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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 21 November 1990
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Teachers' Pay
85. Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent discussions he has had with trade union representatives regarding teachers' pay ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : My right hon. and learned Friend would expect to meet the six teacher unions early next year to discuss the recommendations of the Interim Advisory Committee on School Teachers' Pay and Conditions.
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Books
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will set out the level of expenditure on books at 1978-79 prices per child by local education authority in (a) 1978-79, (b) 1984-85 and (c) 1989-90.
Mr. Fallon : Information for 1978-79 is not available by individual local education authority, and the latest year for which figures are available is 1988-89. Cash figures for expenditure per pupil by local education authority for 1984-85 and 1988-89 are shown in tables 1 and 2. Table 3 shows the average expenditure per pupil in England at 1978-79 prices for 1978-79, 1984-85 and 1988-89.
While some local authorities' expenditure returns to Government Departments show separate figures for books, these can be misleading because of differing practices in attributing spending as between books and equipment. The tables therefore show combined spending figures for books and equipment, with figures as returned for books only in brackets. Even on the combined totals, coverage from authority to authority is likely to differ.
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Table 1
Expenditure per pupil<1> 1984-85 Cash (£)
Nursery and primary schools Secondary schools
Local authority |Books and |(of which |Books and |(of which
|equipment |books) |equipment |books)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barking |24.73 |(6.79) |52.01 |(11.92)
Barnet |28.71 |(10.41) |51.02 |(17.00)
Bexley |19.23 |(6.01) |40.90 |(13.02)
Brent |34.04 |(8.53) |52.25 |(13.35)
Bromley |30.05 |(7.66) |50.88 |(11.61)
Croydon |24.78 |(6.84) |49.39 |(14.09)
Ealing |24.16 |(6.58) |43.96 |(12.23)
Enfield |25.87 |(7.25) |45.77 |(11.13)
Haringey |35.56 |(8.64) |57.61 |(15.50)
Harrow |22.74 |(5.58) |49.27 |(12.26)
Havering |26.06 |(0.00) |58.36 |(0.00)
Hillingdon |23.93 |(20.05) |45.27 |(36.59)
Hounslow |27.28 |(7.17) |41.66 |(12.17)
Kingston-upon-Thames |29.11 |(7.10) |60.56 |(12.13)
Merton |21.57 |(0.00) |33.37 |(0.00)
Newham |22.79 |(7.10) |41.90 |(15.24)
Redbridge |24.38 |(9.68) |48.57 |(15.93)
Richmond-upon-Thames |21.96 |(2.33) |55.74 |(2.13)
Sutton |26.71 |(12.19) |38.41 |(10.02)
Waltham Forest |34.19 |(8.06) |57.41 |(13.21)
ILEA |47.47 |(9.06) |90.89 |(18.36)
Birmingham |13.76 |(3.84) |27.47 |(6.40)
Coventry |25.57 |(2.14) |53.57 |(2.37)
Dudley |21.15 |(0.00) |35.65 |(0.00)
Sandwell |18.63 |(0.00) |42.15 |(0.00)
Solihull |18.47 |(4.72) |46.20 |(9.54)
Walsall |25.28 |(4.79) |37.27 |(10.00)
Wolverhampton |26.48 |(7.41) |43.35 |(12.44)
Knowsley |19.37 |(4.72) |34.02 |(5.71)
Liverpool |25.53 |(7.08) |47.51 |(11.52)
St. Helens |14.93 |(6.24) |22.52 |(7.48)
Sefton |20.26 |(6.14) |40.11 |(11.35)
Wirral |25.18 |(7.23) |49.64 |(9.89)
Bolton |27.19 |(8.60) |51.66 |(9.42)
Bury |20.65 |(20.47) |52.41 |(52.41)
Manchester |23.79 |(6.80) |56.48 |(12.39)
