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Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Since the implementation of the Interim Management Contract on 1 October 1990 management of the AWE Aldermaston site has been the responsibility of a new management team comprising experienced managers seconded from Hunting-BRAE and existing senior personnel who have long experience of AWE operations. This management team is tasked with ensuring the most effective overall management of AWE, concentrating initially on manufacturing work and site services, whilst complying with appropriate safeguards for health and safety and security. The routine safety checks carried out at AWE include the personal monitoring of individuals, the monitoring of their working environment and the monitoring of the public and general environment for radiation, radioactive, and other potentially dangerous substances, as appropriate. The frequency and intensity of such monitoring programmes are arranged to be capable of timely detection of exposures to hazards at levels very substantially below limits and constraints set by legislation. The monitoring data obtained confirm that such very low levels continue to be achieved. These procedures continue to demonstrate that a safe working and public environment is maintained at AWE sites and that the sites do not constitute dangers to the workers or the public.
It is not our policy to release details of manpower figures.
Ministry Employees (Northern Ireland)
Rev. Ian Paisley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will consider providing financial compensation for Ministry of Defence employees working in Northern Ireland similar to that provided for civilians carrying out work under contract at Ministry of Defence locations in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I can confirm that officials are currently considering a scheme to alleviate the stress and strain experienced by MOD employees in Northern Ireland.
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B52 Bombers
Miss Emma Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ensure that unexploded bombs discharged into the Bristol channel by returning B52s from Iraq will be positioned sufficiently far from the north Devon coastline to cause no injury or trauma to people or animals on land or at sea.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There are no agreed arrangements for B52 aircraft returning from Iraq to discharge unexploded bombs into the Bristol channel. However, as I indicated in the House on 13 February at columns 849 -52, an established military danger area off Hartland Point seaward of the Bristol channel has been activated full time, to be used in the unlikely event that a B52 from RAF Fairford encountered an emergency shortly after take-off which required it to jettison its weapons. Appropriate notices to mariners and airmen have been issued, and every step would be taken in an emergency to ensure that there was no risk to other aircraft, shipping or people.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what instructions the United States Air Force has given to the crews of B52 bombers on dropping unused bombs within United Kingdom territorial waters.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : B52 aircrews have been instructed that, in the unlikely event of an emergency after take-off from RAF Fairford which makes it necessary to jettison their weapons, they must declare an emergency on the radio frequency in use and then proceed, under air traffic control, to the established military danger area off Hartland Point. Before jettisoning ordnance the aircrew must ensure by the use of radar and visual checks that the area is clear of shipping and other aircraft, and must fully avoid the island of Lundy.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice he has given to seafarers using the Bristol channel of the possible danger of damaged B52 bombers dropping their unused bombs.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : A radio navigation warning has been issued advising that the possibility of aircraft jettisoning weapons exists within an established military danger area to the west of Hartland Point and that warnings to leave the area may be issued at short notice on VHF radio. Action has been taken to ensure that this information is relayed to all seafarers who may use the area.
The Gulf
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make arrangements to enable British forces serving in the Gulf to receive religious material ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Appropriate arrangements have been made for the pastoral and spiritual care of our forces in the Gulf.
War Graves
Sir Geoffrey Finsberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the work intended to be carried out under the agreement concerning the Mosul war cemetery replacement has been completed to the satisfaction of the agreement signed on 30 October 1989, as set out inCm. 1399.
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Mr. Archie Hamilton : In July 1990 the Iraqi Government informed the Commonwealth War Graves Commission that the work at the Mosul war cemetery had been completed, but it has not been possible for Commission staff to visit Iraq to confirm this.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his reply, 31 January, Official Report, column 592, if he will set out (a) in calculating the average central cost component of annual maintenance grant for the existing grant-maintained schools, how many local education authorities were involved and (b) the average value expressed as a percentage of the direct spending commitment of central annual maintenance grant based on returns from local education authorities for which section 42 information is available.
Mr. Eggar : There are 50 existing grant-maintained schools situated in 34 local education authority areas. The calculation of the average central cost component of annual maintenance grant for 1990-91 was based on budget information from those 34 local education authorities. We have not calculated annual maintenance grant figures for local education authorities where there is no grant-maintained school. It would be disproportionately costly to do so.
