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Single European Language
Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the promotion by the European Community of an officially approved single language throughout Europe.
The Prime Minister : The Government are not aware of any such proposal in the Community. The official languages of the Community (Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish) have equal status under the treaty.
Policy Advisers
Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the official policy advisers employed in his office.
The Prime Minister : Those currently employed in my policy unit are Miss C. Sinclair and Mr. J. Mills, both serving civil servants.
Strategic Nuclear Deterrent
Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it the policy of Her Majesty's Government to publish an indicative list of circumstances in which Her Majesty's Government would authorise the use of the strategic nuclear deterrent.
Correspondence
Mr. Parry : To ask the Prime Minister if he will publish a copy of the letter sent by the right hon. Member for Finchley (Mrs. Thatcher) to the Roman Catholic archbishop of Baghdad in September.
The Prime Minister : It is not my normal practice to do so.
Mr. Parry : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his practice to place in the Library copies of any official correspondence sent to him by any religious leaders.
Question Time
Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will bring forward proposals to extend the period of Prime Minister's Question Time to that of the other major Departments of state.
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The Prime Minister : The present arrangements were agreed by the House on 18 July 1971. I have no plans to change the period of Prime Minister's Question Time, and any such proposals would best be examined in the first instance by the Procedure Committee.
10 Downing Street
Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make arrangements for hon. Members to visit No. 10 Downing street.
Community Charge
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Prime Minister what changes the Government are proposing to table over the poll tax.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister when he expects to start the review of the community charge.
The Prime Minister : Some of the changes announced by my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for the Environment on 31 October have still to come through. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment will shortly start a careful review of the community charge.
Taxes
Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to introduce no new taxes before the next election.
The Prime Minister : I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget statement, but since 1979 five major taxes have been abolished, and in my 1990 Budget statement I announced that two more--composite rate tax and stamp duty on securities--will be abolished.
Clockwork Orange
Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will institute a full review of project Clockwork Orange.
Mr. Charles Powell
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Prime Minister if he intends to retain Mr. Charles Powell in the same position that he has hitherto occupied in the Prime Minister's office ; and if he will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : Mr. Powell is a civil servant and decisions about his future will be taken in due course in the normal way.
Child Abuse
Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on current progress of the inter departmental group on child sexual abuse.
The Prime Minister : Since May 1989 the inter-departmental group on child abuse has met five times. It has made good progress in addressing a wide range of issues in relation to child care, including research and the co-ordination of Government guidance.
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NATIONAL FINANCE
Tax and Social Security Fraud
Mr. Allen : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money Her Majesty's Government estimate has been lost in the latest year for which comparable figures are available as a result of fraudulent tax claims and fraudulent social security claims ; and how many persons have been successfully prosecuted in England and Wales.
Mr. Maude : Reliable estimates are not available of the cost of fraudulent tax or social security claims.
The number of persons successfully prosecuted by the Inland Revenue in respect of false accounts or returns and false claims to personal allowances, deductions for expenses and repayments, in England and Wales in the year 1989-90, is 11.
The number of persons successfully prosecuted by the Department of Social Security for social security fraud in England and Wales in the year 1989-90 is 7,212.
THE ARTS
Blind People (Library Facilities)
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Minister for the Arts what types of public library facilities are available to the blind ; and what types of resources are available in Braille, large print and tape.
Mr. Renton : A wide range of public library facilities and resources is available to the blind including fiction books, newspapers and magazines in Braille and Moon ; fiction and popular non-fiction books in large print ; talking books and newspapers ; local history and music cassettes, and guides to services and community information. Cassette players are available for loan or use in many libraries, and Kurzweil reading machines in some. Many library authorities also act as agents for the services provided by national and local organisations. Under the public library development incentive scheme, we are supporting the development of a national daily talking newspaper service by Gateshead Libraries and Arts.
HEALTH
Stillbirth
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will review the definition of stillbirth in the light of current professional thinking.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The matter is being given careful consideration.
Product Licences
Mr. Churchill : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assurance was given to the court on behalf of his Department during the hearing in June of an application for a judicial review filed by the Natural Medicines Group and the British Herbal Medicines Association, in respect of a review of the new system of fees for product licences ; when the review will be completed ; and if he will undertake not to increase such fees further until such a review has been completed.
