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Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for the latest date available ; how many probation psychiatric voluntary hostel places were available in England and Wales for female offenders.
Mr. John Patten [holding answer 25 June 1990] : There are 91 beds funded by the Home Office for use by the probation service in voluntary after-care hotels dealing with ex-offenders with histories of mental illness or personality disorder. Only two of these beds are designated specifically for female offenders, but the remainder would be available to them.
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for the latest date available what was (a) the weekly cost for a female probation hostel place and (b) the average weekly cost of a female prison place.
Mr. John Patten [holding answer 25 June 1990] : There are no hostels taking only women on probation, although there are two probation- bail hostels designated for women offenders and defendants. Other probation -bail hostels accept men and women, but the costs relating to women cannot be disaggregated.
From information available for 1988-89 for those hostels which took women only the average weekly cost per occupied place was £152. This compares with an average weekly cost in 1988-89 of £155 per occupied place in all probation-bail and bail hostels. The average weekly cost of a place at a women's prison establishment in 1988-89 was £399.
EMPLOYMENT
Pre-entry Closed Shop
15. Mr. David Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects the provisions contained in the Employment Bill to outlaw the pre-entry closed shop to take full statutory effect.
Mr. Howard : The Employment Bill, which is currently being considered in another place, includes provisions which will make it unlawful for an employer to refuse to employ a person because he is, or is not, a member of a trade union. We expect the Bill to become law before the end of this Session and intend that individuals seeking employment should have the benefit of this important protection as soon as is practicable after Royal Assent.
Work Permits
17. Mr. Cran : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proposals he intends to bring forward as a result of his Department's review of the work permit scheme.
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Mr. Nicholls : I am discussing with colleagues the implications of my Department's review of the work permit scheme before making proposals.
Industrial Training
18. Mr. Irvine : To ask the Secretary for State of Employment what plans he has to improve the quality of industrial training.
Mr. Howard : Employer-led training and enterprise councils (TECs) are being set up all round the country with the primary responsibility of improving training performance within their local labour market. In addition, industry training organisations have a major role in establishing recognised standards and promoting them within their sector.
Labour Statistics
19. Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the total unemployment figures and the rate of unemployment in May 1990, and May 1980.
Mr. Howard : In May 1990, the seasonally adjusted level of unemployment in the United Kingdom was 1,611,000 or 5.7 per cent. of the work force, compared with a level of 1,224,400 in May 1980 or 4.6 per cent. of the work force.
68. Mr. Flannery : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of unemployed in 1979 ; and what it is now.
Mr. Nicholls : In May 1990 the level of unemployed, seasonally adjusted, in the United Kingdom, was 1,611,000 or 5.7 per cent. compared with 1,088,500 or 4.1 per cent., in May 1979 on the consistent basis.
64. Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the unemployment rate in the northern region in each of the last three years.
Mr. Nicholls : In May 1990, the rate of unemployment, seasonally adjusted, in the north region was 8.5 per cent., compared with 10.4 per cent. in May 1989 and 12.4 per cent. in May 1988.
65. Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people in Lambeth below the age of 18 years are unemployed and not in training or in full-time education.
Mr. Nicholls : In May 1990 the number of unemployed claimants aged under 18 in the Lambeth local authority district was three.
60. Mr. Beaumont-Dark : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the figure for unemployment in the west midlands in (a) 1980 and (b) 1990.
Mr. Nicholls : In May 1990 the level of unemployment, seasonally adjusted, in the west midlands, was 149,300 or 5.8 per cent., compared with 119,000 or 4.7 per cent. in May 1980 on the consistent basis.
50. Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are employed in the Rugby-Daventry travel-to-work area ; and what was the figure three years ago.
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Mr. Nicholls : The latest available employment estimates for travel-to-work areas are from the September 1987 census of employment. There were then 46,200 employees in employment in the Rugby and Daventry travel-to-work area. This compares with a figure of 46,100 in September 1984 when the previous census of employment was taken. The figures exclude the self-employed and members of Her Majesty's forces.51. Mr. Franks : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment by how much unemployment has fallen in Cumbria since June 1987.
