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been used to increase by 60 per cent. regular aerial surveillance patrols of United Kingdom waters to deter and detect ships making illegal operational discharges of oil.Emergency Services
Mr. Prescott : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what rescue equipment, communications equipment and vehicles he plans to make standard issue for the new limited response teams ; and what steps he will take to encourage greater use of private vehicles on coastguard duties.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 15 April 1991] : The concept of initial response teams along with their number, location, and equipment requirements necessary to meet the recommendations of the review is still being discussed and assessed. As far as the vehicular requirements of individual teams are concerned the use of private vehicles will be considered where this would provide the most suitable and cost-effective method of meeting the response criteria recommended in the review.
Coastguard Review (Humber)
Mr. Prescott : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions have been held between senior management and local interests in the Humber district of the coastguard review.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 15 April 1991] : Following my announcement of the coastguard review, the district controller at Humber maritime rescue sub centre made a direct approach to all interested local authorities in his district advising them of the review and inviting written comments. Subsequently, most of these bodies replied. I am satisfied that all local interests have had the opportunity to comment and their views are being taken into account in the draft proposals to implement the recommendations of the review.
Coastguard Service (Annual Budgets)
Mr. Prescott : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the annual budget for the coastguard service for each of the past five years in cash and real terms ; and what proportion of that budget is spent on the auxiliary service.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 15 April 1991] : The figures requested are as follows :
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£ '000
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Her Majesty's Coastguard costs |21,762 |23,990 |25,853 |28,584 |29,630
Auxiliary Coastguard pay, allowances
and equipment |1,956 |2,069 |<1>2,732|2,078 |2,007
Auxiliary accommodation costs |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |407 |388
Assuming constant 1986-87 prices
Inflation factor (per cent.) |100 |105.45 |113.14 |120.36 |129.98
Equivalent total Her Majesty's
Coastguard costs |21,762 |22,750 |22,850 |23,748 |22,795
<1> Costs include two years spend on vehicles and boats.
<2> Not available.
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Vehicle Emissions
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what instructions he has given to his regional traffic area offices with regard to complaints from the public about smoky vehicles ; how many such complaints have been received since the publication of the leaflet "Wake up to what you can do for the Environment" ; and what action has been taken, or is planned, in respect of such complaints.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 19 April 1991] : If a complaint is about a smoky vehicle subject to operator licensing, which means most buses and lorries and sufficient details of the vehicle and the incident are provided, the Department will write to the operator. The letter will ask him to have the vehicle checked and to report to the Department, within 10 days of the date of the letter, on the action taken. The letter will also warn that excessive smoke emission is an offence under regulation 61 of the Construction and Use Regulations. As these arrangements have only recently come into force, it is too soon to estimate their impact on numbers of complaints.
Goole Railway Bridge
Mr. Alison : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the names of pilotage companies which, over the last 10 years, or the nearest practicable equivalent time span, have been licensed, or otherwise authorised or entitled, to pilot river craft on the Rivers Humber and Ouse up to the point near Goole railway bridge where pilotage ceases to be compulsory.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 22 April 1991] : Associated British Ports has been responsible for pilotage services in this area both as competent harbour authority since 1 October 1988 under the Pilotage Act 1987 and prior to that as pilotage authority for the district under previous pilotage legislation. Only those pilots authorised by Associated British Ports may act as authorised pilots in this area.
Mr. Alison : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the occasions over the last 10 years, or the nearest practicable equivalent time span, on which Goole railway bridge over the River Ouse has been struck in collision by river craft to the extent of causing appreciable bridge damage ; and on how many such occasions the bridge has had to be closed to rail traffic.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 22 April 1991] : Since 1981, collisions causing appreciable damage to the bridge structure or its protective fenders and piles have occurred on the following dates :
Year
---------------------------------------
1981 |24 February
1984 |26 August
1985 |20 January
|29 November
1986 |30 May
|13 June
1987 |27 April
|23 October
1988 |12 September
| 6 November
|21 November
|23 November
| 5 December
1989 |28 April
|16 October
1990 |29 January
|20 April
|22 August
|30 August
|12 September
| 3 October
| 5 October
Table file CW910423.029 not available
After any collision involving the main bridge structure, rail traffic is stopped until an examination is completed by BR's area engineer. The incident on 23 November 1988 was the only one to cause an extended closure of the line.
