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Early Release (Royal Navy)
Mr. Viggers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the numbers of applications for early release from the Royal Navy for each month in the last two years.
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Mr. Archie Hamilton : The numbers of applications for early release from the Royal Navy by month over the last 24 months have been as follows :
Royal Navy applications
|Officers|Ratings
--------------------------------------------
April 1988 |15 |188
May 1988 |29 |217
June 1988 |24 |271
July 1988 |36 |204
August 1988 |12 |97
September 1988 |29 |303
October 1988 |24 |277
November 1988 |16 |367
December 1988 |11 |301
January 1989 |27 |165
February 1989 |45 |281
March 1989 |28 |218
|-- |---
FY 1988-89 Total |296 |2,889
April 1989 |21 |452
May 1989 |21 |265
June 1989 |14 |294
July 1989 |18 |305
August 1989 |15 |143
September 1989 |21 |346
October 1989 |23 |195
November 1989 |13 |209
December 1989 |18 |481
January 1990 |23 |233
February 1990 |24 |310
March 1990 |36 |468
|-- |---
FY 1989-90 Total |247 |3,701
Applications to leave are not the same as actual departures because there is a fairly lengthy period of notice during which people may change their minds and withdraw their applications.
Shiplift (Faslane)
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the decision to build the shiplift facility at Faslane was taken.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : In 1983.
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the shiplift contract at Faslane was awarded as a single tender contract.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The shiplift is being constructed as part of a larger contract package which was awarded through competitive tender. The manufacturer of the syncrolift platform is a nominated sub-contractor and was selected by single tender action.
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what consideration was given by the Nuclear Safety Committee to the merits of marine chain as opposed to wire rope for the shiplift facility at Faslane ;
(2) on what grounds the decision was taken to proceed with marine chain as opposed to wire rope for the shiplift facility at Faslane.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The Ministry of Defence nuclear safety authorities assessed all aspects of the Faslane shiplift design including the platform components and the means by which it is raised and supported. The particular syncrolift mechanism being incorporated in the Faslane shiplift makes use of wire ropes rather than marine chains.
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The company responsible for the design and manufacture of the syncrolift mechanism was selected because of its competence and unique experience with shiplifts of this size and function. The Ministry of Defence nuclear safety authorities recognise the importance of adopting a well proven system and design used in other comparable shiplifts.Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what representations he has received from the safety and reliability directorate of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority on an acceptable safety case for the shiplift project at Faslane ; (2) if any representations have been made by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority or its safety and reliability directorate regarding fundamental concerns by this body on the shiplift project at Faslane.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The safety and reliability directorate advises MOD's nuclear safety authorities. In this role it has submitted a number of observations on the shiplift programme. These are being taken into account in its design development and construction. The safety and reliability directorate has not questioned the fundamental ability of a shiplift to meet nuclear safety requirements.
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide the costs to date and the latest estimate for the completed shiplift project at Faslane.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The latest approved costs of the shiplift which, along with some other major projects, forms part of the shiplift contract package, is £147 million. It is not our policy to discuss estimated costs of individual projects or contract packages.
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on what grounds the construction of a dry dock facility at Faslane was rejected ;
(2) if he will provide the estimated cost of (a) a dry dock facility and (b) a shiplift at Faslane ; and on what grounds the decision was made to go for the latter.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : When the decision was taken in 1983 that a shiplift was the preferred docking solution, on the basis of comparable provision the estimated capital costs of a dry dock facility were significantly greater than a shiplift. The shiplift met programme requirements and combined the greatest operational flexibility with both the lowest capital and running costs.
Shiplift Systems
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what statistics are held by his Department on (a) the failure of wire rope shiplifts and (b) accidents involving failure of shiplift systems around the world.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : A variety of data has been collected on an in confidence basis from a number of sources on both the reported failures of wire rope shiplifts and accidents involving the failure of shiplift systems.
Community Charge
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice he has issued regarding duties of commanding officers to issue certificates for the purposes of regulation 4 of the Community Charge (Students) Regulations 1989.
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Military Bands
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has on the number of public performances undertaken by military bands in 1989.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Details of public performances carried out by Army bands in 1989 are not held centrally and could only be produced at disproportionate cost.
The Royal Marines gave a total of 596 public performances in 1989 and the Royal Air Force gave 389.
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will publish a table showing the case of military bands in each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Full details of all the costs of maintaining Service bands are not held centrally and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost and effort. The table shows estimated staff costs (including overheads) based on the numbers serving in the bands in each year.
|Total of Service bands
Year |£ million
---------------------------------------------------------------------
1980-81 |42.3
1981-82 |46.0
1982-83 |49.5
1983-84 |51.3
1984-85 |46.6
1985-86 |48.2
1986-87 |50.1
1987-88 |51.2
1988-89 |52.7
1989-90 |55.2
Sports
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the sports which are recognised by the Combined Services Sports Board.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There is no Combined Services Sport Board list of recognised games and sport. However, there are 18 sports which are played at combined services level :
Association Football
Athletics
Badminton
Basketball
Boxing
Cricket
Cycling
Fencing
Golf
Hockey
Judo
Lawn Tennis
Rugby Union
Squash
Swimming
Volleyball
Water Polo
Winter Sports
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EMPLOYMENT
Tourism
Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the value to date given by the European investment bank to tourism projects in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Nicholls : The European investment bank offers loans to eligible projects within the European Community. It does not offer grants. Information on the value of loans given by the EIB to tourism projects in the United Kingdom is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Supply Index
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement about his Department's decision not to participate in the Government supply index.
