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Employees were protected, in all circumstances, against dismissal for membership or non-membership of a trade union, and organising industrial action to establish or maintain any closed shop practice was made unlawful.The Employment Act 1989 promoted equality of opportunity for women in employment, removed unnecessary restrictions on young people in work, and paved the way for the removal of the weight of Industrial Training Board bureaucracy from major sections of British industry. The main industrial relations and trade union law provisions of the Employment Act 1990 came into force on 1 January 1991. They give anyone refused a job on the grounds of membership or non-membership of a trade union a right of complaint to an industrial tribunal, make a trade union responsible in law for a call to take industrial action by any of their officials, and make it unlawful to organise secondary industrial action or action in support of an employee dismissed while taking unofficial industrial action. In addition, any employee taking unofficial action will know that they risk losing the right to claim unfair dismissal if they are dismissed. New requirements on union election and strike ballots enhance union members' democratic rights, and the powers of the Commissioner for the Rights of Trade Union Members are extended to enable her to assist proceedings arising from a breach, or possible breach, of a union's rule on certain matters. A new statutory code of practice "Trade Union Ballots on Industrial Action" came into operation on 11 April 1990. The code promotes desirable practices in relation to the conduct by trade unions of such ballots.
As a result of the abolition of the highly restrictive dock labour scheme by the Dock Work Act 1989, the efficiency and labour productivity of the former scheme ports has been transformed and new business opportunities in and around the ports are flourishing. The employment service (ES) was created in October 1987 by bringing together in one organisation both job placement and payment of benefits to unemployed people, in order to provide a more coherent and effective service to those in need of help to get jobs and thereby fill employers' vacancies. In April 1990 the ES was established as the largest "next steps" agency to date.
In 1989-90 the ES placed in jobs 1.85 million people, 80 per cent. of whom were unemployed. The ES is continuing to improve its services and programmes with the introduction of back to work plans for all unemployed people, the establishment of a unified advisory service, and extra help for those unemployed for over six months.
The ES has made a successful start to the process of combining the functions of job centres and unemployment benefit offices under one roof, so that clients can benefit more easily from the full range of ES services. The Government are investing £70 million in the new network of 1,100- 1,200 offices, which will be completed by 1994. In 1990 my Department issued a consultative document "Employment and Training for People with Disabilities", setting out proposals to increase the effectiveness of the services which assist people with disabilities to prepare for, gain and retain employment. Responses to this document are now being considered.
The Department has continued to play an active role in the discussions of EC social affairs policies and the United Kingdom, as shown in a recent report by the European Commission, is the only member state to implement all 18 existing measures in the social field.
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We have also continued our programme to modernise and update the law relating to health and safety at work, in particular by a major revision of the law governing the control of substances potentially hazardous to health in the work place.Disabled Workers
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what recourse is available to disabled people who consider they have been unjustifiably discriminated against in the field of employment.
Mr. Jackson : Where people feel that discrimination in employment arises from their having a disability they can discuss the matter with the Disablement Advisory Service or a disablement resettlement officer who, where appropriate, can contact the employer and seek to overcome any prejudice or misunderstanding, including providing guidance on the wide range of help available for integrating people with disabilities into the work force. If they meet the qualifying conditions they may be able to complain of unfair dismissal to an industrial tribunal. Along with other employees, in the appropriate circumstances they can also complain to an industrial tribunal about discrimination on grounds of sex, race and membership or non-membership of a trade union, for which there is no qualifying period of service.
Registration
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement outlining those occupations in the United Kingdom at risk from member states of the European Community due to the lack of mandatory registration.
Mr. Forth : Member states in the Community are bound by the treaty articles and associated legislation concerned to achieve the free movement of persons, services and capital. These requirements affect all occupations. If the hon. Gentleman has a particular risk in mind, perhaps he would write to me.
Training and Enterprise Councils
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the criteria by which TECs will be paid their output-related funding for 1991-92 for (a) youth training, (b) employment training or (c) the enterprise allowance scheme ; on what evidence their performance will be assessed ; who is responsible for collecting and evaluating this evidence ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : For youth training (YT), TECs will be paid output- related funding in 1991-92 for national vocational qualifications (NVQs), or equivalent qualifications, at level II and above gained by those trainees who have remained in training for a minimum period of one month. Additionally, payment will be made for NVQs, or equivalent qualifications, gained at level I by some special training needs trainees.
