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Mr. McAvoy : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what United Kingdom forces have been offered for inclusion in the proposed START agreement ; and if he will make a statement on the defence implications.
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what United Kingdom forces have been offered for inclusion in the proposed START agreement ; and if he will make a statement on the defence implications.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer the hon. Members to the reply that I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Bristol, South (Ms. Primarolo).
Queen's Birthday Parade
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many horses and riders were on the Queen's birthday parade in each of the past three years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Neubert : The number of military riders taking part in the Queen's birthday parade in 1987 and 1988 was 251 ; the number of military horses taking part in each of these years was 276. In 1989, the corresponding numbers were 247 personnel and 272 horses. This includes those riders and horses forming part of the royal procession which numbered 24 in 1987 and 1988 and 20 in 1989.
Horseshoe Barracks
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in determining the future use of the Horseshoe barracks in Shoeburyness.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Discussions with the local planning authority and others on our plans to dispose of Horseshoe barracks, Shoeburyness, are continuing.
Consultancies
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the Ministry of Defence expects to spend in the financial year 1990-91 on management and computer consultancy contracts.
Mr. Alan Clark : The Ministry of Defence expects to spend £22 million in the financial year 1990-91 on management and computer consultancy contracts.
Royal Ordnance Factories
Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from members of the public about the withdrawal of Ministry of Defence police from royal ordnance, Bishopton.
Mr. Neubert : Forty three letters have been received registering protest at the plan to withdraw MDP from Bishopton.
Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what decision has been taken about the future deployment
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of the Ministry of Defence police at the royal ordnance factories at Glascoed, Bridgewater, Chorley, Nottingham and Radway Green ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Neubert : Discussions with Royal Ordnance plc continue. No final decision has been taken.
Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many royal ordnance company guards will replace Ministry of Defence police on 1 June at royal ordnance, Bishopton ; and what powers of arrest and detention employees of the company guard force will have.
Mr. Neubert : Fifty-one Royal Ordnance Company guards will replace Ministry of Defence police. The guards will have only citizen's powers of arrest and detention. The Strathclyde police, with whom our arrangements have been agreed, will provide a police response quickly when required.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide details of the compensation arrangements made on previous occasions where the circumstances are similar to those which would pertain near the proposed over-the-horizon radar installation on the site of the former St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire.
Mr. Alan Clark : On no previous occasion have the circumstances been similar to those which would pertain near to the proposed over-the-horizon radar installation at St. David's airfield, Dyfed. I refer the hon. Gentleman to my earlier answer on 23 April at column 74 on the subject of compensation.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give details of the compensation arrangements which he will make if the proposed over-the-horizon radar installation on the site of the former St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire, is approved.
Mr. Alan Clark : Where the provisions of the Land Compensation Act 1973 apply, my Department will pay compensation if the district valuer is satisfied that there is evidence of a reduction in the value of a residential property (or certain small businesses) as a consequence of bringing into use new works. The Act makes no provision for compensation where the consequence is solely the visual impact of the completed works, so there can be no assurance that its terms will apply in all or any cases that may arise under this proposal. Nonetheless, where the provisions of the Act do not apply, my Department is always prepared to consider reasonable claims for compensation if it can be demonstrated that actual loss has been sustained as a result of military activity.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who is to carry out the independent environmental impact assessment study on the proposed over-the-horizon radar installation on the site of the former St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Clark : I will announce details of the firm which is to carry out the independent environmental impact assessment on the proposed over-the-horizon radar installation at St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire, once the contract is let.
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Devonport Dockyard
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of future redundancies at Devonport dockyard.
Mr. Neubert : The size of the workforce at Devonport dockyard is a matter for Devonport Management Limited.
HMS Illustrious
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when HMS Illustrious will start its refitting programme ; and where it will be refitted.
Mr. Neubert : HMS Illustrious's next refit is scheduled to start as part of the core programme at Devonport dockyard in 1991 and to finish in 1993. The plans for refitting Royal Naval vessels are, however, subject to continuous review.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Mr. Hague : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has any plans to add to his previous statement on bovine spongiform encephalopathy in the light of recent events.