Mr. Eggar : Purchasing arrangements in the Department of Employment are devolved to the constituent parts of the group. The Training Agency and the Health and Safety Executive have joined the supply index because they consider it appropriate to do so ; other parts of the group do not consider that the index is suitable for their organisation.
Departmental Purchases
Mr. Andrew Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what measures he is taking to encourage Government Departments to increase the proportion of purchases they make from small firms.
Mr. Eggar : Following the publication of a widely distributed booklet "Think Big, Buy Small" addressed to Government purchasers, my Department is now supporting a purchasing specialist to work with the Treasury's central unit on purchasing on encouraging Government Departments to improve both small firms access to them, and opportunities for small firms to bid for Government contracts. The specialist is advising on better information systems and improved purchasing procedures, and is also seeking feedback from small firms themselves. Later this year I hope to meet the heads of Government purchasing Departments to reinforce this work and demonstrate the benefits to Government of using small firm suppliers.
Environment Protection.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what initiatives he is undertaking regarding training for environmental protection-related careers.
Mr. Nicholls : A range of opportunities for such training is available to young people and unemployed people, particularly the long-term unemployed, through youth training and employment training. A number of training places in high technology environmental skills are also supported through the high technology national training programme.
Action for Jobs
Mr. Terry Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the main headings of expenditure on action for jobs in 1985-86.
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Mr. Eggar : The main headings for expenditure on action for jobs in 1985-86 were press and radio advertising.
Grain Silos (Gases)
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has made an assessment of the implications for the health of workers in grain silos arising from the presence of harmful gases ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : The Health and Safety Executive is well aware of the hazards to the health of workers who may have to enter grain silos. The main hazards are the presence of carbon dioxide together with an oxygen- deficient atmosphere and the Health and Safety Executive has published guidance on the precautions which should be taken before workers enter such silos.
Restart
Mr. Andrew MacKay : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he plans to make any further changes to the restart programme ; and whether he will make a statement.
Mr. Howard : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security and I have been considering whether the current position whereby a claimant's failure to attend a restart interview results in a disallowance for unemployment benefits should be extended to restart courses.
Such courses are already a very successful extension of the interview process designed to help those hardest hit by unemployment to regain confidence, identify potential and plan a route back to work. We believe that the very long term unemployed, whose length of time without a job clearly shows that they have been unable or unwilling to take full advantage of the wide range of available opportunities, clearly have much to gain from such a course. My right hon. Friend therefore intends to introduce regulations later this year which will enable employment service staff to require the attendance at a restart course of those who have been unemployed for two years or more and who, at subsequent restart interviews, refused to participate in any of my Department's employment and training programmes.
Earnings Statistics
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many full-time employees on adult rates (a) earned less and (b) earned more than two-thirds of average male earnings in Great Britain in 1979 and 1989 ; and how many of these were employed in Wales.
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 10 May 1990] : Figures of the average earnings of full-time adult male employees in Great Britain in 1979 and 1989 are published in table 1 of part A of the 1979 and 1989 new earnings survey reports, copies of which are in the Library. The estimated numbers of full-time adult employees earning below specified amounts weekly are published in table 14 part A of the same reports. Comparable figures are not available by region but data on the percentage distribution of gross weekly earnings of full-time adult employees in Wales are published in table 114 of part E of the reports.
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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Slaughtering
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he takes to ensure animals in knackers' yards are given the same protection as animals at abattoirs in respect of (a) feeding and watering, (b) lairage and (c) slaughtering techniques ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : Extensive legislation already exists to provide for the welfare of animals in abattoirs and knackers' yards. It affords the same level of protection as regards feeding, watering, lairaging and slaughtering for animals in knackers' yards as for those in abattoirs.
Local authorities are responsible for enforcing the legislation and officers of the state veterinary service visit abattoirs and knackers' yards to monitor standards and to give advice.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has made an assessment of the animal welfare implications of the ritual slaughtering of animals ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Maclean : The Farm Animal Welfare Council reported in 1985 on the welfare of animals when slaughtered by religious methods. The Government's response, accepting 15 of the Council's 17 recommendations, was published in October 1987. Proposals for new regulations on the welfare of animals at slaughter, including religious slaughter, were issued to interested parties for comment on 20 June 1989. Copies of all these documents are available in the Library of the House. We are considering representations on the proposed regulations which will be laid before Parliament shortly.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage, and how many in actual numbers, of animals were subject to ritual slaughter in 1989 ; and if he will give a breakdown by species.
Mr. Maclean : Statistics of animals slaughtered by religious methods are not maintained centrally. However our most recent estimates are that less than 2 per cent. of cattle, 4 per cent. of sheep and goats and 1 per cent. of poultry slaughtered in Great Britain are slaughtered under the exemption from prior stunning.
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