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Red Routes
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish the report of the road research laboratory on the operation of the red route in north London ; and who he expects to consult on the future of the red route.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 4 February 1991] : No decision has been made about publication of any report that the Transport and Road Research Laboratory may produce on the red route pilot scheme as monitoring will take place throughout 1991.
Consultation will be arranged in accordance with the requirements of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the powers under which he acted in introducing a red route on Archway road, N6, Holloway road, N19 and N7 and Upper street, N1.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 4 February 1991] : Section 9(1), (2) and (3), and 10(2) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
Humber Bridge
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has to reduce the Humber bridge board's debt.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 4 February 1991] : The board has presented a case proposing the writing off of some of its debt. We are considering this carefully and shall respond as soon as possible.
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Kurds
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on conditions in the Kurdish areas within the current Iraqi borders.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We regularly receive information from a number of sources about conditions in the Kurdish areas of Iraq.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has concerning abuses of human rights of Kurds living within the borders of Iraq.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We receive many reports of human rights abuses in Iraq and against the Kurdish population, including, for example, those of Amnesty International and Middle East Watch.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the numbers of Kurdish people who have disappeared in Iraq under the Government of Saddam Hussein.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We are aware of reports of such disappearances. No precise figures are available.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will establish communication with the leaders of the Kurdish resistance to Iraq.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Officials in this Department already have contacts with the leadership of Kurdish opposition groups from Iraq.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if it is his policy to ensure that those responsible for the use of chemical weapons against the Kurdish people will be brought before suitable international courts.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Iraq has not accepted the jurisdiction of any international court in this matter. We have, however, ensured on numerous occasions that the subject has received proper attention at the United Nations. We were active in securing the adoption of Security Council resolutions 612 and 620 condemning chemical weapon attacks during the Iran- Iraq war and drew attention at the Paris conference on chemical weapons in January 1989 to the compelling evidence that Iraq had used chemical weapons against its Kurdish people after the ceasefire.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from Amnesty International on the situation of the Kurds living in Iraq.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have spoken to Amnesty International on a number of occasions about our common concern about the human rights situation in Iraq, including abuses against the Kurdish people.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with allied coalition partners concerning the present state and the future of the Kurdish people.
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Mr. Douglas Hogg : We are in close contact with our coalition partners over all aspects of the future of the Gulf region after the resolution of the present crisis.Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to Iraq concerning the oppression of Kurds.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have repeatedly made clear to the Iraqi authorities our concern at Iraqi human rights violations against the Kurdish population, both in bilateral contacts and with our EC partners.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to pursue the creation of a Kurdish homeland within the borders of Iraq in discussions on a post- war middle eastern regional settlement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear on 24 January, at column 287, there can be no question of our seeking support for the establishment of a separate Kurdish state within the boundaries of present-day Iran, Iraq and Turkey.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his Department's policy towards the Kurdish people.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We follow the Kurdish issue closely. We have monitored reports of human rights abuses against the Kurds in Iraq and made repeated protests about these to the Iraqi authorities, both in Baghdad and in London.
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We believe that the Kurdish people should enjoy adequate representation and the same rights of cultural and ethnic self-expression as other citizens in all the countries in which they live.Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the status of the treaty of Sevres and the joint declaration of 1922 between Britain and Iraq and their effect on the Kurdish people.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Our records show that the treaty of Sevres was never ratified and, consequently, never came into force. It was overtaken by the treaty of Lausanne of 1923 which established the present-day frontiers of the region bounded by Iran, Iraq and Turkey.
State Borders
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which states recognised by the United Kingdom do not have clearly defined borders.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The United Kingdom recognises many states whose borders are not fully agreed with their neighbours. This is normally a bilateral matter for the states concerned.