Oldham |27.43 |(3.31) |40.65 |(0.51)
Rochdale |22.10 |(5.84) |34.82 |(6.46)
Salford |27.42 |(6.03) |46.59 |(9.74)
Stockport |23.66 |(7.24) |47.65 |(10.84)
Tameside |25.36 |(10.18) |40.42 |(12.30)
Trafford |22.63 |(5.18) |32.41 |(1.34)
Wigan |22.35 |(6.42) |45.36 |(12.13)
Barnsley |23.00 |(8.19) |42.67 |(7.65)
Doncaster |16.86 |(5.06) |35.78 |(9.37)
Rotherham |15.72 |(5.35) |26.70 |(6.22)
Sheffield |36.01 |(14.42) |36.55 |(6.60)
Bradford |18.80 |(0.80) |35.99 |(1.34)
Calderdale |19.38 |(6.30) |34.07 |(8.05)
Kirklees |18.57 |(7.54) |39.16 |(14.03)
Leeds |8.56 |( .16) |13.17 |( .35)
Wakefield |21.72 |(10.21) |30.10 |(11.79)
Gateshead |26.14 |(7.68) |46.72 |(8.76)
Newcastle-upon-Tyne |19.26 |(4.92) |38.64 |(10.42)
North Tyneside |27.99 |(10.03) |50.30 |(13.82)
South Tyneside |20.87 |(8.07) |54.13 |(11.75)
Sunderland |18.81 |(5.19) |41.88 |(6.92)
Isles of Scilly |27.90 |(5.46) |41.29 |(10.07)
Avon |24.19 |(6.55) |40.67 |(8.32)
Bedfordshire |26.00 |(10.40) |55.45 |(19.11)
Berkshire |23.30 |(10.21) |43.67 |(16.73)
Buckinghamshire |30.99 |(13.60) |50.99 |(12.19)
Cambridgeshire |25.34 |(9.65) |43.14 |(13.22)
Cheshire |22.09 |(5.18) |44.89 |(6.84)
Cleveland |19.99 |(5.22) |38.09 |(8.02)
Cornwall |29.97 |(9.45) |41.51 |(11.63)
Cumbria |21.26 |(5.73) |32.88 |(4.05)
Derbyshire |28.03 |(8.36) |48.37 |(11.75)
Devon |13.57 |(8.47) |21.57 |(9.40)
Dorset |28.63 |(9.84) |38.97 |(11.79)
Durham |17.22 |(7.14) |28.37 |(9.45)
East Sussex |21.83 |(7.40) |42.78 |(12.45)
Essex |21.12 |(7.08) |38.21 |(8.15)
Gloucestershire |20.62 |(9.11) |35.71 |(9.24)
Hampshire |19.54 |(6.83) |40.92 |(10.36)
Hereford and Worcester |22.93 |(9.98) |43.50 |(12.13)
Hertfordshire |23.31 |(9.88) |42.15 |(11.74)
Humberside |24.08 |(6.71) |40.80 |(9.43)
Isle of Wight |26.07 |(11.04) |52.57 |(12.36)
Kent |20.68 |(7.03) |38.74 |(9.60)
Lancashire |22.86 |(8.04) |37.79 |(8.14)
Leicestershire |22.52 |(5.92) |41.53 |(8.05)
Lincolnshire |18.02 |(5.65) |43.05 |(9.08)
Norfolk |22.78 |(6.54) |40.36 |(10.30)
North Yorkshire |24.60 |(11.47) |39.45 |(11.66)
Northamptonshire |22.39 |(6.13) |44.72 |(11.58)
Northumberland |26.00 |(9.59) |43.31 |(14.31)
Nottinghamshire |29.80 |(9.44) |44.96 |(12.13)
Oxfordshire |21.77 |(2.65) |38.28 |(3.70)
Salop |15.80 |(6.65) |33.80 |(9.33)
Somerset |27.22 |(5.59) |46.49 |(11.93)
Staffordshire |19.56 |(4.90) |36.53 |(8.63)
Suffolk |25.17 |(7.04) |43.29 |(11.00)
Surrey |15.11 |(4.75) |34.37 |(7.60)
Warwickshire |19.24 |(7.27) |47.97 |(11.63)
West Sussex |23.26 |(8.24) |41.89 |(10.57)
Wiltshire |23.05 |(10.53) |37.34 |(11.39)
Table 2 Expenditure per pupil<1>-1988-89 England<2> Cash (£) --------------------------------------------------------------- Barking |32.65 |(11.50)|80.58 |(22.72) Barnet |35.17 |(11.99)|68.96 |(17.52) Bexley |31.98 |(7.38) |99.22 |(1.92) Brent |38.42 |(9.46) |76.43 |(15.27) Bromley |33.80 |(9.02) |67.33 |(13.07) Croydon |54.89 |(11.10)|111.98 |(22.49) Ealing |33.86 |(5.73) |91.61 |(12.63) Enfield |30.76 |(9.16) |61.09 |(15.95) Haringey |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a Harrow |39.77 |(6.98) |75.72 |(10.85) Havering |30.02 |0.00 |91.34 |0.00 Hillingdon |40.45 |(11.99)|80.08 |(22.30) Hounslow |33.40 |(9.61) |49.65 |(19.84) Kingston-upon-Thames |55.50 |(12.92)|106.58 |(18.63) Merton |31.28 |(25.44)|36.02 |(26.95) Newham |26.35 |(6.44) |65.87 |(11.34) Redbridge |38.84 |(11.30)|81.31 |(23.65) Richmond-upon-Thames |29.95 |(8.25) |62.88 |(13.76) Sutton |34.64 |(13.39)|71.17 |(17.01) Waltham Forest |28.21 |(4.91) |75.37 |(10.55) ILEA |60.56 |(12.08)|89.89 |(19.28) Birmingham |22.74 |(4.70) |51.42 |(9.50) Coventry |26.08 |(2.01) |92.00 |(2.95) Dudley |35.72 |(6.79) |76.36 |(2.44) Sandwell |31.50 |(3.06) |73.42 |(1.02) Solihull |34.88 |(4.96) |122.79 |(11.28) Walsall |35.12 |(9.10) |46.29 |(14.38) Wolverhampton |24.54 |(7.23) |56.08 |(13.99) Knowsley |22.47 |(8.88) |61.05 |(7.01) Liverpool |32.61 |(7.76) |66.56 |(12.13) St. Helens |14.98 |(6.33) |30.36 |(10.39) Sefton |21.41 |(7.11) |60.55 |(11.12) Wirral |42.39 |(11.92)|130.04 |(23.45) Bolton |33.23 |(9.32) |71.24 |(11.01) Bury |30.75 |(8.65) |93.06 |(15.21) Manchester |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a Oldham |30.45 |(7.19) |75.02 |(10.58) Rochdale |35.27 |(9.08) |59.17 |(10.52) Salford |32.70 |(0.23) |73.65 |(0.07) Stockport |35.87 |(10.15)|96.37 |(12.13) Tameside |27.91 |(5.74) |43.96 |(8.06) Trafford |37.75 |(12.54)|70.39 |(11.37) Wigan |17.87 |(5.42) |60.39 |(17.03) Barnsley |22.89 |(4.75) |43.23 |(2.36) Doncaster |27.08 |(6.67) |55.45 |(11.14) Rotherham |28.87 |(6.82) |57.92 |(9.04) Sheffield |12.11 |(5.33) |23.46 |(7.98) Bradford |28.71 |0.00 |71.73 |0.00 Calderdale |28.52 |(8.99) |63.13 |(13.77) Kirklees |25.17 |(7.90) |63.89 |(20.93) Leeds |15.30 |(0.43) |28.26 |(2.45) Wakefield |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a Gateshead |29.26 |(4.89) |75.22 |(11.65) Newcastle-upon-Tyne |30.36 |(7.00) |74.85 |(17.41) North Tyneside |25.56 |(8.30) |48.48 |(12.26) South Tyneside |27.22 |(4.81) |95.85 |(9.24) Sunderland |23.19 |(6.15) |76.03 |(9.12) Avon |17.62 |(6.01) |48.75 |(11.37) Bedfordshire |28.28 |(9.53) |86.88 |(23.60) Berkshire |33.07 |(13.88)|75.33 |(23.85) Buckinghamshire |32.59 |(15.51)|72.90 |(17.13) Cambridgeshire |42.32 |(11.98)|79.84 |(21.62) Cheshire |25.80 |(8.86) |56.49 |(18.39) Cleveland |11.84 |(7.27) |34.10 |(11.16) Cornwall |37.15 |(12.32)|63.84 |(21.77) Cumbria |36.69 |(13.11)|58.74 |(15.67) Derbyshire |29.35 |(8.50) |74.40 |(14.87) Devon |37.40 |(12.12)|65.14 |(20.11) Dorset |38.56 |(11.63)|80.62 |(13.72) Durham |28.51 |(9.47) |67.70 |(16.44) East Sussex |32.56 |(11.04)|77.26 |(17.78) Essex |36.19 |(9.69) |81.08 |(14.11) Gloucestershire |29.42 |(11.93)|59.02 |(19.40) Hampshire |35.55 |(2.28) |78.86 |(4.72) Hereford and Worcester |28.44 |(11.13)|57.92 |(14.98) Hertfordshire |40.59 |(14.97)|76.11 |(20.18) Humberside |32.68 |(8.96) |60.98 |(13.00) Isle of Wight |32.74 |(11.92)|54.37 |(11.61) Kent |29.02 |(9.00) |71.61 |(14.15) Lancashire |30.13 |(9.59) |65.70 |(13.22) Leicestershire |31.59 |(11.26)|81.42 |(16.36) Lincolnshire |16.22 |(10.94)|29.03 |(17.69) Norfolk |29.63 |(8.27) |56.04 |(12.29) North Yorkshire |31.24 |(5.95) |68.37 |(7.48) Northamptonshire |33.41 |(7.81) |74.41 |(18.34) Northumberland |33.32 |(11.07)|72.62 |(16.92) Nottinghamshire |35.60 |(11.74)|66.56 |(18.25) Oxfordshire |43.28 |(8.01) |103.89 |(17.59) Shropshire |30.94 |(10.74)|64.32 |(18.54) Somerset |37.22 |(6.64) |90.56 |(14.45) Staffordshire |36.68 |(9.92) |77.80 |(13.44) Suffolk |29.28 |(8.97) |54.73 |(14.02) Surrey |21.48 |(5.45) |94.51 |(11.93) Warwickshire |25.68 |(8.82) |98.23 |(16.12) West Sussex |34.85 |(10.22)|73.25 |(16.21) Wiltshire |40.32 |(26.49)|71.08 |(32.56) <1> The figures are based on local education authority expenditure and pupil number returns to the relevant Government Departments. <2> n/a denotes that an expenditure return has not been received from the local education authority, or that a separate figure for books has not been provided.