Mr. Gummer : The wide-ranging measures adopted by the Government have been based on the best scientific expertise available. These experts concluded that the risk to humans is remote but action has been taken :
1. To slaughter and destroy all affected cattle so that no part can enter the human food chain ;
2. Specified offals, including the brain and spinal chord, must be removed from healthy cattle slaughtered for human consumption. 3. Banning of the use of these offals as food or in food products. The removal and banning for food of these offals is a precautionary measure which goes beyond the scientific advice. These actions fully protect the public from what is a remote and theoretical risk.
The situation is, however, being kept under constant review and hence the committee under Dr. Tyrrell has been constituted as a permanent committee to examine new information and concerns and to ensure that the advice on which the Government act is kept fully up to date.
A major research programme has been in progress since the disease was first identified in 1986. More than £2 million has already been spent. A further £12 million has been allocated to projects, devised on the basis of advice from the Tyrrell committee, for the next three years. All the results of this research will be made publicly available.
The source of the disease has been cut off with the ban, from July 1988, on the feeding of ruminant material to ruminants. Because of the long incubation period, cases will continue to occur for some years. We intend to eradicate this disease in cows but this will obviously take time. In the meantime the action taken demonstrates the Government's absolute commitment to protecting and reassuring the public.
Local education authorities can therefore continue to provide beef in school meals with complete confidence. As the Minister responsible for food safety for the whole nation, I reiterate that British beef is perfectly safe to eat. This is the view not only of our top scientists but also of European Community experts.
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The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is committed to making public all the information that we have about these matters. That is why we gave out the information about the one cat (out of Britain's 7 million) diagnosed as having an encephalopathy. There is nothing to link that encephalopathy with BSE or scrapie, or to suggest that it is transmissible. However, we were determined that all this should be in the public domain and we shall continue our investigations, the results of which will also be announced.Sausages
Mr. Burt : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps his Department is taking to preserve the British sausage ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : The Commission's proposals would require minced meat and sausages to be prepared from fresh, chilled meat within six days of slaughter. This would prevent the use of meat from carcases which have been matured to enhance flavour and tenderness. The use of some fit meat, including shin and skirt, would be prohibited. Chilled minced meat and sausages could not be made from frozen meat and would be required to be chilled to 2 C within an hour of preparation, leading to freeze damage. Only butchers producing minced meat and sausages on their premises for direct sale to customers would be exempt from these requirements.
There are no sound hygiene reasons for these restrictions, which would increase costs and reduce consumer choice.
We are negotiating hard in Brussels to secure the removal of these restrictions from the Commission's proposals. The industry are also making representation on their own behalf. Further, in co-operation with the industry, we shall be arranging to publicise the proposals in the hope that this will stimulate United Kingdom consumers to write to Members of the European Parliament, and to the Commission, protesting about the restrictions which would be put on their freedom of choice.
Contaminated Feed
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, further to his answer to the hon. Member for South Shields on 9 May. Official Report, column 132 , whether the contamination of pig feed still affects the county of Hampshire.
Mr. Gummer : The contamination of pig feed no longer affects any farms in Hampshire.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether any farms on Tyneside have received contaminated pig feed.
Mr. Gummer : No farms on Tyneside are reported to have received contaminated pig feed.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether animals other than pigs have been fed contaminated feed ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : The contaminated feed ingredient was also included in feed for sheep and dairy and beef cattle, but at lower levels from those included in pig feed. There have been no reported incidence of ill effects in animals
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other than pigs. Pigmeat and cows' milk samples from farms which have received contaminated feed have been tested and no evidence of any conceivable hazard to human health ensuing out of this incident has been found.Central Veterinary Laboratory
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what specific financial, efficiency and quality of service targets he has approved for the central veterinary laboratory for the current year and for the longer term.