UN Security Council
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish a list of those states which have occupied the chair of the United Nations Security Council in the past 10 years.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The information is as follows :
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Presidency of the Security Council 1981-1990
|1981 |1982 |1983 |1984 |1985
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January |China |USSR |Togo |Nicaragua |France
February |France |United Kingdom |USSR |Pakistan |India
March |German DR |United States |United Kingdom |Peru |Madagascar
April |Ireland |Zaire |United States |Ukrainian SSR |Peru
May |Japan |China |Zaire |USSR |Thailand
June |Mexico |France |Zimbabwe |United Kingdom |Trinidad and Tobago
July |Niger |Guyana |China |United States |Ukrainian SSR
August |Panama |Ireland |France |Upper Volta<1> |USSR
September |Philippines |Japan |Guyana |Zimbabwe |United Kingdom
October |Spain |Jordan |Jordan |Burkina Faso<1> |United States
November |Tunisia |Panama |Malta |China |Australia
December |Uganda |Poland |Netherlands |Egypt |Burkina Faso
1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
January China Venezuela United Kingdom Malaysia Cote d'Ivoire February Congo Zambia United States Nepal Cuba
March Denmark Argentina Yugoslavia Senegal Democratic Yemen April France Bulgaria Zambia USSR Ethiopia
May Ghana China Algeria United Kingdom Finland
June Madagascar Congo Argentina United States France
July Thailand France Brazil Yugoslavia Malaysia
August Trinidad and Tobago German FR China Algeria Romania September USSR Ghana France Brazil USSR
October United Arab Emirates Italy German FR Canada United Kingdom
November United Kingdom Japan Italy China United States December United States USSR Japan Colombia Yemen
On 6 August 1984 Upper Volta became Burkina Faso and therefore changed its position in the Council's alphabetical rotation. On 22 May 1990 Democratic Yemen merged with the Yemen Arab Republic to become Yemen. It therefore changed its position in the Council's rotation.
|1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January |China |Venezuela |United Kingdom |Malaysia |Cote d'Ivoire
February |Congo |Zambia |United States |Nepal |Cuba
March |Denmark |Argentina |Yugoslavia |Senegal |Democratic Yemen<2>
April |France |Bulgaria |Zambia |USSR |Ethiopia
May |Ghana |China |Algeria |United Kingdom |Finland
June |Madagascar |Congo |Argentina |United States |France
July |Thailand |France |Brazil |Yugoslavia |Malaysia
August |Trinidad and Tobago |German FR |China |Algeria |Romania
September |USSR |Ghana |France |Brazil |USSR
October |United Arab Emirates|Italy |German FR |Canada |United Kingdom
November |United Kingdom |Japan |Italy |China |United States
December |United States |USSR |Japan |Colombia |Yemen<2>
<1>On 6 August 1984 Upper Volta became Burkina Faso and therefore changed its position in the Council's alphabetic rotation.
<2>On 22 May 1990 Democratic Yemen merged with Yemen Arab Republic to become Yemen. It therefore changed its position in the Council's rotation.
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EC Decisions
Mr. Onslow : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the outcome of the review of national implementation of EC decisions which the European Council asked the Commission to undertake at its Dublin meeting ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Rome European Council in December discussed a Commission report including a review of implementation of single market measures. The report confirmed Britain's excellent record. The European Council underlined the importance of timely implementation and enforcement of measures and noted that action by the Commission and member states has reduced delays.
Occupied Territories
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has as to the length of the curfew now imposed on the west bank and Gaza strip by the Israeli authorities ; what has been the length of other curfews in the last three years ; what allowance has been made for people in the occupied territories to gain access to food and medical attention ; what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to the Israeli authorities on the curfew ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The present curfew was imposed when hostilities broke out in the Gulf. The Israeli authorities have not said when it will end. We do not keep records of the length of previous curfews. We are concerned about the impact of this curfew on the well-being of the Palestinian population of the occupied territories and in particular about access to food and medical attention. We are encouraging a joint EC demarche to the Israeli authorities.
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has as to the availability of gas masks for Palestinians in the occupied territories ; if he has made any representations to the Israeli authorities ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Provan (Mr. Wray) on 31 January at column 578.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Roads, Newtownards
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the Court street access to the Court street/South street car park in Newtownards was closed ; why it was closed ; and what proposals he has to reopen this access.
Mr. Needham : The Court street access to the Court street/South street car park in Newtownards was closed in mid-June 1990 due to a major mechanical fault in the automatic barrier. The machinery has now been replaced and the access reopened on 14 January 1991.
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Kincora Boys' Home
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total amount of compensation to date paid to ex-residents of the Kincora boys' home ; if he will itemise each payment and state on what date it was paid ; how many cases are still to be processed ; and on what dates he expects further cases to be settled.
Mr. Hanley [holding answer 21 January 1991] : To date, compensation payments totalling £63,500 have been made to seven ex- residents of Kincora. Five ex-residents have received payments in respect of abuse suffered solely in Kincora, as follows : £10,000 on 26 May ; £7,500 on 26 May 1989 ; £6,000 on 10 August 1989 ; £20,000 on 13 June 1990 and £10,000 on 25 September 1990. One ex-resident received a joint payment of £5,000 on 31 March 1988 in connection with abuse suffered in Kincora and another children's home and one ex-resident received a payment of £4,500 on 28 November 1990 in respect of a claim for abuse suffered in a children's home other than Kincora. Three claims from ex-residents of Kincora are still outstanding involving, respectively, abuse suffered in Kincora, in Kincora and another home, and a home other than Kincora, but it is not possible to say when they will be settled. In addition, a claim submitted by an ex-resident of Kincora in 1986 has to date not been pursued.