Table 3
E. Land Averages
Expenditure per pupil
Cash Nursery and primary Secondary schools
|schools
Year |Books and |(of which |Books and |(of which
|equipment |books) |equipment |books)
|£ |£ |£ |£
------------------------------------------------------------------
1978-79 |12.88 |(4.24) |24.40 |(7.17)
1984-85 |23.60 |(7.25) |42.53 |(10.15)
1988-89 |32.14 |(8.95) |69.79 |(14.25)
Real terms Nursery and primary Secondary schools
at 1978-79 |schools
prices
Year |Books and |(of which |Books and |(of which
|equipment |books) |equipment |books)
|£ |£ |£ |£
1978-79 |12.88 |(4.24) |24.40 |(7.17)
1984-85 |13.24 |(4.07) |23.86 |(5.69)
1988-89 |14.61 |(4.07) |31.73 |(6.51)
School Budgets
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any estimate of the financial value of contributions made to school budgets by parents.
Mr. Fallon : My right hon. and learned Friend is not aware of any reliable and up-to-date estimate.
Schools (Charging)
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the progress of the review of the charging regulation under the Education Reform Act 1988.
Mr. Fallon : My right hon. and learned Friend is collecting evidence from a range of sources about the operation of the relevant legislation. The results of a sample survey of schools will be available in January 1991 to supplement information from other interested bodies.
TRANSPORT
Driving Tests
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department proposes to introduce any changes for the disabled (a) in driving test requirements and (b) in qualifications and requirements for driving instructors ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : I do not at present have any plans to introduce such changes. The Driving Standards Agency is,
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however, considering possible ways to ensure that there are no unnecessary obstacles to disabled people who wish to become driving instructors.Trains (Accidents)
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department has, and what representations it has received, about deaths and injuries caused as a result of faulty train doors, in British Rail and underground services.
Mr. Freeman : In the five-year period 1985-1989 there is no evidence to show that faulty train doors on British Rail and underground services were the cause of death or major injury. During that time, fatalities and injuries have occurred in accidents associated with train doors for the following reasons :
(a) passengers slipping as they enter or alight from stationary trains.
(b) passengers opening slam-type doors as the train enters the station, causing injury to persons on the platform.
(c) passengers falling out of trains after deliberately or accidentally opening a slam door while the train is in motion. (d) incorrect operation of sliding doors.
A number of hon. Members and members of the public have made representations about accidents in the last category. The railway inspectorate received a letter in October from a member of Liverpool city council concerning recent accidents on the west coast main line involving passengers falling from trains. After each accident on this line, BR examined all doors concerned and found them to be working properly.