Mr. Maclean : I announced the laboratory's financial and efficiency targets for 1990-91 in my written answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Ludlow (Mr. Gill) on 30 March 1990 at column 364. It is, of course, for the laboratory's customers to specify appropriate quality standards for individual contracts, but I attach great importance to all contracts being completed on time and to a high standard. The laboratory's current peer review arrangements will also continue. I am still considering the question of appropriate longer-term targets as I am determined that improvements in efficiency should not be made at the expense of quality or of the laboratory's ability to respond effectively in an emergency.
EMPLOYMENT
Training
Mr. Hind : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to review the dates for finalising training agent contracts with the Training Agency ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : Recontracting with employment training (ET) training agents, and with training managers and with YTS managing agents, should be substantially complete by 28 May 1990. I have no plans to review this date.
Health and Safety Executive
Mr. Andrew Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many monitoring visits have been undertaken in (a) Scotland and (b) Angus in each of the last 10 years by the Health and Safety Executive ;
(2) how many inspections have been undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive in (a) Scotland and (b) Angus in each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Nicholls : I will write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Andrew Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on current staffing levels in the Health and Safety Executive in Scotland.
Mr. Nicholls : On 1 April 1990, 177.5 staff were employed in Scotland by the Health and Safety Executive.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current amount of fees outstanding to the medical division (EMAS) of the Health and Safety Executive for medical examinations.
Mr. Nicholls : On 10 May 1990 £8,175 had been outstanding for more than three months in respect of fees for medical examinations carried out by the employment medical advisory service.
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Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many former employees of the Health and Safety Executive have been re-employed as consultants by the Health and Safety Executive ; what the total costs of such consultants was in fiscal year 1989-90 ; what is the projection for 1990-91 ; and what is the average hourly rate of these consultants ;
(2) what consultancy fees were paid to non-ex-Health and Safety Executive staff in 1989-90 by the Health and Safety Executive ; and what is the projection for 1990-91.
Mr. Nicholls : Total consultancy fees paid to individuals in 1989-90 by the Health and Safety Executive were £19,787 ; of which £6,202 (an hourly rate of £22.55p) was to a former HSE employee. Under HSE's devolved budgeting system, recruitment of consultants is decided by divisions according to need, within the limits of their running cost budgets.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the profit margin on the recently published Health and Safety Executive annual report ; and how many shop floor sales are anticipated at the cover price.
Mr. Nicholls : In line with Her Majesty's Treasury rules HSE operates a policy which sets prices for its publications which will recover the full cost of production. A total of 1,300 copies of the 1988-89 report have been sold since its publication in February. It is too early to assess the eventual sales revenue and no information is available about the background of customers, both past and potential, of the publication.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of the administrative staff of the Health and Safety Executive have any formal qualifications in management.
Mr. Nicholls : The great majority of officials in these grades are not employed in a managerial capacity. The percentage of administrative staff who are recorded as having formal academic qualifications relevant to management is 3.3.
Training Credits
Mr. Jack : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the progress of the training credits initiative.
Mr. Eggar : Thirty-three training and enterprise councils (TECs) have submitted proposals to operate pilot credit schemes in their area. This is clear evidence of the widespread interest in and enthusiasm for training credits for young people.
I expect to make an announcement in early June about those TECSs which will be invited to develop a more detailed proposal.
Training Vouchers
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a further statement on the progress in introducing his training voucher scheme.
Mr. Eggar : Thirty-three training and enterprise councils (TECs) have submitted proposals to operate pilot credit schemes in their area.
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I expect to make an announcement in early June about those TECs which will be invited to develop a more detailed proposal.Skill Centres
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects to conclude negotiations to sell skill centres to Astra Training Services Ltd. ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : Pursuant to my reply of 2 May 1990, Official Report, column 544, I expect to complete the sales of the training business at Barking, Southampton and Wolverhampton skill centres (including Telford Outreach) shortly.
The sale of the training business at Chesterfield skill centre will not take place because of the Labour council's refusal to make the premises available to Astra.
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the skill centre sites sold other than to Astra Training Services Ltd., giving each purchaser and the sites acquired.