For employment training (ET), TECs will be paid output-related funding for NVQs, or equivalent qualifications, gained by those trainees (other than trainees in skill shortage occupations or who are returning to the labour market) who have remained in training for a minimum
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period of one month. Payment will also be made for such trainees who are in a job, self employment, or full-time education or training three months after leaving ET.Payment will be made for trainees in skill shortage occupations or who are returning to the labour market who gain NVQs, or equivalent qualifications, at level II and above and are in a job, self employment, or full-time education three months after leaving ET. For the enterprise allowance scheme, TECs will be paid output-related funding for scheme entrants and for 12 week and 26 week business survivors.
Evidence that outputs have been achieved will be collected and held by TECs and training providers and will be available for audit by the Employment Department.
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give a summary of the information that has been collected by his Department from area offices and TECs about the employment training recontracting that has taken place showing (a) which TECs or area offices have reduced or terminated ET contracts, or plan to, giving the number of contracts involved and (b) which TECs or area offices have had problems finding alternative places for trainees who have been displaced from training programmes as a result of recontracting, giving the number of trainees involved ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : My Department is currently negotiating contracts with training and enterprise councils (TECs) for the delivery of employment training (ET) in 1991-92. Decisions on contracts with individual training providers are a matter for TECs.
Information is not held centrally on numbers of ET contracts which are reduced or terminated nor on the numbers of ET trainees transferred to alternative training providers.
My right hon. and learned Friend announced to the House on 26 February provision of an additional£120 million for ET in 1991-92. This additional resource will enable ET to continue to play its important role in helping long term unemployed people back to work.
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the allocated budget of each of the operational TECs for 1991-92, showing the amounts contracted for (a) youth training, (b) employment training and (c) the enterprise allowance scheme.
Mr. Jackson : Contracts with TECs are still subject to negotiation.
Northern Region
Mr. Trotter : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were self-employed in the Northern region in February 1981, June 1987 and February 1991.
Mr. Forth : Information on the number of self-employed in the northern region is available only on a quarterly basis up to September 1990. The information is as follows :
Self-employed in Northern
Region
|Number
-------------------------------
March 1981 |83,000
June 1987 |108,000
September 1990 |114,000
Purchasing and Distribution
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the full annual cost, including overheads, of his Department's purchasing activity.
Mr. Forth : On the latest information available the annual cost of the Department's purchasing activities including overheads is £2.14 million.
This information is taken from the report submitted to the Central Unit on Purchasing for the financial year 1989-90.
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people in his Department are wholly or substantially involved in purchasing stores and distribution activities.
Mr. Forth : On the latest information available the Department has 111 people wholly involved full time in purchasing stores and distribution services.
Accurate figures for staff who are substantially involved in these activities are not available.
This information is taken from the report submitted to the central unit on purchasing for the financial year 1989-90.
Restart Courses
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) whether an unemployed person who has been required to attend a restart course and fails to do so, or fails to complete the course, is entitled to a copy of the mandatory attendance at restart courses form RC3, which is completed by the claimant adviser ; whether they can refuse to sign the RC3 if they disagree with what the claimant adviser has written down as their reason for non-attendance ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) whether, after two years unemployment, an unemployed person who is on a waiting list for either (a) an employment training place, or (b) any other education or training course, or (c) waiting to start on the enterprise allowance scheme or (d) waiting for a place on a jobclub would be recognised as having good cause for not participating in a compulsory restart course ; and if he will make a statement.
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 these questions for reply.
Value for Money
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what measures of performance are employed by his Department to ensure value for money.
Mr. Jackson : My Department has a wide range of performance indicators designed to measure value for money. The recently published departmental report lists the performance indicators used in the Employment Department group and includes specific sections on value for money initiatives and the cost effective use of resources. A copy has been placed in the House of Commons Library. Each part of the group identifies annual efficiency gains of at least one and a half per cent. of running costs. In 1989-90 the total gain across the group was £30 million, more than 3 per cent. of running costs.
