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Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Information about the proportion of students who will retain entitlement to income support and housing benefit is not available. No full-time students will be eligible for unemployment benefit, but all students will retain entitlement to all other social security benefits in the normal way.
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what provisions were made for those students claiming income support, unemployment benefit and housing benefit for the period from 1 September until the start of their academic year, for (a) those students making a claim before 1 September and (b) those students making a claim after 1 September ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Those students who were in receipt of income support, unemployment benefit or housing benefit immediately prior to 1 September were able to continue receiving those benefits until resumption of their studies. Students claiming after 1 September were not eligible for income support, unemployment benefit or housing benefit unless they fell into one of the categories of vulnerable groups (including lone parents and disabled students) who retained entitlement to those benefits. In addition, partners of students would have been able to claim these benefits in the normal way.
Students who faced financial difficulty in the vacation would have been able to apply to their local education authorities, which have the discretion to make awards to students who may suffer undue hardship.
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many full-time students are still able to claim housing benefit during their period of study in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Estimates of the number of students who may be entitled to housing benefit are not available.
Mr. Burt : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide a breakdown of the numbers of students still able to claim social security benefits into (a) single parents, (b) students with disabilities, (c) student couples, (d) pensioner students and (e) students under 19 years in further education.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : It is not possible to provide a breakdown of students still able to claim income support and housing benefit. No full- time students will be eligible for unemployment benefit, but all students will retain entitlement to all other social security benefits in the normal way.
Deaf Students
Mr. Burt : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether regulation 5(3) of the Income-Related Benefits Amendment Regulations 1990 applies to deaf students coming from Northern Ireland who are studying in England, Wales or Scotland.
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Mr. Scott : I will write to my hon. Friend.
Welsh Language
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's guidelines for the use of the Welsh language by his Department in Wales.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Members for Welsh constituencies have already been provided with copies of the recently revised DSS policy statement on use of the Welsh language, and guidelines for departmental staff in Wales. I will now arrange for copies to be placed in the Library.
HELIOS Programme
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what evaluation he is undertaking of the HELIOS programme local model projects promoting social and independent living ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : The Department of Health in consultation with the Department of Employment and other interested Departments has now commissioned the centre for evaluative and developmental research at the university of Southampton to carry out an evaluation in respect of the 15 local model activities within the United Kingdom that are participating in the European Community's second action programme in favour of disabled people, called HELIOS. These activities cover vocational rehabilitation, economic integration, and integration in schools as well as social integration and independent living. The evaluation will not cover all aspects of the local model activities but will be limited to an assessment of the impact of the HELIOS programme on their work.
Grants and Loans, Doncaster
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications for review were received during the period (a) April 1988 to March 1989 and (b) April 1989 to March 1990 in respect of (i) community care grants, (ii) budgeting loans, and (iii) crisis loans by each of the local offices covering the Doncaster area ; and if he will show in his answer how many of these applications for review resulted in revised decisions.
Mr. Scott : I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
HANDYNET
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the United Kingdom's financial contribution to HANDYNET in 1990-91 and 1991-92 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : The European Community's second action programme in favour of disabled people, called HELIOS, includes the development of a system, called HANDYNET, to link national databases on disability, initially for equipment. We have nominated the Disabled Living Foundation as the first United Kingdom centre to participate in HANDYNET, which has yet to come into operation. Most of the costs of taking part in the system will be incurred within the member states and will not be met from Community funds. We have already given the
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Disabled Living Foundation a grant of £228,000 to enhance its information service facilities and enable it to participate in HANDYNET in due course. We are considering a request from the foundation for further support once the system comes into operation.HOUSE OF COMMONS
Parliamentary Salaries
Mr. John Garrett : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will list in sterling the annual salaries of the members of the parliamentary assemblies of the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy and Sweden.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : The information requested is as follows : Federal German Republic
Member of the Bundestag--DM 115,968 (£39,178). All taxable. France
Deputy in the National Assembly--FFr 436,824 (£44,096) of which 45 per cent. (FFr 196,571 (£19,843)) is tax free.