Mr. Eggar : The following list includes details of training businesses sold to purchasers other than Astra.
To METEL (Merseyside Education Training Enterprise Ltd.) : Liverpool skill centre. The purchaser acquired the freehold of the site.
To the consortium headed by Mr. C. Lakin : Cumbria, East Lancs, St. Helens and Ipswich. The consortium purchased the freehold of Cumbria skill centre, and was granted leases on the other sites.
To the Training Business : Lambeth skill centre. The purchaser acquired the leasehold interest of the site.
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether any technical instructor grades have been offered alternative employment in the civil service before or following the sale of skill centres to private organisations ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : Fifty-one staff in instructional grades in the Skills Training Agency (STA) have transferred to alternative posts in the civil service since the Secretary of State for Employment announced his intention to transfer STA to the private sector.
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total value of the freehold land sold to various companies involved in the purchase of skill centres ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : The Government appointed King and Company, surveyors, to value the Skills Training Agency (STA) estate, prior to the sale of STA to the private sector. The sale of the Government's residual property interests is not yet complete. The valuations are therefore confidential.
Inspection Visits
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when the current chief inspector of factories last conducted a basic inspection visit alone.
Mr. Nicholls : The chief inspector of factories does not, as a matter of policy, undertake preventive inspections alone. This is the primary work of regional staff.
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Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many basic inspection visits are paid in a year by area directors of the Health and Safety Executive ; and if he has any plans to increase the figure.
Mr. Nicholls : As a matter of policy area directors do not normally carry out preventive inspections alone but may, on occasions, accompany other inspectors on inspection visits.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many basic inspection visits per average working week are made by area office-based deputy superintending inspectors of factories alone ; and what steps he intends to take to increase their inspection rate in 1990-91 over past years.
Mr. Nicholls : Deputy superintending inspectors of factories are in general employed not in an inspection role but in connection with standards formation and headquarters and management work. In total last year inspectors of this grade carried out 162 unaccompanied visits generally in connection with their other duties. There are no plans to increase this aspect of their work.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when the director-general of the Health and Safety Executive last visited a factory.
Mr. Nicholls : Mr. Rimington's latest official visits to various categories of industrial installation regulated under the Health and Safety at Work, &c. Act are as follows :
Installation |Date ------------------------------------------------------------ a factory |October 1987 an oil rig |August 1982 an approved laboratory |January 1990 a nuclear power station |June 1986 a nuclear chemical installation |August 1985 a construction site |November 1988 a coal mine |June 1986
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many basic inspection visits per average working week are made by area office-based principal inspectors of factories alone ; and what steps he intends to take to increase their inspection rate in 1990-91 over past years.
Mr. Nicholls : A high proportion of inspection visits concerned with the more complex issues and demanding situations is made by principal inspectors acting either alone or in some cases accompanied. These visits are not differentiated in the records and to obtain the information requested would involve disproportionate cost.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many factory visits in an average working week made in 1989-90 by the doctors and nurses employed in the field force of the employment medical advisory service (medical division) of the Health and Safety Executive.
Mr. Nicholls : The information is not available in the form requested. Between 1 April 1988 and 31 March 1989 medical staff in the employment medical advisory service based in the Health and Safety Executive's area offices made a total of 7,002 visits.
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Action Credit
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give (a) the full cost of the research being carried out into the viability of extending action credit to the five employment service areas, including employment service staff hours, (b) the full amount that has, and is to be paid for administering and monitoring the existing three action credit pilots including the three month extension, and (c) on what grounds he took the decision to fund new research before the initial research into the pilots was finished.
Mr. Eggar : The cost of the research carried out into the viability of extending action credit to employment service areas was £35,466. The involvement of employment service staff was minimal.
The contracted cost of administering and monitoring the existing three action credit pilots, including the three month extension is £100,025. Currently there are no plans which would increase the total cost of the three pilots.
The existing pilots are targeted only at those leaving employment training. The new research was therefore commissioned to give an insight into the reactions of all long-term unemployed people to the concept of action credit.
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