There are also two cases, recorded in the replies on 26 October 1989, Official Report, column 538, and 19 January 1990, Official Report, column 427, relating to abuse in children's homes investigated by the Hughes inquiry which did not involve ex-residents of Kincora itself. A payment of £2,500 in respect of one claim was made on 19 July 1989, and the other has not to date been pursued by the claimants.
SCOTLAND
Heart Disease, Scotland
Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what new initiatives he is taking to reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease in Scotland.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The consultation document "Health Education in Scotland : A National Policy Statement", which I launched on 9 October 1990, identified coronary heart disease as a national priority for health education and set out our target of reducing mortality from heart disease for people under age 65 by 25 per cent. by the year 2000.
A twin strategy involving both an individual and population approach is proposed. The individual strategy envisages family doctors identifying people who are at risk, thus enabling appropriate counselling or necessary treatment to be provided. The population strategy consists of promoting, at national and local levels, the positive lifestyle approach and in particular the aspects of healthy eating, non-smoking and exercise. National programmes will be undertaken by the Health Education Board for Scotland, which will replace the Scottish Health Education Group on 1 April, and will be complemented by action at local level by health boards and voluntary organisations. I am making additional funds available to the new board to enable programmes on priority topics such as coronary heart disease to be vigorously pursued.
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As an interim measure, I have also asked the Scottish Health Education Group to develop a coronary heart disease programme which will reinforce awareness of the main behaviours associated with the disease and the often simple steps which individuals can take to reduce the risk. I hope to launch the new programme shortly. Premature deaths from coronary heart disease in Scotland declined by 17 per cent. between 1980 and 1988, but much remains to be done. The enhanced health education effort now in train will facilitate further progress towards the target that I have set.National Testing
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the total cost of publishing, advertising, administering, marking and collating the results of national tests in primary schools at levels four and seven.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Planned provision for 1990-91 for the production of test units was £593,000 and is £579,000 for 1991- 92.
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consultations he has held with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities about legal responsibilities for education authorities in deciding whether action for prosecutions should be taken against parents who decide to withhold their children from national tests planned for Scottish pupils in primaries four and seven.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : No consultations are necessary. The legal position is clear. There is a duty on education authorities to administer testing.
National Health Service Trusts
Mr. Robert Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report, in each case, which of Orkney health board, Shetland health board, Western Isles health board, Highlands health board, Tayside health board, Fife health board, Forth Valley health board, Lothian health board, Borders health board, Dumfries and Galloway health board, Ayrshire and Arran health board, Lanarkshire health board, Greater Glasgow health board, and Argyll and Clyde health board has employed outside financial consultants in preparing business plans for direct management and/or NHS trust status ; the name of the consultants ; and the cost to each health board.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The following health boards have employed external consultants to help prepare business plans :
Health board |Consultants |Cost to
|health board
|(£ )
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forth Valley |Pannell, Kerr, Forster |11,500
Greater Glasgow |Pannell, Kerr, Forster |13,000
Lanarkshire |Coopers, Lybrand, Deloitte|2,000
Lothian |Coopers, Lybrand, Deloitte|2,000
Some work has also been carried out by Coopers, Lybrand, Deloitte on behalf of Ayrshire and Arran health board, but directly funded by my Department, as part of
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a study on the role of health boards and the purchaser-provider relationship. The cost of this work on business plans, a small part of the overall project, is not separately identifiable.Employment Training
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what connection is made in policy terms between the amount of money available for employment training and the number of people unemployed.
Mr. Allan Stewart : The allocation of provision for employment training takes account of the fact that it is just one of a number of Government measures designed to help unemployed people back to work. Other relevant factors are that it is focused on helping those who have been unemployed for six months or more and who need training, and gives priority to people in the guarantee group (those aged between 18 and 24 who have been unemployed between six and 12 months) and the aim group (those under 50 who have been unemployed for more than two years).
Scottish Homes
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the funding allocations to be made by Scottish Homes for 1991-92 under the various strategic headings announced in its recent strategic plan.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 4 February 1991] : I expect Scottish Homes to submit for approval its proposed expenditure programme for 1991-92 later this month. My right hon. Friend and I will consider these proposals carefully and the agreed expenditure programme will be announced by Scottish Homes as soon as possible thereafter.