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Mr. Nicholls : Since June 1987, the number of unemployed claimants in the county of Cumbria has fallen by 9,292 or 48 per cent. on the unadjusted basis. Direct comparisons are slightly affected by the change in benefit regulations for under 18-year-olds in September 1988.
52. Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many men and how many women (a) full and (b) part-time there were in employment in each standard planning region in the United Kingdom in June 1979 and the latest date for which figures are available.
Mr. Nicholls : The information requested is as follows :
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Civilian work force in employment in each standard region of the United Kingdom
Thousands<1>
June 1979 December 1989<2>
|Males<3> |Females |Full-time|Part-time|Males<3> |Females |Full-time|Part-time
|total |total |total |total
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South East |4,839 |3,285 |2,006 |1,279 |5,019 |4,152 |2,659 |1,492
East Anglia |481 |300 |178 |122 |537 |405 |243 |162
South West |1,032 |712 |417 |295 |1,151 |926 |538 |388
West Midlands |1,452 |920 |550 |370 |1,357 |1,055 |616 |439
East Midlands |1,013 |658 |393 |265 |1,024 |826 |474 |352
Yorkshire and
Humberside |1,302 |842 |480 |362 |1,189 |966 |530 |436
North West |1,700 |1,190 |719 |471 |1,571 |1,295 |754 |541
North |802 |522 |314 |208 |714 |573 |313 |260
Wales |716 |441 |276 |165 |686 |528 |311 |217
Scotland |1,333 |929 |597 |332 |1,254 |1,027 |618 |410
Great Britain |14,677 |9,803 |5,789 |4,015 |14,504 |11,752 |6,705 |5,047
Northern Ireland<4> |359 |239 |n/a |n/a |329 |262 |n/a |n/a
United Kingdom |15,036 |10,042 |n/a |n/a |14,833 |12,014 |n/a |n/a
<1> Unadjusted for seasonal variation.
<2> Latest available.
<3> Regional full-time and part-time breakdown for males is not available.
<4> Figures for full and part-time employment are not available for Northern Ireland.
47. Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what recent initiatives he has implemented to reduce unemployment.
Mr. Tim Eggar : My Department's aim is to support economic growth through promoting a competitive, efficient and flexible labour market. As a result many of the initiatives that we implement will help to reduce unemployment either directly--through giving more effective help to unemployed people to help them find work, or improve their chances of doing so--or indirectly, by improving the working of the labour market in other ways and removing barriers to employment.
45. Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the proportion of new jobs created during the last five years which are of part-time and low-paid character.
Mr. Nicholls : Between December 1984 and December 1989, part-time employment in Great Britain rose by 965,000. This represented 37 per cent. of the increase in the work force in employment.
There is no official definition of low pay.
32. Mr. Duffy : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide the latest unemployment figures for Sheffield expressed as a percentage ; and what is the national average.
Mr. Nicholls : In May 1990, the unemployment rate for the Sheffield travel-to-work area was 8.1 per cent. on the unadjusted basis. The comparable figure for the United Kingdom was 5.5 per cent.
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Tourism
16. Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received on the provision of accommodation within the tourist industry after the introduction of the poll tax.
Mr. Nicholls : My right hon. and learned Friend has received a number of representations from a wide cross-section of the tourism industry on the possible effects of the introduction of the community charge and the uniform business rate.
20. Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many tourists from the United States of America have visited the United Kingdom for each year since 1985.
Mr. Nicholls : The estimated number of visits to the United Kingdom by residents of the United States of America for the years 1985-89 are as follows :
|Number of
|visits
------------------------------
1985 |3,166,000
1986 |2,288,000
1987 |2,800,000
1988 |2,620,000
1989 |2,814,000
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has any plans to reinstate section 4 grants in England.
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Mr. Nicholls : There are no such plans.71. Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he last met the chairman of the Heart of England tourist board ; and what matters were discussed.