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Mr. Dorrell : The court was assured that a full review of the fee structure was in progress, publication of the review proposals was expected shortly and any representations as to the fee structure would be fully considered in the course of the formal consultation following publication.
We now expect that the review will be completed by 1 April 1991. As was explained in the consultation letter MLX 180 issued to all licence holders by the Medicines Control Agency on 13 September 1990, a copy of which is available in the Library, a further fee increase is considered necessary and is expected to come into operation during December 1990.
NHS Trusts
Mr. Nicholas Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the timetable for the establishment of the first group of hospitals with self-governing trust status.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will announce the names of the first NHS trusts shortly. They will become fully operational on 1 April 1991.
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the Government intend to continue with self-governing hospital trusts.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Yes.
Rampton Hospital
Mr. Ashton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what reasons underlie his proposals to change the conditions of service for nurses in the Prison Officers Association at Rampton hospital, Nottinghamshire ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if he will make a statement about the reasons for the breakdown of talks with the Prison Officers Association at Rampton hospital, Nottinghamshire ; and what he intends to do to restore negotiations.
Mr. Dorrell : There are no current proposals to change the conditions of service for nurses at Rampton hospital though the Special Hospitals Service Authority is proposing to phase out the assisted travel scheme introduced on an ex-gratia basis in the early 1970s. The authority is currently in negotiation with the Prison Officers Association and other staff associations about this.
Mr. Ashton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the senior management at Rampton special hospital, Nottinghamshire, will continue to receive company cars or car allowance following the new travel allowance proposals.
Mr. Dorrell : Like other health authorities, the Special Hospitals Service Authority operates a lease car scheme for those staff who undertake sufficient mileage on official duties. It is not restricted to senior managers and is in line with general practice throughout the national health service.
Mr. Ashton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements he has made for patients at Rampton special hospital, Nottinghamshire, to continue receiving visits from relatives during the Prison Officers Association dispute.
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Mr. Dorrell : Industrial action initiated by the Prison Officers Association has, amongst other effects, restricted visiting to patients. Management are doing their best to enable visits to take place whenever practicable.EMPLOYMENT
Industrial Tribunals
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make a statement on his proposals for the provision of adequate resources for industrial tribunals in 1991.
Mr. Forth : The budget for 1991-92 has not yet been fixed.
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he will extend the jurisdiction of industrial tribunals to deal with wrongful dismissal and other breach of contract claims by dismissed employees.
Mr. Forth : On current plans, the necessary statutory instrument will be laid early next year.
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the maximum and what was the average time between the making of a claim to an industrial tribunal and its hearing in the years 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989 and in the first six months of 1990 ; and what he expects the average of these to be in the second six months of 1990 and in the first six months of 1991.
Mr. Forth : I regret that the information is not available in the precise form requested. The table shows the percentage of applications coming to first hearing at an industrial tribunal within 12, 16, 20 and 26 weeks, respectively, of receipt of the application.
Percentage
12 months ended |12 weeks |16 weeks |20 weeks |26 weeks
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
England and Wales
31 December 1985 |52 |72 |82 |90
31 March 1987 |57 |74 |85 |92
31 March 1988 |56 |74 |83 |90
31 March 1989 |51 |70 |81 |92
31 March 1990 |52 |73 |82 |92
30 September 1990<1> |50 |70 |83 |91
Scotland
31 December 1985 |22 |70 |88 |93
31 March 1987 |11 |47 |75 |88
31 March 1988 |44 |72 |83 |91
31 March 1989 |52 |78 |87 |92
31 March 1990 |43 |72 |85 |91
30 September 1990<1> |53 |74 |87 |93
<1>For six months.
It is not our practice to give estimates of future performance of the industrial tribunals.
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how much money was allocated to industrial tribunals during the years 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989 and in the first six months of 1990 ; and how much he expects the average to be in the second six months of 1990 and in the first six months of 1991.
