulations forbid service personnel from taking an active part in the affairs of any political group. There is, however, no restriction on attendance at public meetings provided that service uniform is not worn, service duties are not impeded and no action is taken which would bring the service into disrepute.
The signing of local petitions by service personnel as private citizens is not seen as an infringement of Queen's regulations. Advice to this effect was issued to all personnel at the Clyde submarine base by the Commodore Clyde in a memorandum dated 9 March 1990.
Low Flying
Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on behalf of the schoolchildren at Mintlaw academy, whose exams were disturbed by the aircraft exercises over their school, on 26 April ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Neubert : Apart from representations made by the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan, the Ministry of Defence is aware of only one representation, made to RAF Buchan, on behalf of the schoolchildren at Mintlaw academy. Should any schools feel that the examination performance of their pupils might have been adversely affected, it is a matter for them to make appropriate representations to the Scottish Examination Board which will, I am sure, give them careful consideration.
Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if, when planning any future low-flying air defence exercises, he will take into account the timing of certificated exams taking place in the areas over which the exercises will be happening ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Neubert : I have nothing to add to the letter of 27 April 1990 to the hon. Member from my noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
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Exercise Elder Forest 90
Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give details of any representations he has received regarding the disruption caused by the recent Exercise Elder Forest 90 ; what was the nature of these complaints ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Neubert : Apart from representations made by the hon. Member, the Ministry of Defence is aware of only three complaints about disturbance caused by low-flying aircraft during Exercise Elder Forest 90. One related to activity in the Scunthorpe area and two to activity to the west of Peterhead.
Kola Peninsula
Sir Dudley Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the latest assessment of the Soviet military presence on the Kola peninsula ; and if there have been any noticeable reductions in recent months.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There have been no significant reductions in recent months in either the level of activity or size of the Soviet military presence (including the northern fleet) on the Kola peninsula. The northern fleet continues to evolve as an increasingly modern and professional force ; we believe other forces are essentially unchanged.
Arms Sales
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his policy of encouraging the export sale of arms to reduce unit costs to United Kingdom armed services.
Mr. Alan Clark : The Government's policy is to support the sale of British defence equipment overseas whenever this is compatible with the United Kingdom's political, strategic and security interests. Defence exports contribute to a strong, viable defence industry. They also provide longer production runs and enable economies of scale in providing equipment for our own armed services, in addition to the foreign earnings which are reflected in the balance of trade.
Parachute Training
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the units which provide parachute training ; and if he will give for each the numbers trained.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Around 60 units provide parachute training, but I am not able to give further information on security grounds.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will outline the preliminary training given to trainee parachutists for them to acquire the L5 landing certificate.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The syllabus of training for Regular Army personnel attending No. 1 parachute training school (PTS) for basic parachute training allocates approximately two and a half hours to achieve the appropriate level of competence in landing techniques to commence "L5" training. The TA soldier is required to have achieved this level of ability prior to commencement of training at No. 1 PTS and is given instruction, at unit level, by an appropriate detachment parachute jumping instructor.
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The precise length of training will vary according to the abilities of the trainee. No trainee is permitted to parachute unless the instructor is satisfied with his level of ability in all respects.Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many accidents and deaths occurred during parachute training at Brize Norton in 1989.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : In 1989, 1,704 Regular and TA troops completed static line parachute training at No. 1 parachute training school, Brize Norton and carried out 12,310 descents. There were a total of 97 injuries including one fatality. Over half of these injuries were minor enough to allow trainees to return to parachute training within a week.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what ways medication given to parachute trainees is monitored to check that no medication which might impair reactions is given in the period before a jump ; and on what occasions such medication was given to a parachute trainee at Brize Norton in 1989.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : A parachute trainee who has reported sick will not recommence training until he has been certified fit to do so by the medical officer, and any medication thought likely to impair reactions will necessitate withdrawal from training for an appropriate period. It is essential for any trainee feeling ill to report the matter before undergoing further parachute training.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedure is adopted if parachute trainees report sick.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Arrangements to see the medical officer will be made for trainees reporting sick. The trainee is briefed to return the appropriate medical form to the course flight sergeant after examination, with the medical officer's written comments.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what medical checks are made on parachute trainees during their training and before their jumps.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Unless a trainee reports sick, indicates to an instructor that he is sick, or displays some infirmity which is recognised by the training staff, no medical checks will be carried out. Each individual arrives with a medical certificate declaring his fitness to undergo training. It must be the responsibility of the individual to declare any lack of fitness to continue which may not be readily noticeable.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many of the parachute trainees at Brize Norton in 1989 who arrived without an L5 landing certificate were (a) given a certificate without the training for it, (b) given training at the base to enable them to acquire the certificates and (c) sent home ;
(2) how many of the parachute trainees going to Brize Norton in 1989 had with them an L5 landing certificate on arrival ; and how many of these were the result of training given by Brize Norton staff instructors at other bases.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The vast majority of trainees arriving at Brize Norton will have possessed a L5 certificate. None would have been allowed to commence
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parachute training without proof of their competence to do so and none would have been provided with a L5 certificate without undergoing the training required. The further information requested in the hon. Member's questions has not been recorded.EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Modern Languages
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the implications for his Department's policies of the national council for modern languages' report on the teaching of oriental and African languages, a copy of which has been sent to him.