Outdoor Education Centres
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to amend the provisions for local management of schools so as to secure the funding of outdoor education centres ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Fallon : Under local management of schools it is for individual local education authorities to decide whether to delegate the funding of outdoor education centres to schools. Delegation need not affect the future of the centres, provided that they offer schools good educational value for money.
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the role of outdoor education centres in the provisions of the national curriculum.
Mr. Eggar : The delivery of the national curriculum is a matter for schools to determine. It would be open to schools to make use of outdoor education centres in delivering the national curriculum, but they could not be required to do so under the terms of the Education Reform Act.
Kirklees Metropolitan Council
Mrs. Peacock : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the standard spending assessment for education for Kirklees metropolitan council for 1991-92 ; and what it was for 1990-91.
Mr. Fallon : The education component of the 1990-91 standard spending assessment for Kirklees metropolitan council is £128.823 million. The figure for 1991-92 is £148.129 million, an increase of 15 per cent.
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Research Councils
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the financial allocations to the Research Councils for 1991-92, identifying programmes and capital programmes earmarked in advance by Government ; and what were the comparable allocations in the three previous years in real terms.
Mr. Alan Howarth [pursuant to his reply, 8 February 1991, c. 256] : I regret that there were some errors in the figures given in the original answer.
The corrected answer is as follows :
The allocations to the five research councils for 1991-92 announced on 24 January are as follows :
|£ million
------------------------------------
AFRC |93.4
ESRC |35.5
MRC |200.4
NERC |122.6
SERC |451.3
None of the additional amounts announced this year was allocated to particular programmes in advance. The sums so allocated to particular programmes for 1991-92 in earlier settlements were as follows ; redundancy costs as a result of reductions in MAFF research commissions £6.0 million (AFRC), AIDS £8.5 million (MRC), British Antarctic Survey (BAS) £6.2 million (NERC), British Geological Survey (BGS) £7.0 million (NERC), CERN £7.3 million (SERC), ERS2 instruments £2.0 million (SERC).
For the three preceding years the total grant to each council and the sums specifically allocated in earlier settlements (at 1991-92 prices) were as follows :
£ million
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1990-91
AFRC |91.8 |MAFF 4.2
ESRC |38.4 |-
MRC |196.8 |AIDS 8.5
NERC |114.2 |BAS 31.2, BGS 5.3
SERC |463.3 |CERN 7.7, ERS2 2.1
1989-90
AFRC |87.4 |MAFF 3.4
ESRC |36.6 |-
MRC |201.9 |AIDS 9.2
NERC |131.6 |BAS 10.5, BGS 3.4
SERC |463.5 |CERN 10.6
1988-89
AFRC |71.1 |-
ESRC |33.7 |-
MRC |178.7 |AIDS 7.3
NERC |110.7 |BAS 10.5
SERC |446.2 |-
NATIONAL FINANCE
Fuel Prices
Mr. Michael : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make it his policy to achieve a differential between diesel and petrol prices which is comparable with the differential experienced within European competitor countries.
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Mrs. Gillian Shephard : I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget statement.
Community Charge
Mr. Higgins : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the increase in the standard rate of income tax which would be necessary to yield the same revenue as his estimate of the yield of the community charge in 1990-91 and 1991-92.
Mr. Norman Lamont : For 1990-91 local authorities community charge yield (gross) is budgeted at £14 billion (GB). For 1991-92 budgeted figures are not yet available. However, if all authorities spend in line with standard spending assessments the estimated gross yield of the community charge would be £14.5 billion (GB).
On this basis, the estimated yield net of community charge benefit, transitional relief and the community charge reduction scheme is £11.4 billion in 1990-91 and £10.6 billion in 1991-92.
To yield the same net revenue the standard rate of income tax would need to be increased by around 7 p for 1990-91 and around 5 p for 1991-92.
THE ARTS
Departmental Achievements
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will make a statement on the principal achievements of his Department since June 1987.
Mr. Renton : The Government's achievements in the Arts since 1987 have been numerous and varied. Among the most important I would list :
The growth in central Government support for arts activities. By 1991-92, planned expenditure will have increased in real terms by 16 per cent. since 1987-88.
The establishment of a three-year programme of funding for the arts, and the introduction of measures to encourage greater self-reliance among arts institutions.