1989 details are provisional.
Jubilee Line
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken to safeguard the route of the extension of the Jubilee line to the royal docks in the London borough of Newham.
Mr. Freeman : The Bill for the Jubilee line extension provides for an underground step-plate junction south of Canning Town to allow an extension of the Jubilee line through the royal docks to be built at a later stage. As most of the land required for such an extension is owned by either British Rail or the London Docklands development corporation, no further action is necessary to safeguard the route.
Bus Services
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement regarding monopoly bus operation situations which have arisen as a result of implementation of the Transport Act 1986.
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Mr. Freeman : The Transport Act 1985 brought the bus industry fully within the scope of competition legislation, which is the responsibility of the Office of Fair Trading and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. The Monopolies and Mergers Commission has so far been requested to investigate six cases involving mergers in the bus industry.Gyroplanes
Miss Hoey : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents have occurred involving gyroplanes in the last five years ; how many have been investigated by the United Kingdom air accidents investigation branch ; what have been the main causes of such accidents ; and what arrangements have been made to monitor these aircraft to ensure that reasonable safety standards are observed prior to the marketing of gyroplanes for use by the general public.
Mr. McLoughlin : The statutory responsibility for the safety regulation of United Kingdom civil aviation rests with the Civil Aviation Authority. I am advised by the authority that there have been 16 accidents in the last five years, six of which involved fatalities in which a total of six people have been killed. The six accidents involving fatalities have been the subject of field investigations by the Department of Transport's air accidents investigation branch. Of these six accidents, two have involved mechanical failure, two have been associated with weather conditions prevailing at the time of the flight, and two are attributable to pilot error.
Rail Services
Mr. Gerald Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans London Transport has to improve rail access to south and east London.
Mr. Parkinson : A Bill to extend the Jubilee line through south London to docklands and Stratford is currently before the House. This will do much to improve access to areas of Southwark, Bermondsey, Greenwich, Tower Hamlets and Newham.
I recently announced the go-ahead for east-west crossrail, which will provide Stratford and points east with a direct rail link with west London and the west end as well as the City.
London Transport is extending the docklands light railway to Bank and Beckton.
I am pleased to report that I have authorised London Transport to deposit a Bill for the proposed extension of the docklands light railway to Lewisham. I have done this on the clear understanding that the project will only proceed if LT is successful in its efforts to arrange an acceptable privately financed scheme, and the powers are being taken in that behalf. This extension would provide a further important river crossing and allow the docklands regeneration benefits to spread south from the Isle of Dogs to areas of Greenwich and Lewisham.
London Transport is also spending very large sums modernising the Central line as well as continuing to invest heavily in safety and in the general upgrading of the existing underground system. London Transport's investment programme over the next three years will approach £3 billion, an increase of about 90 per cent. in real terms over the previous three years. With such a large programme already in hand and largely funded by
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Government grant, further extensions to south and east London could be afforded now only if they were privately funded or London Transport felt able to reorder its priorities.As it is, although a substantial private sector contribution has been offered towards a station on the proposed east London line extensions, the project as a whole would still require substantial public funding. Given the public expenditure constraints within which it must operate, London Transport has concluded that it has other more pressing priorities at present and has therefore decided, with my agreement, not to seek leave to deposit the necessary Private Bill in this Session of Parliament. I hope nonetheless that London Transport will continue to discuss the project with interested parties in case a way can be found of taking the project forward at less cost to it. We are discussing with London Transport the case for safeguarding the route of the extensions through the planning system so as to ensure that they remain an option for the future.
Learner Drivers
Mr. Ian Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on progress with the production of an official syllabus for learner drivers and riders.
Mr. Chope : I am pleased to announce that the Driving Standards Agency has produced a book containing the syllabus and guide to car and motor cycle tests. The book, called "Your Driving Test", is published today and can be obtained from HMSO and major bookstores. The agency also plans to produce a companion volume about driving tests for large goods and passenger vehicles.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Prisons
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the prisons in England and Wales in which restraints have been used on inmates during the last three years ; and how many times restraints have been used at each prison during this period.
Mrs. Rumbold : The number of applications of restraints under rule 46 of the Prison Rules 1964, rule 49 of the Detention Centre Rules 1983, rule 49 of the Youth Custody Centre Rules 1983 and rule 49 of the Young Offender Institution Rules 1988 are given in the table.