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Power Station Emissions
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the emissions of particles contaminated with legionella feeli and E. coli organisms from power station cooling towers.
Mr. Forth : No definitive data on the microbiological emissions in the drift from power station cooling towers have been produced in the United Kingdom. However, I am not aware of any epidemiological evidence for cases of human disease associated with the emission of these or any other organisms from such towers.
Employment Service
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will give details of his policy with respect to access by disabled people to employment service facilities ;
(2) if he will make arrangements to allow for access by people with disabilities to the employment service office at Malton, North Yorkshire ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) what account he takes of travel distance and available transport systems in making a decision to approve closures of jobcentres in rural areas ;
(4) what special measures he takes to ensure access to, and information about, jobcentre services in dispersed rural areas ; (5) if he will introduce five-day working at the employment service's office at Malton, North Yorkshire ; and if he will make a statement.
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 these questions for reply.
Training
Mr. Latham : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make a statement on the representations he has received from Mr. T. L. Cox, on behalf of the Leicestershire employment training managers' forum, dated 26 February ; what reply he has sent ; and what specific training arrangements he envisages for ethnic minority groups or disadvantaged persons.
Mr. Jackson : My right hon. and learned Friend has received the letter from Mr. T. L. Cox on behalf of the Leicestershire employment training managers forum dated 26 February 1991. I will reply to Mr. Cox shortly.
The Leicestershire training and enterprise council (TEC) will have responsibility for specific training arrangements including training for those with special needs when it becomes operational from 1 April 1991. The TEC's plans will have to include an assessment of those needs and a description of how the TEC intends to meet them.
Disablement Resettlement Officers
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what response he intends to make to the Employment Committee's recommendation in its first report of Session 1990-91 that the number of disablement resettlement officers and the resources made available for their work should be the subject of a Government review.
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Mr. Jackson : In its report, the Employment Committee said that it would draw attention to various particular concerns which it expected the Government to address when considering the response to the consultative document "Employment and Training for People with Disabilities". My right hon. and learned Friend, the Secretary of State, has written to the Chairman of the Committee to express his pleasure at the participation of the Committee in the consultative process, to say that the Committee's comments will be given full consideration along with all others received and to commit himself to keeping the Committee informed on progress on all the issues they raised. We are still considering the responses to the consultative document.
Mr. Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when the budget for the Devon and Cornwall TEC in youth training will be notified ; what is the reason for the delay ; by how much it will be above or below the total for the previous year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson [holding answer 11 March 1991] : The contract with Devon and Cornwall TEC is at present subject to negotiation. I will write to the hon. Gentleman when the contract is finalised.
South Glamorgan TEC
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment on what date his director of field operations first contacted the chairman of South Glamorgan TEC concerning the procedure for carrying out the construction of the new TEC headquarters.
Mr. Jackson [pursuant to his reply, 26 February 1991] : I regret that the information given in my reply of 26 February at column 480 was incorrect.
The first contact took place on 7 December 1990 and was in the form of a telephone conversation.
HEALTH
Food Safety
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list (a) companies, (b) trade associations, (c) individuals and (d) other organisations (i) who have submitted written evidence and (ii) whom his Department has met in relation to his Department's draft food hygience training consultation document issued in relation to the Food Safety Act 1990.
Mr. Dorrell : A list of organisations that responded to the consultation document has been placed in the Library. Seven individual members of the public also responded.
Representatives of the Department have discussed proposals on hygiene training for food handlers with outside bodies on numerous occasions.
St. Paul's Hospital, Liverpool
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether he will meet a delegation from the community health councils for central and southern Liverpool, the rector of Liverpool parish church, and a cross- party group of hon. Members and local councillors to discuss the future of St. Paul's hospital, Liverpool ;
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(2) what representations he has received from the rector of Liverpool parish church concerning St. Paul's eye hospital ; and if he will publish his response.Mr. Dorrell : We have received from Canon Frayling a copy of the submission he made to Liverpool health authority. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has written to him explaining that under the procedure for consultation it would not be appropriate to comment while the matter is still under consideration by the Liverpool health authority and the Mersey regional health authority. For the same reason it would not be appropriate for my right hon. Friend to meet a delegation at this stage.