Netherlands
Member of the Second Chamber of the States-General --Hfl 103,355 (£30,985). All taxable.
Italy
Member of the Council of Deputies--Lira 118,200,000 (£53,310) of which 30 per cent. (Lira 35,460,000 (£15,993)) is tax free. Sweden
Riksdagsman--Swedish Krona 259,500 (£23,624). All taxable. Note : The sterling figures calculated using rates of exchange at the close of business on Monday 29 October 1990.
No information is available regarding parliamentary salaries of Deputies in the Spanish Congress.
Executive Agencies
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Lord President of the Council if, pursuant to his statement of 5 July, Official Report, column 1139, he has considered further the arrangements for answering parliamentary questions on matters delegated to executive agencies.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : I refer the hon. Member to the White Paper (Cm. 1263) which the Government have published today in response to the eighth report of the Treasury and Civil Service Committee, "Progress in the Next Steps Initiative". In its supportive report, the Committee made some observations about the procedure for dealing with Members' questions on matters delegated to executive agencies. The Government's reply makes clear that it is for the Minister responsible for an executive agency to decide the most helpful and appropriate way to respond to such a question : normally, he or she will ask the chief executive to respond by letter. In future, a copy of all such letters (save only for personal or confidential cases) will automatically be placed in the Library and in its Public Information Office. Where a case appears to be of immediate wide interest or it is desirable that it should be covered by parliamentary privilege, the Minister may decide to reply fully in Hansard.
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We shall keep these arrangements under review. As the White Paper says, the Government's intention is that the establishment of "next steps" Agencies should improve the flow and quality of information to Parliament and the public and help to ensure that replies about management and delivery of Government services are full, prompt and as helpful as possible.European Parliamentary Conference
Mr. Page : To ask the Lord President of the Council which hon. Members will attend the European parliamentary conference to be held in Rome on 27 to 30 November.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : The following hon. Members will attend : Nicholas Bonsor
John Butterfill
Willam Cash
Quentin Davies
Hugh Dykes
Sir Geoffrey Finsberg
Norman Godman
Robert Hicks
Kate Hoey
David Howell (Leader of Delegation)
Sir Russell Johnston
Michael Lord
George Robertson
Ernie Ross
Chris Smith
Nigel Spearing
Sir James Spicer
Bowen Wells
The delegation will also include :
The Noble Lord Aldington
The Noble Lord Bonham-Carter
The Noble Lord Bridges
The Noble Lord Butterworth
The Noble Lord Kearton
The Noble Baroness Lockwood
The Noble Lord Selsdon
The Noble Baroness Serota
SCOTLAND
Labour Statistics
Mr. Maxton : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the percentage unemployment in the Paisley, North constituency for each quarter since January 1979.
Mr. Lang : Unemployment rates are not available for parliamentary constituencies and figures for the number unemployed by parliamentary constituency are available only from June 1983. The table shows the number of claimants unemployed in Paisley, North from the third quarter of 1983 to the third quarter of 1990 inclusive.
Number of claimant unemployed in Paisley North constituency Year |Quarter 1|Quarter 2|Quarter 3|Quarter 4 ------------------------------------------------------------ 1983 |n/a |n/a |5,646 |5,546 1984 |5,737 |5,517 |5,462 |5,418 1985 |5,622 |5,703 |5,700 |5,613 1986 |5,733 |5,577 |5,472 |5,372 1987 |5,488 |5,440 |5,276 |5,059 1988 |4,996 |4,701 |4,512 |4,094 1989 |4,136 |3,702 |3,544 |3,318 1990 |3,305 |3,161 |3,105 |- Notes: Figures are averages for the quarter. Comparisons over time are affected by the changes in the coverage of the count that have occurred over the period, as well as by seasonal influences.
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Mr. Maxton : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the most recent figure for the ratio of vacancies in Scotland to those seeking work.
Mr. Lang : In September 1990 there were 24,500 unfilled vacancies at jobcentres in Scotland, and 195,100 claimants unemployed. This gives a ratio of unfilled vacancies to claimants unemployed of 1:8. It is estimated that only about one third of vacancies in the economy are notified to jobcentres.