Mr. Forth : The budget for industrial tribunals for 1991-92 has not yet been fixed. The allocations for the years 1986 to 1990 were as follows :
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Year ended |(£) ------------------------------------ 31 March 1986 |10,736,000 31 March 1987 |11,288,000 31 March 1988 |10,834,000 31 March 1989 |10,151,000 31 March 1990 |10,769,000 31 March 1991 |12,223,000
The allocations to the tribunals exclude accommodation costs.
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has made an estimate of the likely increase in the work of industrial tribunals when their jurisdiction is increased so as to include wrongful dismissal and other breach of contract claims by dismissed employees.
Mr. Forth : I do not expect the extension of jurisdiction to result in a significant increase in the work of industrial tribunals.
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many cases were dealt with by industrial tribunals in the years 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989 and in the first six months of 1990 ; and how many he estimates will be heard by industrial tribunals in the last six months of 1990.
Mr. Forth : The number of cases in which tribunals promulgated decisions, for the years 1986 to 1989 and for the first six months of 1990, is as follows :
12 months ended |Number ----------------------------------------------------- 31 March 1987 |39,404 31 March 1988 |34,233 31 March 1989 |29,317 31 March 1990 |31,913 30 September 1990<1> |17,304 <1> For six months.
It is not our practice to give estimates of the number of cases to be heard by the industrial tribunals.
Redundancy Payments
Mr. George Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give details of all new European Community proposals on redundancy payments, with an indication of any timetable for implementation.
Mr. Forth : The Commission's social action programme contains three draft directives on part-time and temporary work, one of which would have the effect of reducing the period for which certain part-time employees have to work for their employers to qualify for the right to a redundancy payment. If adopted the draft directive would need to be implemented by 31 December 1992.
WALES
Surgery
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he intends to establish a regional specialist centre for cataract eye surgery at Morriston hospital, Swansea.
Mr. Grist : My right hon. Friend has no such plans at present.
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Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will specify the target date by which the University hospital of Wales will be performing 800 open heart operations per year.Mr. Grist : South Glamorgan health authority is expected to complete as soon as practicable the developments which will enable 800 open heart operations to be performed yearly at the University hospital of Wales. Work is presently in hand to enhance cardiac catheter laboratories and intensive care facilities and progress is being regularly monitored.
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he intends to announce the location of the second cardiac surgery unit in Wales.
Mr. Grist : Consideration is currently being given to the most appropriate arrangements for a further cardiac facility and we hope to be able to reach a decision in the near future.
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information his Department holds on the number of patients from Wales who receive open heart surgery outside the Principality.
Mr. Grist : Comprehensive information on the number of patients from Wales who receive open heart surgery outside the Principality is not held centrally. However, central funds have been made available to South Glamorgan health authority, which manages the regional cardiac services in Wales, and to Clwyd health authority to enable them to secure additional open heart surgery for
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patients. I understand that between 1 April and 31 October this year 92 patients have been referred to centres outside Wales under these arrangements.National Rivers Authority
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report (a) the date that an appeal was submitted to him against the conditions of discharge imposed by the National Rivers Authority Welsh region on the marine fish farm in Milford Haven and (b) when he intends to announce the result of that appeal.
Mr. Grist : An appeal was submitted on 19 September 1989. I have instructed our officials to complete urgently the work necessary to enable us to determine the appeal.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report, for each local authority area in Wales, (a) the number of individuals who are liable to pay the personal community charge, (b) the number of people who are paying the personal community charge and (c) the number of people who are exempt from paying the personal community charge, separately distinguishing the numbers by exemption category.
Mr. David Hunt : The number of persons who are subject to pay the personal community charge and the number exempt are shown in the tables. Information relating to the number of persons who are paying the personal community charge is not available centrally.