Restraints<1> applied to violent or refractory
inmates of prison service
establishments in England and Wales: by
establishment, 1987-89
Establishment and type Number of applicati
|1987|1988|1989
-------------------------------------------------
Local prisons/remand centres
Ashford |- |- |5
Bedford |4 |3 |2
Birmingham |- |10 |3
Bristol |- |- |1
Brixton |- |- |6
Camp Hill |- |- |5
Canterbury |1 |- |-
Cardiff |5 |1 |2
Chelmsford |- |1 |1
Durham |- |1 |-
Exeter |2 |- |-
Hull |7 |4 |9
Leeds |1 |1 |-
Leicester |5 |17 |4
Lewes |- |1 |4
Lincoln |- |5 |4
Oxford |1 |1 |-
Pentonville |2 |1 |-
Reading |1 |2 |2
Risley |- |- |2
Rochester |- |- |2
Swansea |1 |- |-
Wandsworth |5 |10 |7
Wormwood Scrubs |3 |2 |2
Training prisons
Acklington |- |- |2
Albany |2 |- |20
Blundeston |4 |- |-
Camp Hill |2 |6 |-
Chelmsford |1 |- |-
Cookham Wood |- |- |1
Dartmoor |1 |- |-
Frankland |6 |7 |3
Full Sutton |- |7 |9
Garth |- |1 |-
Havering |- |- |1
Lindholme |1 |4 |2
Long Lartin |4 |3 |-
Parkhurst |6 |6 |9
Preston |- |- |2
Shepton Mallet |- |3 |-
Stafford |3 |- |1
7Styal |1 |- |-
Wakefield |2 |- |-
Wayland |- |- |1
Aylesbury |- |1 |5
Buckley Hall |- |1 |-
Dover |7 |- |5
Glen Parva |1 |1 |-
Guys Marsh |1 |- |3
Hatfield |- |1 |-
Hollesley Bay |1 |- |-
Onley |1 |2 |-
Rochester |8 |- |-
|-- |-- |--
All establishments |90 |103 |125
<1>Loose canvas jacket, body belt, handcuffs and
ankle straps. No leather wrist straps were used.
Firearms
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Northumbria on the number of incidents involving the use of firearms dealt with by Northumbria police in 1990 and the number of officers trained in the use of firearms in the force at the present time.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I understand from the chief constable of Northumbria that between 1 January and 15 November 1990 firearms were issued to his officers in 176 operations against crime. On 15 November, 149 of his officers were trained and authorised to be issued with firearms.
Fresh Start
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list (a) the average sickness rates and (b) the average long-term sickness rates, namely over one year, for each prison in the United Kingdom for each of the two years before Fresh Start was implemented and the subsequent years.
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Mrs. Rumbold : The number of lost days due to sickness absence in prison establishments in England and Wales for the year ending March 1990 averaged about 13 days per officer. I will write to the hon. Member shortly with the breakdown by establishment. Information on long and short-term sickness rates and sickness rates in earlier years is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Suicides (Police Cells)
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many self-inflicted deaths, suicides and attempted suicides took place among prisoners held in police cells in 1988, 1989 and 1990 to date.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The number of deaths which occurred in police custody, together with brief details of the circumstances surrounding each case, are contained in the annual reports of Her Majesty's chief inspector of constabulary and the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. The number of cases in which the coroner's inquest has returned a verdict of suicide is as follows :
|Number
---------------------
1988 |5
1989 |5
1990 |<1>1
<1>A number of
inquests have yet to
be concluded.
Other self-inflicted deaths are not categorised separ-ately and no details of attempted suicides are recorded centrally.
