| Previous Section | Home Page |
Apprentices
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list by trade the number of apprentices taken on by British industry for each year since 1979.
Mr. Nicholls : The information is not available.
Low Pay
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the proportion of female part-time workers, and female and male full- time workers in (a) Great Britain, (b) the South West and (c) Avon, whose hourly earnings, exclusive of overtime, fell below (i) £3.10, (ii) £3.85, (iii) £4.16 and (iv) £4.32 in April 1989.
Mr. Nicholls : The available information is given in the table.
Per cent.
Hourly earnings less than:
|£3.00|£3.20|£3.80|£4.00|£4.50
------------------------------------------------------
Full-time males
Avon |6 |9 |18 |21 |31
South West |8 |12 |24 |28 |39
Great Britain |7 |10 |21 |24 |35
Full-time females
Avon |14 |21 |39 |46 |59
South West |21 |28 |46 |52 |64
Great Britain |19 |25 |40 |46 |57
Part-time females
Avon |48 |57 |74 |78 |86
South West |53 |61 |77 |80 |86
Great Britain |48 |57 |73 |77 |83
Hourly earnings excluding overtime, pay not affected
by absence.
Employment Training
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many employment training trainees are receiving (a) income support and the £10 training premium, (b) unemployment benefit and the £10 training premium or (c) only the £10 training premium ; and if he has any plans to increase the value of the £10 premium in line with increases in the costs associated with taking up a training place.
Mr. Nicholls : The information requested is not available. There are no plans to increase the £10 premium part of employment training trainee allowances.
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment for each region, for Great Britain, how many employment training trainees are receiving child care allowances.
Mr. Nicholls : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Fife, Central (Mr. McLeish) on 13 February 1990, Official Report, columns 204-5, which is the latest information available.
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give for each region, and for Great
Column 233
Britain for each month since July 1989, the number of (a) entrants to employment training, (b) people receiving employment training training allowances, (c) employment training special group starts, separately for skill shortage and labour market returners and single parents, (d) employment training leavers and (e) employment training leavers who left before completing their action plan.Mr. Nicholls : The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many of the people undertaking employment training in each of the London area offices are receiving child care payments.
Mr. Nicholls : The information requested is not available.
Wages Councils
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the figures for the spending by his Department on (a) newspaper advertising, (b) radio advertising, (c) television advertising and (d) all other promotional material, relating to wages councils under the Wages Act 1986 (i) since 1979 and (ii) in each respective year ; what is his estimate for the current year ; and what is the budget for 1990-91.
Mr. Nicholls : The Department does not use newspaper, radio or television advertising in relation to wages council matters, although notice of wages council orders and proposals is published in the London and Edinburgh Gazettes.
Notices giving details of minimum rates are distributed to all establishments where workers covered by the councils concerned are known to be employed.
Public Appointments
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the full-time and part-time public appointments for which he is responsible, together with the salary and the date when each appointment is due for renewal.
Mr. Eggar : My right hon. and learned Friend is responsible for some 4,000 appointments to a range of executive, advisory, tribunals and other public bodies. The information requested is not readily available and could not be assembled without disproportionate cost. Public bodies sponsored by this Department are listed in the Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies 1989" available in the House of Commons Library.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many staff are employed by his Department ; and what proportion of them are employed in each of the standard regions.
Mr. Eggar : The attached table details permanent staff in post within the Employment Department group and shows a breakdown of the proportion of staff employed within each of the standard regions.
Column 234
|c|Permanent staff in post figures by standard region
for Employment|c|
|c|Department Group as at 1 April 1990|c|
Standard Region |Staff in
|post
---------------------------------------------------------
Scotland |5,885
North West |11,575
Northern |3,737
Yorkshire and Humberside |7,497
Wales |3,306
Midlands |8,484
London and South East |12,895
South West |3,561
|-------
Total |56,940
Note: Figures on head count basis.
Action for Jobs
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how much of the total expenditure on the action for jobs campaign in 1985-86 was spent on (a) press advertising and (b) radio advertising.
Mr. Eggar : A total of £34,000 was spent on press advertising on the action for jobs campaign in 1985-86 and £6,000 on radio advertising.