Mr. Maxton : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many jobs have been created and how many lost in Paisley, North constituency in (a) each year and (b) the cumulative total in (i) the clothing and textile industry,(ii) engineering, (iii) electronics and computer assembly, (iv) construction, (v) manufacturing, (vi) distribution and (vii) service industries.
Mr. Lang : Up-to-date information on jobs created and lost is not available.
Manufacturing
Mr. Maxton : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland by what percentage the Scottish contribution to United Kingdom manufacturing declined from 1979 to 1989, or to the most recently available figure.
Mr. Lang : Estimates of gross domestic product at factor cost published by the Central Statistical Office show that in 1979 Scotland contributed 8.5 per cent. of the United Kingdom gross domestic product (excluding continental shelf) in manufacturing. Provisional estimates for 1988 give a Scottish share of 8.1 per cent. of United Kingdom manufacturing gross domestic product (excluding continental shelf). Provisional estimates for 1989 will be published in December.
Mr. Maxton : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the change (a) in the number of employees in employment and (b) the number of employees in employment in manufacturing in Scotland between 1979 and 1989 ; and what this represents in percentage terms.
Mr. Lang : The number of employees in employment in Scotland decreased by 143,000, from 2,102,000 in June 1979 to 1,959,000 in June 1989. This represents a decrease of 7 per cent. The number of manufacturing employees in employment in Scotland decreased by 188, 000, from 604,000 in June 1979 to 416,000 in June 1989. This represents a decrease of 31 per cent.
Mr. Maxton : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the value of Scottish manufacturing exports in real terms in each year since 1974.
Mr. Lang : The Scottish Council (Development and Industry) carry out an annual survey of Scottish exporters. This is the most comprehensive source of information on Scottish manufacturing exports. Up until 1984, the survey was carried out only on a triennial basis and coverage was less complete than in later years. These points should be borne in mind when interpreting the series in the table, which is expressed in 1988 constant prices using the council's own suggested deflator ; the United Kingdom producer price index for home sales of manufactured goods.
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Scottish manufacturing exports 1974-1988
Year |£ billion
|(1988 prices)
------------------------------------------
1974 |6.1
1975 |5.3
1976 |5.8
1977 |6.1
1978 |6.4
1979 |6.1
1980 |5.8
1981 |5.6
1982 |5.2
1983 |5.4
1984 |5.9
1985 |6.3
1986 |5.8
1987 |6.7
1988 |7.2
School Qualifications
Mr. Maxton : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of the Scottish work force has no qualifications ; and what percentage of Scottish school leavers leave school with no qualifications on the most recently available figures.
Mr. Lang : The latest information from the labour force survey shows that in spring 1989, 29 per cent. of the Scottish work force had no qualifications. In 1987-88, the lastest period for which figures are available, 15 per cent. of Scottish school leavers had no SCE qualifications.
Industrial Assistance
Mr. Maxton : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing expenditure on regional preferential assistance to industry in Scotland for each year from 1974 to the most recently available date in cash and constant prices.
Mr. Lang : The information requested is given in the table :
Gross expenditure on regional
preferential assistance
|Cash |Constant
|prices |1988-89
|prices
|£ million
|£ million
----------------------------------------
1974-75 |143.5 |556.4
1975-76 |226.0 |709.4
1976-77 |212.8 |589.3
1977-78 |142.7 |347.2
1978-79 |156.5 |344.0
1979-80 |140.8 |265.0
1980-81 |198.1 |315.0
1981-82 |234.5 |339.6
1982-83 |369.4 |499.0
1983-84 |228.6 |295.0
1984-85 |187.2 |230.2
1985-86 |197.0 |229.9
1986-87 |242.4 |273.6
1987-88 |153.2 |164.1
1988-89 |151.2 |151.2
1989-90 |144.6 |135.8
Note: Includes gross expenditure in
Scotland on regional selective
assistance, regional development grants,
regional enterprise grants, Scottish
Development Agency and Highlands and
Islands Development Board expenditure
on grants and land and factory
building. The figures also include a
number of forms of assistance in the
years up to 1982 which have been
discontinued.