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Number of persons exempt from paying the personal community charge<1>
Category of exemption<2>
Local authorityC1 |C2 |C3 |C4 |C5 |C6 |C7 |C8 |C9 |C10 |C11 |C12 |Total
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alyn and Deeside |5 |0 |169 |102 |32 |25 |26 |463 |0 |0 |0 |0 |822
Colwyn |6 |0 |217 |97 |9 |10 |0 |1,224 |2 |0 |0 |0 |0
Delyn |5 |0 |213 |150 |40 |50 |16 |591 |0 |0 |3 |1 |1,069
Glyndwr |4 |0 |110 |170 |67 |24 |149 |820 |12 |0 |0 |0 |1,356
Rhuddlan |0 |0 |191 |26 |0 |12 |4 |823 |1 |0 |0 |0 |1,057
Wrexham Maelor |41 |0 |320 |454 |262 |29 |38 |1,108 |2 |0 |30 |150 |2,434
Carmarthen2 |0 |168 |190 |76 |6 |254 |533 |0 |0 |11 |0 |1,240
Ceredigion |1 |0 |163 |122 |72 |14 |52 |523 |2 |0 |0 |1 |950
Dinefwr |1 |0 |146 |75 |254 |0 |2 |415 |48 |0 |0 |0 |941
Llanelli |50 |0 |246 |73 |13 |6 |82 |548 |0 |0 |13 |0 |1,031
Preseli Pembrokeshire 6 354 199 11 301 21 19 425 0 0 0 0
South Pembrokeshire 8 76 125 12 323 26 11 466 0 0 0 24 1,071
Blaenau Gwent |7 |0 |228 |117 |123 |0 |20 |471 |0 |0 |0 |3 |969
Islwyn |6 |0 |197 |79 |21 |4 |33 |269 |1 |0 |0 |0 |1,723
Monmouth |2 |16 |163 |324 |90 |11 |383 |733 |1 |0 |0 |0 |1,723
Newport |48 |0 |549 |571 |127 |38 |287 |1,256 |0 |0 |57 |48 |2,981
Torfaen |6 |0 |302 |111 |16 |51 |32 |893 |0 |0 |0 |0 |1,617
Aberconwy |23 |0 |175 |80 |87 |41 |244 |961 |6 |0 |0 |0 |1
Arfon |4 |0 |193 |40 |35 |4 |6 |78 |0 |0 |0 |518
Dwyfor |1 |0 |71 |36 |15 |7 |9 |378 |1 |0 |0 |0
Meirionydd |2 |0 |151 |93 |38 |21 |57 |286 |1 |0 |0 |0 |649
Ynys Mon |10 |2 |187 |200 |27 |8 |8 |609 |1 |0 |0 |0 |1,052
Cynon Valley |5 |0 |209 |206 |80 |0 |1 |266 |0 |0 |010 |767
Merthyr Tydfil |15 |0 |195 |90 |15 |5 |43 |364 |0 |0 |0 |0 |727
Ogwr |27 |0 |615 |607 |141 |27 |619 |956 |0 |0 |0 |0 |2,992
Rhondda |12 |3 |350 |89 |28 |0 |176 |321 |3 |0 |0 |0 |982
Rhymney Valley6 |0 |351 |26 |13 |5 |68 |361 |0 |0 |0 |18 |848
Taff Ely |6 |0 |226 |120 |40 |2 |63 |308 |1 |0 |0 |0 |766
Brecknock |2 |2 |95 |115 |5 |15 |252 |478 |0 |0 |0 |0 |964
Montgomeryshire |4 |0 |171 |39 |12 |10 |128 |342 |0 |0 |0 |0 |706
Radnorshire |2 |0 |36 |30 |18 |9 |25 |234 |5 |0 |0 |0 |359
Cardiff |448 |62 |749 |151 |351 |79 |48 |2,196 |18 |0 |192 |0 |4,294
Vale of Glamorgan |22 |0 |297 |254 |180 |4 |383 |1,096 |5 |0 |0 |0 |2,241
Port Talbot |13 |0 |221 |43 |54 |8 |41 |294 |0 |0 |0 |0 |674
Lliw Valley |6 |0 |196 |130 |42 |21 |63 |434 |0 |0 |0 |0 |892
Neath |3 |0 |108 |210 |38 |7 |10 |463 |0 |0 |0 |0 |839
Swansea |47 |0 |454 |252 |530 |77 |180 |1,856 |0 |0 |0 |0 |3,396
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total Wales |856 |515 |8,756 |5,495 |3,575 |677 |3,832 |23,842 |110 |0 |306 |246 |48,210
<1>As at 15 November 1990.