Immigration
Mr. Fishburn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the average and the maximum delays suffered by non-EEC passengers at passport check-ins at Heathrow and Gatwick over the past six months ; and what are the comparable figures for EEC passengers.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The average and maximum delays at Heathrow and Gatwick during the six-month period 1 April to 30 September 1990 were as follows :
"
|Non-EEC|EC
|Minutes|Minutes
----------------------------------
Heathrow
Average |18 |1
Maximum |175 |10
Gatwick
Average |14 |2
Maximum |90 |15
Crime Statistics
Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the figures of crime rates in Dyfed, Wales, for each year since 1970 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : The available information is on notifiable offences recorded by the police in the Dyfed-Powys police area and is published annually : for
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1970-73 in "Supplementary Statistics Relating to Crime and Criminal Proceedings" ; for 1974-89 in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales"--table 2.4 for 1989 and corresponding tables in issues for earlier years, and for the 12 months to June 1990 in "Home Office Statistical Bulletin" 31/90. Copies of all these publications are available in the Library.Prison Population
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his Department's projected prison population for 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1999 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Rumbold : The latest projections of the prison population were published in a Home Office statistical bulletin "Updated projections of long term trends in the prison population to 1998"--issue 33/90, dated 24 October 1990--a copy of which is in the Library.
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the sentenced and remand population in England and Wales for the latest date available ; and how many prisoners were being held in police cells on the same date.
Mrs. Rumbold : The latest available information is that on 30 September 1990, a total of 9,377 remand, 214 non-criminal and 34,888 sentenced prisoners were held in prison service establishments. A further 1,009 were held in police cells of whom the majority were remand prisoners.
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each of the years between 1975 and 1990, the proportion of adults imprisoned per 100,000 of the population.
Mrs. Rumbold [holding answer 12 November 1990] : The information is given in the table.
Adult prisoners<1> in prison service establishments in England and Wales on 30 June as a proportion per 100,000 of the adult<2> population, 1975-1990 Year ------------------------ 1975 |83.6 1976 |87.6 1977 |88.7 1978 |87.4 1979 |87.2 1980 |89.5 1981 |89.3 1982 |88.4 1983 |89.3 1984 |89.4 1985 |95.4 1986 |95.5 1987 |103.0 1988 |103.6 1989 |103.9 1990 |<3>95.6 <1> Sentenced remand and non-custodial prisoners aged 21 and over including sentenced young offenders re-classified as adults. <2> Aged 21 and over. <3> Using projected mid-year national population.
Hong Kong
Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what direction he has issued to the Governor of Hong Kong under section 1(3) of the British
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Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990, specifying the time scale and number of persons to be recommended for registration under section 1(1) of that Act during the first stage of the selection process.Mr. Waddington : I have directed the Governor to make the following recommendations during the period beginning 1 December 1990 and ending 1 January 1994 :
not more than 32,700 in the general occupational class, of which not more than 400 are to be in respect of applicants in approved occupations ;
not more than 6,200 in the disciplined services class ; and not more than 3,850 in the sensitive service class.
However, I have made no direction for this period in relation to the entrepreneurs class and, accordingly, the Governor may make recommendations during that period in respect of all 500 places in that class.
Victim Support Services
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Department will review its current restrictions upon the use of its grant funding to victim support in view of the possible closure of local offices and reduction of services ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten [holding answer 14 November 1990] : The Home Office grant-in-aid for local victim support schemes in England and Wales-- £4.5 million this year--is administered by the funding panel of the national charity Victim Support under criteria which have been agreed with the Home Office and are reviewed annually. The 350 or so local schemes rely largely on voluntary help, but Home Office grant is available to pay for up to two co-ordinators in each scheme or to assist with running costs. There has been no reduction in Home Office grant which will, subject to parliamentary approval, be increased by 20 per cent. to £5.4 million next year. It is open to local schemes faced with loss or reduction of funding from other sources to apply to the funding panel for new or extra grant.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Judges
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Attorney-General what powers the Lord Chancellor has to control public appearances in programmes of political content by judges.
The Attorney-General : The Lord Chancellor's formal powers over the conduct of judges in England and Wales are limited to the power to remove circuit judges for incapacity or misbehaviour. It is, however, a long- standing convention that judges do not become involved in matters of political controversy, and the Lord Chancellor, as head of the judiciary, would advise any judge who sought his opinion that it would not be appropriate to appear in a programme with a political content.
Distress for Rent Notices
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Attorney-General what proposals he has to expand and simplify the prescribed notices given to debtors under the Distress for Rent Rules of 1988.
The Attorney-General : The Law Commission is at present undertaking a study of the law of distress, and a final report is expected early in the new year.
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The Lord Chancellor's Department will be carrying out a review of the Distress for Rent Rules 1988 once that report has been received.Private Bailiffs
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Attorney-General what proposals he has to establish a register of certificated private bailiffs.
The Attorney-General : A register of bailiffs who hold a certificate granted by a county court judge authorising them to levy any distress for rent is maintained by the Lord Chancellor's Department at its London headquarters.