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Manufacturing and Electronics
Mr. Maxton : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of (a) Scottish and (b) United Kingdom gross domestic product was derived from (i) manufacturing and (ii) electronics in (y) 1979 and (z) 1989.
Mr. Lang : The table gives the information requested for 1979, and equivalent information for 1987 and 1988 where this is available. Provisional estimates for 1989 will be published in December.
Percentage of gross domestic product (at factor cost) derived from:-
|1979 |1987 |<3>1988
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Manufacturing |Scotland |28.5 |22.9 |23.3
|United Kingdom<1>|29.4 |24.0 |24.1
Classes 33, 34 and 37 of | Scotland |3.1 |3.6 |na
the Standard Industrial |United Kingdom<1>|3.4 |3.3 |na
Classification (SIC)<2>
Notes
<1>Share of United Kingdom gross domestic product excluding the continental shelf. Estimates are consistent with the
1989 Blue Book.
<2>Classes 33, 34 and 37 of the SIC include all the electronics industries, but also include office machinery,
electrical equipment, electric lamps and non-electronic optical equipment.
<3>Provisional.
na=Not available.
Source: Central Statistical Office.
Opencast Mines
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list by year for the last 10 years to date the number of opencast coal sites that received his Department's approval ; (2) if he will list by location the opencast coal sites currently being worked ;
(3) if he will list by year for the last 10 years to date the number of opencast coal site applications that have been refused by his Department.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Under current legislation my right hon. and learned Friend would deal only with applications for opencast coal operations which came before him on appeal. Up to 29 February 1984 opencast coal site applications were the concern of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy. Thereafter, under transitional arrangements, they transferred to my right hon. and learned Friend until the local planning authorities assumed responsibility on 11 December 1987. Since 1984, eight cases have been the subject of appeal, four of which were sustained and four dismissed. I understand from British Coal (Scotland), which holds central records, that the full detail of sites approved, applications refused and current workings is as follows :
Year Number of sites Number of applications
approved refused
|British Coal|Private |British Coal|Private
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1981 |2 |11 |- |-
1982 |- |10 |- |-
1983 |4 |8 |- |-
1984 |2 |8 |- |-
1985 |2 |6 |- |1
1986 |2 |20 |- |1
1987 |3 |20 |- |-
1988 |3 |19 |- |1
1989 |1 |17 |- |1
1990 |1 |15 |- |-
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Opencast coal sites currently being worked
Site |Location
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
British Coal
Darnconner |Cumnock and Doon Valley
Roughhill |Cumnock and Doon Valley
Chalmerston |Cumnock and Doon Valley
Horsecleugh |Cumnock and Doon Valley
Airdsgreen |Cumnock and Doon Valley
Libry Moor |Nithsdale District
Dalquhandy |Clydesdale District
Damside |Motherwell District
Blindwells |East Lothian District
Keirsbeath |Dunfermline District
Lambhill |Perth and Kinross
Private
Auchengean |Falkirk
Chesters Wood |Gorebridge, Midlothian
Colinshiel |Armadale, West Lothian
Craigmad |California, Falkirk
Crawick |Crawick, Cumnock and Doon Valley
Croftangreen |East Kilbride
Drum of Kinnaird |Stenhousemuir, Falkirk
Easter Baton |Harthill, Motherwell
Kitleyknowe |Carlops, Borders
Legbrannock Farm |Newhouse, Motherwell
Middlerig |Slamannan, Falkirk
Nether Longford |Stoneyburn, West Lothian
North Calder Water |Chapelhall, Monklands
North Rhodens |Armadale, West Lothian
Sherriff Faulds |Hamilton
South Landridge |Salsburgh, Monklands
South Roughcastle |Falkirk
Tippetcraig North |Slamannan, Falkirk
Venture |Newmains, Motherwell
Waterloo |Wishaw, Motherwell
Migration
Mr. Maxton : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the net out-migration from Scotland in each year since 1979 ; and what percentage decline in population this represents.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The information on annual out-migration is given in the table. The total net out-migration of 156,000 over the period 1979-89 represents some 3 per cent. of the population of Scotland in 1979.