<2>Description of categories:
C1 persons in detention.
C2 members of visiting forces, international headquarters and defence organisations and their adult dependents.
C3 people who are severely mentally impaired.
C4 people aged 18 who attract child benefit because they are still at school (or would do so if they were not in care).
C5 people aged 18 or 19 and on qualifying full-time courses of further (but not higher) education, who are not included in C4 above.
C6 members of religious communities.
C7 patients whose sole or main residence is in a National Health Service hospital.
C8 people whose sole or main residence is in a residential care home, a nursing home, a mental nursing home, a private hospital or a hostel providing a substantial level of care, and who are being treated or cared for in such an institution.
C9 residential care workers who are employed at a very low salary.
C10 residents in certain Crown buildings which have been designated by the Secretary of State.
C11 residents of hostels, night shelters, or other buildings, where conditions prescribed in reg of SI 1989/438 are satisfied.
C12 persons without fixed abodes.
C1 persons in detention.
C2 members of visiting forces, international headquarters and defence organisations and their adult dependants.
C3 people who are severely mentally impaired.
C4 people aged 18 who attract child benefit because they are still at school (or who would do so if they were not in care).
C5 people aged 18 or 19 and on qualifying full-time courses of further (but not higher) education, who are not included in C4 above.
C6 members of religious communities.
C7 patients whose sole or main residence is in a National Health Service hospital.
C8 people whose sole or main residence is in a residential care home, a nursing home, a mental nursing home, a private hospital or a hostel providing a substantial level of care, and who are also being treated or cared for in such an institution.
C9 residential care workers who are employed at a very low salary. C10 residents in certain Crown buildings, which have been designated by the Secretary of State.
C11 residents of hostels, night shelters, or other buildings, where conditions prescribed in reg. 58(2) of SI 1989/438 are satisfied. C12 persons without fixed abodes.
Numbers of persons who are subject to the personal
community
charge<1>
Local authority
------------------------------------------------------
Alyn and Deeside |55,359
Colwyn |42,714
Delyn |50,852
Glyndwr |31,647
Rhuddlan |44,221
Wrexham Maelor |88,462
Carmarthen |42,537
Ceredigion |53,303
Dinefwr |29,590
Llanelli |57,913
Preseli Pembrokeshire |51,888
South Pembrokeshire |31,135
Blaenau Gwent |58,152
Islwyn |50,567
Monmouth |58,658
Newport |101,455
Torfaen |68,283
Aberconwy |40,867
Arfon |43,134
Dwyfor |20,833
Meirionnydd |25,344
Ynys Mon |51,710
Cynon Valley |49,536
Methyr Tydfil |44,832
Ogwr |101,996
Rhondda |59,902
Rhymney Valley |77,047
Taff Ely |73,445
Brecknock |31,261
Montgomeryshire |40,765
Radnorshire |18,036
Cardiff |218,285
Vale of Glamorgan |84,283
Port Talbot |38,830
Lliw Valley |47,274
Neath |50,117
Swansea |140,255
Total Wales |2,174,488
<1> As at 15 November 1990. Includes persons
registered for the personal community charge at the
student rate.
Mr. Murphy : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will make a statement in respect of his policy towards the abolition or amendment of the poll tax.
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to introduce legislation to abolish the poll tax in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : Important amendments to the community charge have already been announced and will take effect from April 1991. The Government will consider further ways in which the system can be improved.
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each local authority the available information as to the numbers of people who (a) have or (b) have not begun paying the poll tax ; the percentages of liable adults that represents ; the number of people seriously in arrears ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones) on 28 November.
Senile Dementia
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report, for each health authority for the latest available date, the number of people in Wales suffering from senile dementia, separately distinguishing the age groups (a) up to 65 years, (b) 65 to 75 years, (c) 75 to 80 years, (d) 80 to 85 years and (e) over 85 years.
Mr. Grist : The number of in-patient and day case deaths and discharges from NHS hospitals in Wales, by district health authority of treatment, with a principal diagnosis of senile and presenile organic psychotic conditions is shown in the following table for 1988.
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