Mr. Nicholls : My right hon. and learned Friend has not met the chairman of Heart of England tourist board, but my noble Friend Lord Strathclyde, the Minister with responsibility for tourism, has met members and officers of the Heart of England board during visits to the region, and hopes shortly to have an opportunity of a discussion with its chairman.
61. Mr. Harris : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many holidays in the United Kingdom were taken by United Kingdom citizens in 1989.
Mr. Nicholls : The latest estimates show that United Kingdom residents took 64.5 million holidays in the United Kingdom in 1989.
62. Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to promote tourism in Essex.
Mr. Nicholls : In the year beginning 1 April 1990 the East Anglia tourist board will receive a subvention of £410,000 from the English tourist board, 66 per cent. more than in the previous year. The East Anglia tourist board is working on a number of initiatives, in partnership with local authorities and the private sector, which will benefit tourism in Essex.
56. Mr. Jim Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the Government's review of tourism.
Mr. Nicholls : I refer the hon. Member to the reply of 28 November 1989 by the then Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Yardley (Mr. Bevan), Official Report, column 212.
37. Mr. Lofthouse : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has recently met the chair of the British Tourist Authority and English tourist board to discuss tourism ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State and my noble Friend the Minister with responsibility for tourism regularly meet the chairman to discuss matters relating to tourism. The two boards are implementing the outcome of the review of tourism policy and their total grant in aid has increased by 10 per cent. compared to the amount in the last financial year.
31. Mr. Wilshire : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many overseas visits to the United Kingdom were made in the first quarter of 1990.
Mr. Nicholls : Overseas residents made an estimated 3,510,000 visits to the United Kingdom during the first three months of 1990, 4 per cent. higher than in the equivalent period of 1989.
27. Mr. Hague : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were self-employed in tourism-related industries in (a) 1983 and (b) 1989.
Mr. Nicholls : The available information is published in the footnote to table 8.1 of the June 1990 issue of Employment Gazette.
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24. Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of overseas visitors to the United Kingdom, and the income generated from such tourist activity, during the first three months of 1990 ; and what were the comparable figures for 1989.
Mr Nicholls : It is estimated that overseas residents made 3,510, 000 visits to the United Kingdom during the first three months of 1990, 4 per cent. higher than in the equivalent period of 1989. Spending in the United Kingdom by overseas visitors in the same period is estimated to be £1,305 million, 10 per cent. higher than in 1988.
Industrial Action
21. Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list those years since 1960 with a greater number of stoppages due to industrial action than 1989.
Mr Howard : The year 1989 had the lowest number of stoppages for over half a century.
41. Mr. Sumberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has any proposals to alter the legislation concerning secondary industrial action.
Mr. Nicholls : The March 1989 Green Paper "Removing Barriers to Employment" (Cm. 655) proposed changes to the present law to make it unlawful to induce industrial action by workers of an employer not party to a trade dispute except in the case of lawful picketing. The current Employment Bill, which had its Second Reading in another place on 15 June, contains provisions which will bring those changes into effect.
33. Mr. Evennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of stoppages due to industrial action in (a) 1977, (b) 1978, (c) 1979, (d) 1987, (e) 1988 and (f) 1989.
Mr. Nicholls : The recorded number of stoppages due to industrial action is given in the table :
-
Year |Number of
|stoppages
------------------------------
1977 |2,737
1978 |2,498
1979 |2,125
1987 |1,016
1988 | 781
1989 | 701
Jobcentre, Hackney
22. Ms. Abbott : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has any plans to visit the jobcentre on Mare street, Hackney.
Mr. Nicholls : My right hon. and learned Friend has no such plans at present.
Employee Share Ownership
23. Mr. Ian Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to help promote among his European Community counterparts the introduction on a European Community-wide level of employee share ownership trusts.
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Mr. Howard : Our publication "People and Companies" has been widely distributed round the European Community to draw the attention of our counterparts to the merits of our approach to employee involvement, including employee share ownership trusts.Part-time Work
25. Mr. Andy Stewart : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement concerning the proposals for a European Community directive concerning part-time work.