Estimated net civilian
out-migration; 12
months ending June of
year
shown
|(000's)
------------------------
1980 |16.3
1981 |23.1
1982 |14.9
1983 |17.8
1984 |9.1
1985 |12.6
1986 |16.1
1987 |15.0
1988 |24.7
1989 |6.2
Scottish Development Agency
Mr. Maxton : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing (a) the Government's contribution to the Scottish Development Agency, (b) the Scottish Development Agency's income from other sources and (c) the Scottish Development Agency's total
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expenditure for every year from its establishment to the most recent available figures in cash terms and at constant prices.Column 588
Mr. Lang : The information is set out in the table :
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£ million
Total GovernmentOther Income Total
contribution expenditure
|Cash |1989-90|Cash |1989-90|Cash |1989-90
|prices |prices |prices
-------------------------------------------------------------------
1976-77 |11.6 |34.2 |6.9 |20.4 |18.5 |54.6
1977-78 |40.9 |106.0 |7.8 |20.2 |48.7 |126.2
1978-79 |52.9 |123.8 |11.3 |26.5 |64.2 |150.3
1979-80 |64.9 |130.1 |15.8 |31.7 |80.7 |161.7
1980-81 |79.9 |135.3 |17.8 |30.1 |97.7 |165.5
1981-82 |76.2 |117.5 |21.4 |33.0 |97.6 |150.5
1982-83 |100.9 |145.2 |21.8 |31.4 |122.7 |176.5
1983-84 |88.5 |121.6 |27.4 |37.7 |115.9 |159.3
1984-85 |79.0 |103.4 |38.7 |50.7 |117.8 |154.3
1985-86 |94.6 |117.6 |36.5 |45.4 |131.1 |162.9
1986-87 |89.2 |107.2 |41.7 |50.1 |130.9 |157.3
1987-88 |93.9 |107.1 |41.5 |47.3 |135.4 |154.5
1988-89 |91.1 |97.0 |51.6 |55.0 |142.7 |152.0
1989-90 |97.8 |97.8 |60.6 |60.6 |158.3 |158.3
1990-91<1> |98.0 |92.0 |82.0 |77.0 |180.0 |169.0
<1> Estimated.
Dampness
Mr. Maxton : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the most accurate recent estimate for (a) the number of Scottish houses affected by damp and (b) the number of people living in conditions of (i) damp, (ii) severe dampness and (c) the number of children in each category.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : On the basis of returns made annually by local authorities to the Scottish Development Department it is estimated that at 31 March 1989 there were 48,597 Scottish local authority houses affected by rising and penetrating dampness and 82, 827 affected by rising and penetrating dampness and condensation. Information is not available on the number of houses affected by dampness in other tenures, and the number of people or children living in houses affected by dampness.
Fixed Capital Formation
Mr. Maxton : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of total United Kingdom gross domestic fixed capital formation in (a) all industries and (b) manufacturing originated in Scotland in (i) 1979 and (ii) 1989 or the most recently available year.
Mr. Lang : The table provides the information requested for 1979 and 1987 : estimates for 1988 will be
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published in December. There are no estimates of gross domestic fixed capital formation (GDFCF) for Scotland for all industries, because there are no regional data on GDFCF in most service industries. The figures given cover those industries for which estimates are available.
Scottish gross domestic fixed capital formation as a
percentage of
United Kingdom (excluding Continental Shelf) fixed
capital formation
|1979<1>|1987
-----------------------------------------------------
All industries for which an
estimate is available<2>: |11.0 |8.4
Manufacturing: |8.6 |7.4
Source: Central Statistical Office.
<1> Figures for 1979 are not entirely consistent
with those for later years. However the differences
are thought to be small.
<2> The industries covered are agriculture forestry
and fishing, energy and water supply, manufacturing,
transport and communication (excluding shipping and
air transport) and dwellings.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Maxton : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is (a) the total grant awarded to Scottish local authorities, (b) the relevant expenditure of Scottish local authorities in cash and real terms and (c) the grant as a percentage of relevant expenditure in each year since 1978- 79.
Mr. Lang : The information is set out in the table.
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