Following a comprehensive review, key decisions have been announced on the reform of the structure of the funding of the arts. The new system, which will start to be introduced over the next year, will provide more effective co-ordination of overall funding policy and strengthened accountability over the use of large and growing sums of public money, to the ultimate benefit of both the arts and the taxpayer.
The introduction and development of corporate planning for the national museums and galleries and other non-departmental bodies, linked to the three-year funding programme.
The major expansion schemes at some national museums and galleries, including the Clore gallery at the Tate, the new Tate gallery in Liverpool, the redevelopment of the Imperial War Museum, and the new Sainsbury wing at the National Gallery, due to open in the spring. The setting up of the museums and galleries improvement fund--a joint initiative between Government and the Wolfson Charities, providing £4 million per year for the next three years towards the cost of priority renovation and refurbishment projects in United Kingdom museums and galleries.
New marketing initiatives to encourage arts bodies to market themselves more professionally and improve the quality of their management.
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The significant upsurge in, and continued success of, business sponsorship of the arts. The business sponsorship incentive scheme has brought over £38 million of new money to the arts.The development of incentive funding schemes for the performing arts and for public libraries, designed to encourage publicly-funded bodies to become more self-reliant in their development and growth. The substantial progress made with the British Library's St. Pancras project. The first phase is on schedule for occupation in 1993, within its cash budget of £300 million. Books will be moved into the basements from mid-1991. And detailed design is in progress on the second phase, which will be completed in 1996. The cost of the whole project will be £450 million in cash. When the building is fully occupied, the bulk of the British Library's London-based collections will have been brought together for the first time and in modern storage conditions.
The publication of the consultative paper, "Financing our Public Library Service : Four subjects for debate", prompting possibly the widest debate on the service this century, and resulting in the protection of the core of the free public library service, through the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.
EMPLOYMENT
Claimant Statistics
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment for the monthly statistical periods since April 1990 ; if he will show for each region, and for each
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adjudication section in London, and for Great Britain as a whole, the number of claimants who had (a) been issued with warning letters for not actively seeking work, (b) had their claims referred to an adjudication officer for not actively seeking work, (c) had their claims (i) allowed and (ii) disallowed, (d) had their claims referred to an adjudication officer for refusing suitable employment and (e) been disqualified for refusing suitable employment.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.
Farm Accidents
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many (i) deaths and (ii) accidents there have been on farms in Wales involving machinery and farm practices for each of the years from 1983.
Mr. Forth : The information is not available in the form requested.
The following table shows the number of fatal and other injuries occurring in the agriculture and horticulture industry in Wales from 1986-87 to 1989- 90 (provisional) as reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Disease and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985 to the Health and Safety Executive's factory and agricultural inspectorates :
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Weather stations deemed to have been triggered
Information for earlier years was reported under different legislation and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Health and Safety (Agriculture)
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement concerning health and safety in the agricultural industry.
Mr. Forth : Responsibility for health and safety in the agricultural industry rests with employers and others at the workplace.
The Health and Safety Executive is pursuing a number of strategies aimed at helping the industry to achieve reductions in the numbers of accidents.
These include : targeting inspection at those workplaces that present the greatest risk to employees, the self employed, their families and the general public including children ; carrying out advisory and publicity work to promote an increased awareness of health and safety in the industry ; liaising with all sides of industry to improve the health and safety aspects of products. In seeking compliance with health and safety legislation, inspectors are using innovative inspection
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techniques including initiatives targeted at specific farming operations. They will also pay more attention to the management of health and safety.Inspectors pursue their enquiries and any enforcement action to the highest levels at workplaces which do not measure up to the standards expected of them.
Employment Training
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate how many people with special needs will lose places in employment training schemes as a result of reductions in the employment training budget in the next financial year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : My Department does not forecast the number of people with special training needs likely to enter employment training (ET).
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Restart
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will update the information on Restart provided in response to the question by the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn), Official Report, 6 June 1990, column 666
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.
Job Release Scheme
Mr. Patrick Thompson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will announce the results of the review of the rates of allowance payable under the job release scheme.