Mr. Howard : The proposed directives on part-time and temporary work are misguided and unnecessary. They would damage job prospects in Britain and right across Europe. They are in conflict with the well-established principle of European Community legislation that issues which are best dealt with at national level should be left to member states to decide. We shall oppose the directives vigorously.
Training and Enterprise Councils
26. Mr. Lee : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many training and enterprise councils have now signed their operational contracts.
Mr. Howard : Fifteen training and enterprise councils have now signed operating contracts.
34. Mrs. Maureen Hicks : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what role the Government envisage within the training and enterprise councils for those agencies in the voluntary sector which have participated in Government-initiated training schemes.
Mr. Eggar : Training and enterprise councils (TECs) are free to contract with the training providers they feel are best placed to deliver their plans, based on the needs they have identified. Training providers from the voluntary sector are likely to continue to have an important role in the delivery of programmes such as youth training (YT) and employment training (ET), particularly in relation to trainees with special needs.
Newspaper Industry (Disputes)
28. Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received regarding current disputes in the newspaper industry.
Mr. Nicholls : Representations have been received from the National Union of Journalists about various disputes in the newspaper industry concerning trade union recognition.
Health and Safety
29. Mr. Corbett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the Health and Safety Commission's annual report 1988-89.
Mr. Nicholls : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Members for Edinburgh, East (Mr. Strang) and for Barnsley, West and Penistone, (Mr. McKay), Official Report, 13 March 1990, cols. 147-48 and 149-50.
30. Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what discussions he has had with the Health and Safety Executive on resources.
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Mr. Nicholls : My right hon. and learned Friend has had no such discussions. Officials keep in regular contact with the staff of the Health and Safety Executive over a variety of matters including resources.
Disabled People
35. Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to improve the employment prospects of disabled people.
73. Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what new measures he intends to introduce to enable people with disabilities to participate fully in the work force.
Mr. Eggar : My Department already maintains a comprehensive framework of services to help people with disabilities find and retain jobs. The adequacy of current measures to help people with disabilities to participate fully in the work force has been considered in the review of services for people with disabilities which my Department has just undertaken. We will be publishing the consultative document giving the results of the review within the next few days.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has any plans to alter the 3 per cent. quota provision for the employment of people with disabilities.
Mr. Eggar : All aspects of the quota scheme have been considered in the review of services to people with disabilities which my Department has just undertaken. We will be publishing the consultative document giving the results of the review within the next few days.
49. Ms. Armstrong : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on his proposals for the future of the quota system in respect of the employment of people with disabilities.
Mr. Eggar : All aspects of the quota scheme have been considered in the review of services to people with disabilities which my Department has just undertaken. We will be publishing the consultative document giving the results of the review within the next few days.
Civil Servants (Buy-outs)
36. Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what buy-outs by civil servants in his Department are currently being considered ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Howard : I have taken no decision to privatise any further areas of my Department's activities. Therefore, I am not considering any buy-outs by civil servants.
Long-term Unemployed (Training)
38. Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what further measures he intends to introduce to enable the long-term unemployed to receive training.
Mr. Eggar : Employment training already provides a full range of opportunities for all long-term unemployed people to acquire the skills and experience they need to
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compete for jobs. The flexibilities available to training and enterprise councils in delivering employment training will ensure that training provision will be even more responsive to local needs.Employment Training
39. Mr. Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the future of employment training.
Mr. Eggar : The flexibilities which training and enterprise councils in England and Wales and local enterprise companies in Scotland will have in delivering employment training will make it even more responsive to the training needs of both individuals and employers in local labour markets and further reinforce its success in helping long-term unemployed people to get jobs.
Training (Young People)
40. Mr. Allen McKay : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how he intends further to encourage training for young people ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : The new youth training arrangements which build on the success of YTS will deliver relevant vocational training for young people to enable them to achieve recognised qualifications. The training credits pilot schemes announced on 27 March 1990 will have the potential of strengthening the motivation of young people to seek continued education and training after leaving school. The compact initiative is helping to encourage training for young people in urban programme authority areas by guaranteeing a job with training or training leading to a job to all young people who meet their locally agreed goals.
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