EMPLOYMENT
Sellafield Death
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what consideration the nuclear installations inspectorate of the Health and Safety Executive has given to the circumstances surrounding the death of David Dunn, a former employee at the Sellafield nuclear power plant.
Mr. Forth : The conditions attached to the nuclear site licence for Sellafield at the time of Mr. Dunn's employment required the Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate to be informed if any person was exposed to radiation in excess of the annual statutory limits. The nuclear installations inspectorate would examine the circumstances of the exposure and see whether any improvements to safety could be identified. There was no indication from Mr. Dunn's radiation dose record to suggest that he had exceeded statutory limits and consequently no information concerning his case was given to the nuclear installations inspectorate at the time. During 1990 the nuclear installations inspectorate became aware of Mr. Dunn's case. The circumstances of his employment and his radiation dose record were examined by the nuclear installations inspectorate and technical assistance to Her Majesty's coroner was given at the inquest into Mr. Dunn's death, which was held at Whitehaven on 26 June 1990.
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Employment Offices (Closure)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the employment offices planned for closure in the three counties of Yorkshire and Humberside ; and if he will give the grounds in each case.
Mr. Jackson : Questions on operational matters in the Employment Service executive agency are the responsibility of Mike Fogden, the agency's chief executive, to whom I have referred this question for reply.
Health and Safety Inspectorate
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many prosecutions the health and safety inspectorate initiated in Wales in 1990 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : Provisional figures for the year beginning 1 April 1989 show that the Health and Safety Executive's agriculture, factories, mines and quarries inspectorates and the nuclear installations inspectorate laid a total of 119 informations for breaches of health and safety legislation in Wales.
Nuclear Power Workers
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether the Health and Safety Commission's working group on ionising radiations has considered the subject of the protection of (a) construction workers and (b) indirectly employed labour at nuclear power plants.
Mr. Forth : No. The working group on ionising radiations (WGIR) has not considered the specific protection of these groups of workers. However, WGIR does consider all matters concerning the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1985 and related radiation protection matters that are referred to it by the Health and Safety Commission and the Health and Safety Executive.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether his Department has, or intends to have, any discussions with the National Radiological Protection Board over the protection of construction workers at sites under their sphere of responsibility.
Mr. Forth : No. The National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) has no specific responsibility for construction workers. However, the Health and Safety Executive maintains a continuing dialogue with the NRPB on matters relating to radiation protection.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what differences exist in levels of protection offered between construction workers involved in the building of a nuclear plant and those directly employed in the plant.
Mr. Forth : None. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and its relevant statutory provisions require the same standards of protection to be applied to all workers at nuclear plants whether they are directly employed in the plant or are involved in its construction.
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Training and Enterprise Councils
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what consultations he has had with the chairman of the South Glamorgan TEC concerning the start date for the (a) construction of and (b) operation of its new training headquarters.
Mr. Jackson : South Glamorgan TEC started operations on 4 February and currently occupy premises at Tyglas road, Llanishen. The TEC board proposes to move to permanent accommodation in Dumballs road, Cardiff. Negotiations are under way but no decision on the starting date of construction or the eventual date of occupation has been reached.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what guidelines he has issued to training and enterprise councils concerning the retention or shredding of copies of tenders and other comparable commercial documents.
Mr. Jackson : Training and enterprise councils, as private companies, are required to observe the provisions of the Companies Act 1989 as they relate to the retention and disposal of documents.
New Businesses
Mr. Grylls : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will state the average net number of new businesses started each week between 1 January 1990 and 30 June 1990 as measured by VAT returns.
Mr. Forth : I regret that figures for 1990 are not yet available. However, during 1989, the latest period for which figures have been published by my Department, the number of businesses registered for VAT increased by nearly 1,700 a week on average. Early indications from data collected by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise are that there continues to be a substantial surplus of registrations over deregistrations.
Employees' Rights
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to encourage employees with less than two years' service to pursue their rights under guaranteed payment legislation.
Mr. Forth [holding answer 4 February 1991] : My Department has issued an explanatory booklet, "Guarantee Payments", which is widely available. There is no two-year qualifying period. All employees who have been continuously employed for one month are entitled to a statutory guarantee payment under the specified conditions unless they are employed for a fixed term not exceeding three months or unless of the specific exceptions in the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 applies.
HEALTH
Waiting Lists
15. Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on waiting lists in the Northern regional health authority.
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Mr. Dorrell : I understand from Northern regional health authority that, in the 12 months to September 1990, the number of patients waiting more than a year for in-patient treatment fell by more than 13 per cent. in the region as a whole.20. Mr. Patrick Thompson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the latest figures announced to fund the waiting list initiative.
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