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the main headings of expenditure on action for jobs in addition to expenditure on television advertising and printed material in 1988-89.
Mr. Eggar : The main headings of expenditure on action for jobs in 1988-89, in addition to television advertising and printed material, were press, radio and outdoor advertising.
Part-time Work
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the latest available data on the number and percentage of part-time jobs that pay less than the national insurance threshold.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : I have been asked to reply.
The latest available data on part-time employment indicate that in 1989 there were on average some 5.3 million part-time employees in Great Britain. It is estimated that about 2.5 million (47 per cent.) of those earned below the lower earnings limit for national insurance.
DEFENCE
Radiation Monitoring
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide information on the number of personnel employed by his Department, including the Health and Safety Executive, on the inspection, maintenance and improvement of standards of radiation monitoring, by United Kingdom region, for (a) Ministry of Defence workers' exposure and (b) civilian workers' exposure.
Mr. Nicholls : The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Column 235
Military Aircraft (Statistics)
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, (1) pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey of 3 May, Official Report, columns 647-48, how many aeroplane flights in which radioactive material was being carried have resulted in (a) crashes and (b) near-misses which did not constitute a serious risk of release of radiation or radioactive material ;
(2) whether the answer to the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey of 3 May, Official Report, column 648, about transport of defence nuclear materials includes aircraft operated by United States personnel ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I have nothing to add to the reply that I gave on 3 May.
Military Bands
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will publish a table showing the cost of (a) the Royal Marines and (b) the Royal Air Force bands in each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Full details of all the costs of maintaining Royal Marines and Royal Air Force bands are not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost and effort. The tables show those costs which can be estimated from information held centrally.
The estimated Royal Marines costs, which cover pay, ERNIC, pensions and gratuities and other personnel costs (including travel and subsistence) are as follows :
Year |£ million ------------------------------ 1980-81 |5.2 1981-82 |5.3 1982-83 |5.4 1983-84 |5.6 1984-85 |6.0 1985-86 |6.4 1986-87 |7.0 1987-88 |6.9 1988-89 |7.2 1989-90 |7.5
The estimated costs for the RAF are as follows :
(£100Ks) Year |Service pay |Civilian pay<1>|Band grants<2> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1980-81 |18.5 |- |- 1981-82 |20.4 |- |- 1982-83 |21.6 |- |- 1983-84 |23.1 |- |0.2 1984-85 |24.4 |- |0.5 1985-86 |26.7 |- |0.3 1986-87 |28.8 |- |0.4 1987-88 |30.6 |- |0.4 1988-89 |32.6 |1.6 |0.4 1989-90 |34.9 |1.7 |0.5 <1> Information for years prior to 1988-89 is not held centrally. <2> Information for years prior to 1983-84 is not held centrally.
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many public performances by Royal Marines and Royal Air Force bands last year were in (a) England, Wales and Scotland, (b) Northern Ireland and (c) elsewhere.
Column 236
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Records are not held centrally in the form requested and the information could not be provided without disproportionate cost.
Low Flying
Sir John Farr : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will bring about the immediate ending of low flying by Royal Air Force and foreign aircraft over the east midlands.
Public Appointments
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the full-time and part-time public appointments for which he is responsible together with the salary and the date when each appointment is due for renewal.
Mr. Alan Clark : I refer the hon. Member to "Public Bodies 1989" issued by the office of the Minister for the Civil Service in December 1989 ; pages 9 and 10 list MOD appointments.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff are employed by his Department ; and what proportion of them are employed in each of the standard regions.
Mr. Alan Clark : At 1 April 1990 there were 141,372.5 United Kingdom -based civilian staff employed by the Ministry of Defence. The proportional breakdown between regions in the United Kingdom was :
|Per cent.