Mr. Jackson : Consistent with Government policy to increase the scope for higher education institutions to respond to the various demands placed on them, it is for the institutions themselves to determine provision for all subject areas, in consultation as necessary with the Universities Funding Council and the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council.
Departmental Savings
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what value for money savings have been achieved by his Department in the last year ; and how much of this was as a result of advice from the central unit on purchasing.
Mrs. Rumbold : The information requested is not yet available but for the previous year (1988-89) the figure was approximately £2 million.
In general, it is not possible to attribute particular value for money savings to advice from the central unit on purchasing. The role of the unit is to provide advice and guidance on best purchasing practice ; it provides overall support and guidance and encourages value for money across all Departments.
Supply Index
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about his Department's decision not to participate in the Government supply index.
Mrs. Rumbold : The Department has fully evaluated the system but at present the items currently covered by the GSI do not form a significant part of our expenditure and it is not therefore economically viable to join the system. If the situation changes the matter will be reconsidered.
Schools (Voluntary Aided Status)
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many current applications for voluntary aided status for schools are lodged with his Department ; and when he expects to announce a decision on each of them.
Mr. Alan Howarth : There are currently 12 proposals published under section 13 of the Education Act 1980 for establishing a voluntary aided school which fall to be decided by my right hon. Friend. In addition there are two
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proposals before him under section 54 of the Education (No. 2) Act 1986 to change the status of a voluntary controlled school to voluntary aided. He will reach a decision on the proposals as quickly as is compatible with a full and careful consideration of all the issues involved. He has stated that it is his intention to come to a decision on statutory proposals within five months of publication wherever possible. Delays in some cases arise from factors outside the Department's control.Youth Training Scheme
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will set out the latest available figures on the number of 16 to 18-year-olds on YTS who receive part-time education at further education colleges.
Mr. Jackson : In November 1988 the number of students studying part- time in maintained colleges of FE in England as part of a YTS was as follows :
|Aged 16|Aged 17|Aged 18|Aged
|16-18
------------------------------------------------------
All part-time
(including
evening) |62,000 |56,000 |5,000 |123,000
The ages are those at 31 August 1988.
Nursery Schools (Cambridgeshire)
Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give (a) the number and location of (i) nursery schools, (ii) nursery classes and (iii) under-five units in reception classes provided by Cambridgeshire education authority together with the number of places available at each unit and the percentage of the total number of three and four-year-olds in Cambridgeshire which these places represent (b) the total cost of providing and supporting each category, (c) the average cost per child place in each category in Cambridgeshire and (d) the national average cost per child place for each category.
Mrs. Rumbold : Information on the number of under-five units in reception classes and the number of places available at each unit is not available centrally. Information on the total cost of providing and supporting each category is no longer collected separately by the Department. In January 1989 the number of nursery schools, nursery classes and the number of pupils under five in Cambridgeshire is as follows :
|Number |Pupils |Percentage
|under five |of the esti-
|mated 3
|and 4-year-
|old popula-
|tion
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Nursery schools |7 |661 |4
Primary schools
Nursery classes |31 |1,355 |8
Other classes |5,073 |30
|--- |---
Total |7,089 |42
Teacher Shortage (Tower Hamlets)
Mr. Shore : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has received on children of school age in the London borough of Tower Hamlets
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unable to find a school place in the current academic year because of shortages of teachers ; what discussions he has had about this problem with the Inner London education authority and the London borough of Tower Hamlets ; and what action he proposes to take to ensure that all children in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets enjoy the basic right to state education.Mrs. Rumbold : The local education authority estimates that, excluding rising fives, there were about 220 children of compulsory school age not in school at the end of the spring term. These figures take no account of the take-up of 180 places at Bigland primary school which opened this term.