The register is maintained for administrative purposes and is not open to public inspection, but each county court maintains a list of bailiffs who hold a certificate as at 1 February each year. The list is exhibited in the public area at the court office.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Attorney-General what proposals he has for consulting community charge and advice agencies about charges made by private bailiffs.
The Attorney-General : The level of fees, charges and expenses which my be recovered from a tenant by certificated bailiff is set out in appendix 1 to the Distress for Rent Rules 1988 and is reviewed from time to time by the Lord Chancellor's Department, in consultation with other Government Departments and with the Certificated Bailiffs' Association. Charges by private bailiffs for enforcing liability orders--schedule 5 of the Community Charges (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1989-- are the same. There are no plans at present to extend this consultation process.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Attorney-General what proposals he has to establish a complaints procedure against private bailiffs.
The Attorney-General : Any person who wishes to complain about the conduct or fitness of a bailiff who holds a certificate granted by a county court judge under the Distress for Rent Rules 1988 may make his or her complaint in writing to the county court from which the certificate was issued.
No such procedure is in place in respect of private bailiffs who do not hold a certificate granted by a judge of a county court. Such bailiffs are not authorised to levy distress for rent, but may operate in other areas such as recovery of community charge, fines or taxes.
Bereavement Damages
Mr. Carrington : To ask the Attorney-General whether the Government propose to increase the level of bereavement damages under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976 ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : Following a review announced last year, the Government have decided that the statutory level of bereavement damages which may be awarded by the courts in England and Wales in fatal accident cases should be raised from the figure of £3,500 fixed in 1982 to £7,500.
In accordance with the provisions of section 1A of the Fatal Accidents Act 1976, the Lord Chancellor will shortly be making the necessary order, which is subject to the negative resolution procedure, to implement the increase
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to £7,500 which will take effect in relation to deaths occurring on or after 1 April 1991. A separate order will be made at the same time, under article 3A of the Fatal Accidents (Northern Ireland) Order 1977, to effect a similar increase in the level of the award in Northern Ireland.The proposed new level of £7,500 will also apply, with effect from 1 April 1991, to cases where a bereavement award is made under the criminal injuries compensation scheme in England and Wales. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland intends to bring forward an order increasing the level of bereavement award to £7,500 under the statutory criminal injuries compensation scheme in the Province.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Norwich Union
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has received any representations on the intervention order by LAUTRO to prevent Norwich Union from taking business with the Winchester Group ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : My right hon. Friend has received no such representations. It is up to LAUTRO, and ultimately the Securities and Investments Board, to decide how to enforce the rules.
Thames Water
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will meet the chairman of the stock exchange to discuss the failure of Thames Water plc to repay to stockholders the outstanding liability on Metropolitan water board 3 per cent. B stock ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : No. This is a matter for the company, its stockholders and the stock exchange.
Machine Tool Industry
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the amount exported by the machine tool industry for each year from 1979 to 1989.
Mr. Sainsbury : The information is as follows :
United Kingdom Exports of Metal Working Machine Tools<1> 1979-1989 Year |£ million ------------------------------ 1979 |291 1980 |367 1981 |355 1982 |353 1983 |283 1984 |320 1985 |372 1986 |379 1987 |426 1988 |524 1989 |526 <1>Activity Heading 3221 of the Standard Industrial Classification (Revised 1980).
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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Cot Deaths
Sir Dudley Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress is being made by his Departmental inquiry into cot deaths ; when he expects to receive it ; and if he will publish it.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I have been asked to reply.
The expert working group is expected to report to the Chief Medical Officer soon. It has always been the intention to publish its findings.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Non-proliferation Regime
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals for the development of an extended regional non-proliferation regime under the auspices of the United Nations Security Council have been circulated recently by the Soviet Union.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Soviet Union has circulated various proposals at the UN Security Council. As far as we are aware, no proposal for a regional non-proliferation regime has been made.
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to meet his Soviet counterpart or officials of the Soviet Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministries, to discuss the development of new or extended non-proliferation agreements.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : No plans at present.
Nuclear Arms Reductions
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what indications he has received from the Soviet Government that in the next round of the strategic nuclear arms reduction negotiations United Kingdom Polaris and-or Trident ballistic nuclear missile systems will necessarily be included on the agenda.
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