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Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what representations he has received in recent weeks from PowerGen regarding a management-led employee buyout.
Energy Conservation (Schools)
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what advice on energy conservation he has given to education authorities and school governors operating local financial management.
Mr. Baldry : I am writing shortly to all headteachers in the United Kingdom with advice on how to bring down energy costs in schools. The Department of Education and Science has already contributed to a number of seminars for headteachers on energy efficiency in schools and plans are being drawn up for further seminars next year.
THORP Plant
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what will be (a) the additional cost or (b) savings to (i) domestic and (ii) commercial users of electricity when the THORP is commissioned in 1992 ; and what is his estimate of its effect on the national economy.
Mr. Baldry : The commissioning of the THORP plant will have no effect on the price of electricity charged to consumers. The facility will support work for about 1,400 people and British Nuclear Fuels plc has ensured THORP's profitability by winning some £6,000 million in orders for its first 10 years of operation, including some £4,000 million from overseas customers.
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Electricity Privatisation
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what will be the cost of the incentive electricity vouchers and alternative bonus shares issued to purchasers of shares in the electricity distribution companies.
Mr. Baldry : The cost will depend on the number of people applying for shares and on the number who hold on to their shares.
Low-energy Light Bulbs
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what steps he has taken to encourage Government Departments and other public authorities to install low-energy light bulbs in their buildings.
Mr. Baldry : As part of the Government's initiative to improve energy efficiency on the Government estate my energy efficiency office gives advice, and encourages Departments to take all cost-effective energy efficiency measures available. In my Department's Palace street building low-energy light bulbs have been fitted, and other Departments have taken similar measures.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Disabled Students
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students confined to a wheelchair are currently enrolled in primary and secondary schools ; and what information he has on the number unable to be offered places due to lack of funds or facilities.
Mr. Alan Howarth : This information is not collected centrally. It is for local education authorities to determine their own policies to accomplish the integration of pupils with physical disabilities in ordinary schools.
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many deaf-blind students are currently enrolled in primary and secondary schools ; what provisions have been made for them ; and what plans for improvement are to be implemented in the near future.
Mr. Alan Howarth : Precise identification of deaf-blind students is difficult because the degrees of deafness and blindness vary and may be combined with learning difficulties and physical disabilities. These make accurate diagnosis difficult. The latest information available to the Department is that some 800 deaf-blind pupils are currently enrolled in all maintained, including special, schools. Responsibility for educational provision for deaf-blind students rests with local education authorities.
In 1989 the Department issued a policy statement on the educational needs of these children, which is intended to provide a framework within which local education authorities and bodies responsible for non-maintained schools will be able to plan services and make suitable provision for deaf- blind students. We have undertaken a consultation exercise with local education authorities to follow up the policy statement, and are proposing a joint seminar with SENSE early in 1991 to disseminate the results of that exercise.
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the estimated figures of
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primary or secondary age blind-deaf students on waiting lists to be admitted to special schools and how long is the average wait for admittance.Mr. Alan Howarth : This information is not collected centrally.
Educational Psychologists
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what considerations led him to maintain national priority status for the training of educational psychologists in the 1991-92 grants for educational support and training programme.
Mr. Alan Howarth : Local education authorities employ educational psychologists to undertake a range of important functions including the fulfilment of their statutory obligations, under the Education Act 1981, relating to the assessment of, and provision of education for, children with special educational needs. The specific funding for local education authorities under the grants for educational support and training programme for the training of educational psychologists is designed to encourage and assist the maintenance of a national stock of suitably qualified people.
Student Loans
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the latest estimates of current expenditure on the student loans scheme, disaggregated into (i) administrative costs, (ii) advances to students and (iii) expenditure on access funds ; what were the original public expenditure forecasts for these items ; and what are the reasons for the variations.
Mr. Alan Howarth : There has been no change in the approved Estimates provision for 1990-91 of a total of £147.6 million for student loans. This provision is for the United Kingdom and comprises £130.6 million for loans to students and £17.0 million for the establishment and administration of the student loans scheme. Total United Kingdom provision for access funds is £25.5 million. This provision includes an additional £10 million approved by Parliament in March 1990, to give higher education institutions greater scope for extending discretionary assistance to students.