Mr. Jackson : Although the job release scheme closed to new applicants on 31 January 1988, the allowance will continue to be paid to participants for up to five years. Following our annual review, the allowances payable from 8 April 1991 under the job release scheme will be as follows :
Those who are married with a dependent wife whose net income from all sources does not exceed £16 a week ; £90.70 taxable. Those who do not have a dependent wife or whose wife's income exceeds £16 a week : £74.70 taxable. The spouses earnings limit which affects whether the higher or lower rate is paid has been raised to £16 from £15.
Social Action Programme
Mr. Patrick Thompson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the European Commission's proposals under the social action programme on (a) informing and consulting employees and (b) proof of employment relationship.
Mr. Howard : Proposals for directives on informing and consulting employees in Community-scale undertakings and on proof of employment relationship were adopted by the European Commission on 5 December and 28 November 1990 respectively. Consultation documents inviting views on both proposals are to be issued by my Department today. Copies have been placed in the library of the House .
Training and Enterprise Councils
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what labour market and geographical criteria have been used in allocating budgets to individual training and enterprise councils ; what weight was given to each of the criteria ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : Budget allocations to individual training and enterprise councils (TECs) are based broadly on historical spending levels in the geographical area covered by the TEC (80 per cent. of the weighting) and on the size of the client groups within the TEC's area for the programmes involved (20 per cent. of the weighting). Each TEC's budget may be adjusted according to local factors, which will be subject to negotiation between the TEC and the Department's regional director.
Column 630
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he first received the corporate plan of South Glamorgan TEC.
Mr. Jackson [holding reply 14 February 1991] : A draft of the corporate plan for South Glamorgan TEC was first received by officials on 24 September 1990.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Local Offices
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what plans he has to alter the operation, or relocate workloads, from or to the Paisley or Johnstone offices of his Department ; (2) what plans there are to reduce staffing levels in the Johnstone office of his Department ; and if he will make a statement.
Miss Widdecombe : The operations and workloads of both offices are currently being considered by local management to identify the most appropriate arrangements to meet future local needs. The review of these offices is part of a much larger review involving all offices in Great Britain. It is not a device for closing them. Restructuring of the network will result in modest savings, mainly at grade 7 level. A voluntary redundancy scheme is in place for these staff.
Sexual Equality
Mr. Terry Fields : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which benefits do not fall within the scope of EC directive 79/7/ regarding equal treatment of men and women within social security matters.
Miss Widdecombe : Article 3(1) of directive 79/7 EEC sets out what is covered by the terms of the directive, namely statutory schemes which provide protection against the risks of sickness, invalidity, old age, accidents at work and occupational diseases and unemployment. It also covers social assistance which is intended to supplement or replace those schemes.
Articles 3(2) and 7 define what is or can be excluded ; notably state pensionable age.
Disability
Mr. Terry Fields : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, further to his answer of 11 December 1990 at columns 37-77, if he will now review the mobility allowance provisions regarding the award of the benefit to the deaf-blind.
Mr. Scott : I assume that the hon. Member refers to the undertaking that I gave on 13 December 1990 at column 91 to analyse the way in which arrangements for deaf-blind people are working in practice and consider whether changes are necessary. This has now been done and immediate steps are being taken to overcome some problems which were discovered.
We intend to issue revised guidance to examining doctors to resolve these difficulties and plan to consult both SENSE (the National Deaf-Blind and Rubella Association) and the RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind) to make this guidance as effective as possible. We shall continue to monitor the operation of the deaf-blind rules after these changes have been made.
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Severe Weather Payments
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the first severe weather payments, authorisied under the Prime Minister's announcement of 7 February 1991, Official Report, columns 408-9, will be made.
Mr. Scott : Some payments have already been made.
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the locations where temperatures did not trigger off any cold weather payments in the week commencing 4 February.
Mr. Scott : The 24 weather stations listed in the table did not trigger. However, 7 February is deemed to be the trigger day for all weather stations which did not actually trigger, and all DSS offices have been instructed to action claims for cold weather payments. Weather stations deemed to have triggered
Aberdeen airport
Boulmer
Carlisle
Coningsby
Culdrose
Edinburgh airport
Eskmeals
Kinloss
Kirkwall
Leeds weather centre
Leeming
Lerwick
Leuchars
Machrihanish
Mount Batten
Mumbles
St. Mawgen
Southampton weather centre
Stornoway
Tynemouth
Valley
Whitby coastguard
Whithorn
Wick
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