The Department is in regular contact with the local education authority about this and other matters, and will continue to give support to the measures Tower Hamlets is taking to secure an adequate supply of teachers.
Bangladeshis
Mr. Shore : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action he has taken to implement recommendations 7 to 15 of the Home Affairs Select Committee in its first report in Session 1986-87 on Bangladeshis in Great Britain ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Howarth : I am able to report the following developments since the Government response to the Home Affairs Select Committee Report "Bangladeshis in Britain" was published in July 1987. The Department issued last July a circular (16/89) to local education authorities and others, instituting from September 1990 a national scheme for the collection of ethnically based statistics on school pupils. Three projects aimed at addressing the particular educational needs of Bangladeshi pupils have been included in the education support grant programme on ethnic diversity.
Local education authorities are already required to set targets and performance indicators for English language support teaching funded through grants paid under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966. In the proposals for the future administration of the grant recently published by the Home Office, local authorities will be required to review the effectiveness of existing section 11 funded provision and set specific objectives and quantifiable targets for continued funding.
Pre-school provision of children from linguistic minorities and home-school liaison, particularly with parents who speak little English, are eligible for support under current arrangements for section 11 and continue to be identified as areas for support in the proposed new arrangements.
As regards recommendations 11 and 14 concerning local authority support for voluntary initiatives, under current section 11 arrangements it is open to local authorities to apply for grant support for posts to work on detached duty with voluntary organisations.
Under the proposed new arrangements for the grant the Government will expect local authorities to include in their funding bids applications for posts based in the voluntary sector, although as with current applications in respect of the voluntary sector, these will have to meet the relevant criteria for grant. Bengali has been included among those modern foreign languages specified as eligible to be taught as a national curriculum foundation subject. Since last
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autumn, schools have been able to offer Bengali towards the national curriculum requirements, provided that they also offer at least one of the working languages of the European Community.HOME DEPARTMENT
Remand Prisoners
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners held on remand in each year from 1979 to 1989 were found not guilty.
Mr. Mellor : The latest information is published in table 2.8 of "Prison statistics England and Wales 1988" (Cmn. 825), a copy of which is in the Library. Final data for 1988 and provisional data for 1989 are not yet available.
Immigration
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many overstayers were granted leave to remain in the United Kingdom in the latest available year having given evidence of stable marriages to British citizens with right of abode in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Prison Officers Association Annual Conference
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what Minister from the Home Office will be attending and speaking at this year's Prison Officers Association annual conference ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mellor : Neither I nor my right hon. and learned Friend have been invited to attend or speak at the Prison Officers' Association annual conference.
Race Relations Board
Sir Dudley Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what guidelines he issues to the Race Relations Board over its encouragement and help of complainants in bringing cases before an industrial tribunal ;
(2) whether, when next he meets the chairman of the Race Relations Board, he will discuss with him his policy of encouraging individuals to bring cases of complaint where those individuals have deliberately approached several companies for employment as a test exercise.
Mr. John Patten : The criteria on which the Commission for Racial Equality considers applications from complainants for assistance are laid down in section 66 of the Race Relations Act 1976. I am assured by its chairman that the commission would want to avoid supporting any complaint made as the result of a "test exercise" approach to a number of employers, as opposed to assisting genuine job applicants who complain of discrimination.
Sir Dudley Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider introducing legislation to compensate those people who are put to expense in defending actions brought before industrial
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tribunals with the support of the Race Relations Board where the case is dismissed or the complainant drops his or her allegations at a late stage.Mr. John Patten : I understand that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment has no plans to extend the provisions in the Industrial Tribunals (Rules of Procedure) Regulations 1985 to cover the award of costs in all cases where a case is dismissed or dropped at a late stage.
Pregnant Prisoners
Miss Emma Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he can give a breakdown of the charges faced by pregnant women currently held on remand.
Mr. Mellor : On 1 May 1990 there were eight pregnant females held on remand. Of these one is charged with murder, one with burglary and theft, four with theft or fraud, one with arson, and one with criminal damage.
Miss Emma Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women prisoners were pregnant at the last count.
Mr. Mellor : On 1 May 1990, 35 female prisoners were known to be pregnant.
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