Maternity Services
Mrs. Wise : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he issues any guidance about (a) the number of midwives and (b) the number of other staff required for the adequate staffing of an ante-natal clinic.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : No. This is a matter for local management. Staffing levels are likely to vary depending upon the type of service that is provided locally and the catchment areas which clinics serve.
Mrs. Wise : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been done on the use of epidural anaesthesia in childbirth, other than caesarean deliveries, relating to (a) maternal satisfaction, (b) percentage requiring forceps deliveries, (c) effect on babies' sucking ability and (d) any other matters.
Mr. Dorrell : The Department has provided core funding to the national perinatal epidemiology unit in Oxford since 1978. Since its inception, the unit has been conducting a systematic assessment of evidence about the effectiveness and safety of perinatal care. This has involved conducting a systematic review of controlled trials in overviews (meta- analyses) which culminated in the publication in 1989 of "Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth" (Oxford University Press) part of which reviews the evidence relating to epidural anaesthesia, a copy is available in the Library.
In addition, the Department has provided part-funding to a confidential enquiry into pain relief in labour undertaken by the National Birthday Trust in June 1990 and has also funded research on the postpartum consequences of epidural anaesthesia as part of a programme of work on postnatal maternal health at the health care research centre, University of Birmingham.
We do not keep a central register of research funded by other agencies.
Mrs. Wise : To ask the Secretary of State for Health which research projects relating to ante-natal care have been funded by the Government in the last 10 years ; and what information he has on other ante-natal research projects which have been undertaken in that period.
Mr. Dorrell : The Department has funded numerous projects on antenatal care in the last decade. It has provided core funding to the national perinatal epidemiology unit in Oxford since 1978. The unit undertakes a wide programme of research including surveys and other studies using observational data, randomised controlled trials and syntheses of the results of research evaluating the effects of care. The unit has
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produced nearly 500 publications, of which probably more than half relate to care during pregnancy. The Department has also funded a midwifery research initiative based at the unit since February 1988. The Department does not keep a central register of research on specific topics funded by other Government Departments or their agents.Mrs. Wise : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any health authority now maintains a flying squad for use in connection with home confinements.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : All health authorities must ensure that they have satisfactory arrangements for an immediate response to any obstetric emergency occurring outside hospital.
Child Care
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of workplaces for civil servants in his Department ; what proportion of the total number have an on-site nursery facility ; how many and what proportion of workplaces provide a holiday play scheme ; how many and what proportion of workplaces provide after-school child care facilities ; what charges are made for use of any facility ; what the net cost has been for the provision of these facilities ; and what estimate he can make of any future expenditure.
Mr. Dorrell : The Department has 46 work places. The majority of staff are based in London at the Elephant and Castle and in Westminster. A holiday play scheme which has been run at the Elephant and Castle since 1989 is now part of a wider Westminster holiday play scheme. No after- school care facilities and, at present, no on-site nursery facilities are provided. The Department has arranged seven places at a private day nursery in the Elephant and Castle area. Plans for further child care provision include a 25-place nursery as part of redevelopment at the Elephant and Castle, and a 30-place nursery at Quarry house, Leeds.
The Department subsidises the costs of both holiday play scheme and nursery places. Current costs to parents are : play scheme : £10 annual registration fee and a daily charge of £5 ; nursery places : £50 per week. The subsidy for the play scheme in 1989 was approximately £4,200 in 1990, £4,600 and in 1991 it is estimated at £5,200. The departmental contribution to nursery places for 1991 is estimated at £24,000. The Department has a provisional child care budget for 1991-92 of £82,000.
Children's Eye Services, Liverpool
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children's ophthalmic beds are currently provided in Liverpool, and at what hospitals ; and what proposals have been made to alter these arrangements.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not held centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact Michael Emberton, the chairman of the Liverpool health authority, for details.
Caring Occupations
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the member states of the European Community which operate a system of registration for employees involved in caring occupations.
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Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Information on registration systems for the health care professions is currently being collated by the European Commission from data provided by member states. We do not anticipate full details being available before 1992.Traffic Casualties
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received about section 155 of the Road Traffic Act 1972 ; and if he will consider bringing forward proposals to annul that section of the Act.