Council of Europe
Mrs. Rosie Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many nations within the Council of Europe were represented by Ministers at the third conference of Ministers responsible for youth, in Lisbon on 19 to 22 September ; which Ministers represented the United Kingdom ; and what action the Government intends to take to implement the decisions of the conference.
Mr. Alan Howarth : Eighteen member states of the Council of Europe were represented by Ministers at the Lisbon conference on youth mobility. The United Kingdom, which was represented by officials, abstained from voting on the conference resolutions. The United Kingdom Government recognise the potential benefits of freedom of movement in Europe, and will explore how best to mitigate or overcome specific barriers to youth
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mobility within existing legal provisions. We do not consider however that formal international legal instruments provide the best means to achieve this. I have placed in the Library a copy of the conference's final text which includes a declaration by the United Kingdom.Teachers' Salaries
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what would be the additional cost to central Government expenditure if the total cost of the teachers' salaries were borne exclusively by central Government.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : Estimated spending by LEAs in England on teachers in 1990-91 is some £8 billion. The net additional cost to central Government of transferring the responsibility for that spending would depend on the extent to which there was a reduction in the grant paid to local authorities.
Energy Efficiency
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what guidelines he has issued to education authorities and school governors operating local financial management regarding the optimum use of energy within their school buildings ; and whether he has any proposals to update them.
Mr. Fallon : The Department has co-operated with the Department of Energy in the preparation of guidance on the optimum use of energy within school buildings. A booklet in reducing energy costs in schools was produced in September. Further guidance on energy savings measures in schools and education authorities is in preparation.
PRIME MINISTER
Emperor of Japan (Coronation)
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Prime Minister what expenditure from public funds was incurred in connection with Her Majesty's Government's representation at the coronation of the Emperor of Japan ; from what departmental budgets it was funded ; and if she will provide a breakdown of the expenditure.
The Prime Minister [holding answer 21 November 1990] : Her Majesty's Government were represented at the coronation of the Emperor of Japan by Her Majesty's Ambassador in Tokyo. The costs involved were minimal.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Humanitarian Aid
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the criteria used to assess whether an award of humanitarian aid is made to a foreign country.
Mrs. Chalker : Humanitarian aid is provided, within available resources, on a case-by-case basis according to need.
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HOME DEPARTMENT
Asylum
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration officers are currently engaged in the processing of applications for political asylum in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : None. Such applications are processed in the asylum and special cases division of the immigration and nationality department.
Prisons (Creches)
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of creche or child facilities at prisons in England and Wales which can be used by people visiting inmates ; if he will list the prisons ; and how such facilities are funded.
Mrs. Rumbold : According to the latest available information, 66 prison service establishments have a play area for use by the children of people visiting inmates, either in the visits room or in the visitors' reception centre. These establishments are listed in the table. In some cases a supervised creche is provided. Play areas and creches are usually financed by the establishment's own general purpose fund, with support in some cases from voluntary organisations. We particularly welcome the contribution made by the Butler Trust to the setting up and running of creche facilities. HM prison service establishments with a play area for the children of visitors.
Acklington
Albany
Aldington
Ashwell
Askham Grange
Birmingham
Blantyre House
Blundeston
Bristol
Brockhill
Bullwood Hall
Camp Hill
Cardiff
Castington
Coldingley
Cookham Wood
Deerbolt
Durham
Erelstoke
Featherstone
Ford
Frankland
Full Sutton
Garth
Gloucester
Grendon
Hindley
Hull
Kingston
Lancaster
Leicester
Lewes
Leyhill
Lindholme
Littlehey
Long Lartin
Maidstone
Manchester
Morton Hall
The Mount
New Hall
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North Sea CampNorwich
Nottingham
Onley
Oxford
Parkhurst
Portland
Preston
Rudgate
Send
Shepton Mallet
Spring Hill
Stafford
Stocken
Swaleside
Swansea
Swinfen Hall
Thorn Cross
Thorp Arch
Usk
The Verne
Wakefield
Wayland
Winchester
Wymott
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