---------------------------------------------
South East |27.8
Northern |2.2
Yorkshire and Humberside |4.2
London |13.2
Northern Ireland |1.9
East Midlands |2.4
West Midlands |6.3
South West |21.5
North West |2.1
Wales |3.9
Scotland |8.7
East Anglia |1.8
The balance of 4 per cent. were overseas, including those at sea or in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Anglo-French Military Co-operation
Mr. Soames : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the present extent of Anglo-French military co-operation.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Anglo-French military co-operation is extensive, with a wide range of contacts and exchanges at all levels between all three branches of the armed forces, in addition to a number of joint exercises. There is also co-operation in the fields of equipment procurement and research. During the Anglo-French summit in London on 4 May, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and the French Defence Minister, Mr. Chevenement, discussed ways in which this co-operation could be extended.
Column 237
Boeing
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the current value of contracts placed with the Boeing company ; (2) what is the annual amount of money paid out to the Boeing company for each year since 1979 ;
(3) how many contracts have been placed with Boeing in each year since 1979.
Mr. Alan Clark : The only contract placed with Boeing Aerospace Inc. since 1979 is that for AWACS aircraft in 1987, amended to include a seventh aircraft in 1988. The contract value cannot be given, for reasons of commercial confidentiality. I shall write separately to the hon. Member as soon as all details are available on contracts with Boeing Helicopters Inc.
Nuclear Weapons
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of the military and strategic circumstances in which all British nuclear weapons could be negotiated away.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Peace has been maintained in Europe as a result of the possession of both nuclear and conventional forces by the United Kingdom and our NATO allies. There can be no question of negotiating away our nuclear deterrent while other states possess or are seeking to acquire a nuclear weapon capability that could pose a threat to this country.
ENVIRONMENT
Local Authority Associations
9. Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met the Association of County Councils ; and what matters were discussed.
30. Mr. Anthony Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met the Association of District Councils ; and what matters were discussed.
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met representatives of the district councils to discuss local government finance.
Mr. Chris Patten : I met representatives of the Association of County Councils and other local authority associations on 21 May. We discussed the community charge.
Detergents
13. Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to counter the possible adverse environmental consequences resulting from the use of detergents.
Mr. Trippier : The National Rivers Authority is responsible for monitoring the possible adverse effects on the water environment resulting from the use of detergents. It has recently commissioned a study by the water research centre on the appearance of foam on some rivers. The Department has placed a study contract to review any adverse effects which may occur due to possible changes in formulations of detergents and other cleaning agents.
Column 238
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to introduce a maximum limit for phosphate content in detergents ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : The Department has no plans at present to limit the amount of phosphate in detergents. It has placed a study contract to review any adverse effects which may occur if polyphosphates used in cleaning agents are replaced by other chemicals.
Waste Disposal
16. Mr. Brandon-Bravo : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to increase public confidence in the management and disposal of waste.
Mr. Chris Patten : The best way to increase public confidence in waste management is to ensure that high environmental standards are consistently maintained.
Through the Environmental Protection Bill we shall be strengthening controls on waste management by increasing the powers available to local authorities for licensing and enforcement. At the same time, we shall increase the information available on public registers about local waste operations and require local authorities to publish annual reports on their policies and performance in regulating waste disposal.
Atmospheric Pollution
20. Mr. Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met representatives from the National Society for Clean Air to discuss atmospheric pollution.
Mr. Trippier : Although my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not met representatives of the National Society of Clean Air he is familiar with its work.
78. Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to increase the controls over air pollution.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Existing air pollution controls are being reinforced in a number of ways. In particular, the Environmental Protection Bill strengthens and extends existing controls over air pollution from industrial plant and streamlines statutory nuisance control over other sources. We will shortly issue the draft plan to achieve substantial reductions in emissions of 20 and NOx from existing large combustion plants in the United Kingdom, and we are bringing in strict new standards to cut emissions of NOx, CO and hydrocarbons from cars.
Lead Plumbing
21. Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the latest estimates at current prices of the capital investment required to replace all lead plumbing in those houses which are entirely or partially affected.
38. Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are his latest estimates at current prices of the capital investment required to replace all lead plumbing in those houses which are wholly or partially affected.
Column 239
Mr. Trippier : This information is not available.Eastern Europe
22. Mr. Knapman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with his European Community counterparts regarding joint action to assist the countries of eastern Europe in tackling environmental pollution.