Mr. Dorrell : The provisions of section 155 of the Road Traffic Act 1972 were consolidated into section 158 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. Representations about this section of the Act are received from time to time from, among others, hon. Members, motoring organisations and the public. The Government are on record that they intend to abolish the right of hospitals (but not general practitioners) to collect the emergency treatment fee, when a suitable legislative vehicle becomes available.
Health Service Staff
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he has made any analysis of the relative change in remuneration of health service ancillary staff as compared with medical, nursing and other groups of staff ;
(2) if he has any plans to bring the pay of health service ancillary staff into line with other public sector groups.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The pay and conditions of service of National Health Service ancillary staff are matters for negotiation in the ancillary staffs Whitley council. Comparisons with the pay of other staff groups in the national health service and elsewhere are a factor in the negotiations along with others including affordability. Management's objective is to enable adequate staff of the requisite calibre to be recruited, motivated and retained locally.
Mr. Trotter : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many national health service doctors and nurses were employed in the Northern region in 1980 and 1990.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The available information is given in the tables.
Hospital and community health
service medical staff in the
Northern
region at 30 September each year
Year |Whole time
|equivalent
|(WTE)
---------------------------------
1980 |2,431.1
1981 |2,484.5
1989 |2,801.3
The information for 1990 is not
yet available. Figures include
permanent paid, honorary and
locum staff.
NHS staff in post at 30 September each
year
Year |Nursing and
|midwifery<1>
|WTE<2>
---------------------------------------
1980 |<3>25,170
1981 |26,210
1989 |27,800
Information for 1990 is not yet
available. The figure for 1981 is
shown because of the reduction in
nurses working hours-see foot note
<3>.
Source: Department of Health (SM13)
Annual Consensus of NHS Non-Medical
Manpower.
<1>Includes agency staff.
<2>All figures are independently
rounded to the nearest ten WTE.
<3>Figures not adjusted to take
account of the reduction in nurses
working hours during 1980-81 (from 40
to 37.5 hours per week).
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will institute a study of the cost to the health service of high rates of turnover amongst ancillary staff and of the level of stress thereby imposed on nurses through an increased work load.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Turnover rates among ancillary staff vary substantially in different parts of the country. It is for local management to determine staffing requirements and to deal with the consequences of any high rate of turnover.
Patients (Safety)
Mr. Hill : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what instructions are given to regional health authorities concerning the danger of foreign objects being left in patients ; and what safety checks are obligatory ;
(2) what is the procedure to recall patients for abdominal x-ray to ascertain the position of clips not extracted during operations ; (3) what is the procedure to warn patients after operations that clips are still in the patient.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This is a matter for the professions concerned. Guidelines are provided in "Theatre Safeguards" published by the Medical Defence Union, the Medical Protection Society, the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland, the Royal College of Nursing and the National Association of Theatre Nurses, a copy of which will be placed in the Library.
Ashworth Hospital
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any video cameras have been installed at Ashworth hospital for the purpose of monitoring patients.
Mr. Dorrell : Video cameras are used solely for monitoring the movement of patients in the hospital grounds and for security surveillance of visitors entering and leaving the hospital. There are no cameras installed in the ward areas.
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to institute an independent public inquiry into events at Ashworth hospital ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell : The chief executive of the Special Hospitals Service Authority stated on 5 March that there would be a full and searching inquiry into the incidents described in the programme "A Special Hospital". We are in touch with the authority about the form the inquiry should take. An announcement will be made as soon as this has been decided.
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he proposes to take so as to ensure that the seclusion rooms at Ashworth hospital are properly monitored by service staff at all times.
Mr. Dorrell : The Special Hospitals Service Authority informs me that it has reviewed and revised its policies
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relating to seclusion. The new policies take account of the guidance in the code of practice under section 118 of the Mental Health Act 1983 which the Department issued in 1990, and have been discussed with the Mental Health Act Commission. They include stricter criteria for observing patients in seclusion. The new policies are now in operation together with formal arrangements for monitoring their effectiveness. The authority has agreed with the Commission to keep this matter under review.Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will obtain a copy of the film, "A Special Hospital" shown on Channel 4 on 4 March, for his departmental library.
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