Mr. Trippier : Community assistance to eastern European countries in dealing with their grave environmental pollution problems was discussed at the informal Environment Council on 21 April at Ashford castle. I took part in this meeting which noted the substantial financial commitments for environmental aid already made by the Community as a result of earlier discussions.
29. Mr. Gwilym Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action the Government will be taking to assist the countries of eastern Europe in cleaning up environmental pollution.
Mr. Chris Patten : The extent of the environmental damage done by the communist regimes in eastern Europe requires international assistance. The United Kingdom is acting primarily through the joint programme co- ordinated by the European Commission for all the G24 countries. Following visits by joint teams of experts, initial programmes of projects are being implemented for Poland and Hungary. The process of formulating programmes has begun for East Germany and Czechoslovakia, and is expected to extend to Romania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. The United Kingdom bilateral know-how fund for eastern Europe, administered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, is available to help with the transfer of British skills in dealing with these problems. The fund has already assisted the planning meeting on the Czech environment problems at East London polytechnic last weekend. Wider proposals for transfer of British expertise in management of the environment are being worked up and assessed.
Local Government Finance
23. Mr. Patrick Thompson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has had any recent representations seeking replacement of the community charge with a tax on property values.
Mr. Portillo : As far as I am aware no one has made a representation to me in favour of a roof tax based on capital or site values.
26. Mr. Favell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many suggestions he has received for alternatives to the community charge for the raising of local government finance.
Mr. Chope : I receive a large number of suggestions on local government finance. There is no intention, however, to replace the community charge as the fairest means of securing a contribution from local residents towards the cost of local services.
31. Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average level of community charge in inner London in boroughs that were (a) Conservative controlled and (b) Labour-controlled before 3 May.
Column 240
Mr. Chope : The figures are as follows : Conservative-controlled, £209 ; Labour-controlled, £445. They are based on charges at 1 April 1990.
34. Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the average community charge for all the metropolitan districts if the percentage of their expenditure met from external funding was the same as Wandsworth ; and if he will make a statement.
41. Mr. Eastham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the average community charge for all the London boroughs if the percentage of their expenditure met from external funding was the same as Wandsworth ; and if he will make a statement.
44. Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the average community charge for all the London boroughs if the percentage of their expenditure met from external funding was the same as Wandsworth ; and if he will make a statement.
52. Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the average community charge for all the London boroughs if the percentage of their expenditure met from external funding was the same as Wandsworth ; and if he will make a statement.
57. Mr. Caborn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the average community charge for all the metropolitan districts if the percentage of their expenditure met from external funding was the same as Wandsworth ; and if he will make a statement.
61. Mr. Patchett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the average community charge for all the metropolitan districts if the percentage of their expenditure met from external funding was the same as Wandsworth ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the average community charge for all the metropolitan districts if the percentage of their expenditure met from external funding was the same as Wandsworth ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the average community charge for all the metropolitan districts if the percentage of their expenditure met from external funding was the same as Wandsworth ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : The community charge everywhere in England would be £278 if councils budgeted in accordance with their standard spending assessment after disregarding the effect of the safety net and other special reliefs, low rateable value grant and inner London education grant. For every additional £1 per adult spent the community charge per adult is increased by £1. For every £1 per adult saved the community charge per adult is reduced by £1. Any grant or support system based upon the spending decisions rather than the needs of individual authorities would penalise the prudent and reward the extravagant.
81. Mr. John Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he has taken to invite interested groups and local authorities to submit views on the changes desirable to the community charge ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 241
39. Mr. Bill Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he has taken to invite interested groups and local authorities to submit views on the changes desirable to the community charge ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Chope : Interested groups and local authorities do not, in my experience, need formal invitations to submit views on the community charge. I have received a large number of comments and suggestions on the subject. Constructive comment is always welcome.
42. Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate what changes are likely to take place in the standard spending assessment as it relates to Warwickshire.
Mr. Chope : My right hon. Friend has said that he will consider any fresh evidence on standard spending assessments (SSAs) which is put before him. Officials are also involved in discussions with local authority representatives. It is too early to say whether this work will result in changes to SSAs.
| Next Section
| Home Page |