Public Transport (Environmental Impact)
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what weight is given in cost-benefit analyses to environmental criteria in assessing road and rail schemes ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 15 April 1991] : In reaching a decision on a particular transport infrastructure scheme, we take great care to ensure that full weight is given to the environmental as well as the economic consequences. Where a scheme may give rise to significant environmental effects, an environmental assessment is prepared and the impacts quantified, where practical. The full range of evidence on economic, environmental and other effects is gathered to inform decision making, whether or not it can be quantified or expressed in monetary values.
EMPLOYMENT
Social Affairs Council
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment which other European community countries supported the United Kingdom's position on Commission proposals at the Social Affairs Council meeting on 26 November 1990.
Mr. Howard : At the Social Affairs Council on 26 November, the Council unanimously adopted the health and safety directive on biological agents and similarly agreed a common position on a directive to control the use of asbestos in the work place. There was also unanimous agreement on an action programme in favour of the elderly and on a resolution on the comparability of vocational training qualifications.
A large majority of delegations agreed with the United Kingdom that rapid progress could be made towards agreeing the proposed directive on the health and safety of temporary workers. A majority of member states including the United Kingdom had significant difficulties with the substance and proposed treaty base of the Commission's proposals for directives concerning the employment of part-time and temporary workers. A minority of other member states also had difficulties with proposals to amend the regulations concerning free movement of labour and social security entitlements for migrant workers ; and it was agreed that the proposals should be remitted for further consideration by officials.
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Employment Training
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many unemployed people there are outside the guarantee and aim groups on employment training.
Mr. Jackson : A total of 62 per cent. of people on employment training were outside the aim and guarantee groups, as at October 1990, the latest date for which information is available.
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the number of employment training schemes that will be required to close as a result of cuts in the training budgets for training and enterprise councils ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : The awarding of contracts for the provision of employment training is now the responsibility of training and enterprise councils in England and Wales, and local enterprise companies in Scotland. The Employment Department does not keep figures on the withdrawal or participation of training providers in employment training.
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he is proposing any new initiative for training provision for special needs groups ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : Local enterprise companies in Scotland and training and enterprise councils in England and Wales have been given the responsibility and flexibility to innovate and arrange the delivery of training to meet the varying needs of unemployed people in their area. I have no plans to set up any new initiatives for training provision for special needs groups.
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what current steps he is taking to pursue the objective set out in "Training and Employment" of attracting returners to the labour market.
Mr. Jackson : Local enterprise companies in Scotland and training and enterprise councils in England and Wales have a contractual requirement to ensure equality of opportunity in all their activities. Returners to the labour market may enter employment training without being registered as unemployed, providing they have been out of employment for at least two years for domestic reasons. The framework within which local enterprise companies and training and enterprise councils operate gives them the flexibility to tailor their training with their domestic commitments--for example, with part-time participation--the use of distance learning material and support with childcare costs.
Periods of Unemployment
Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has on the average lengths of time that individuals are unemployed ; and whether this varies as between different levels of income before and after the period of unemployment.
Mr. Jackson : In January 1991, the latest date for which information is available, the median duration of unemployment in the United Kingdom was 21.7 weeks. Information relating to income is not available.
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Training Schemes
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what recent changes and reforms he has made in respect of Government training schemes ; what is the financial impact of the changes ; and what is the basic purpose of these changes.
Mr. Jackson : The most important recent change is that responsibility for planning and delivering training programmes at a local level has been given to the new employer-led training and enterprise councils. TECs have considerable flexibility, within a national framework set by Government, to tailor their training to meet local needs, and to evolve innovative approaches to developing skills and supporting business growth. Other significant changes include :
Training credits, which are being piloting by 10 TECs, and one local enterprise company in Scotland. This initiative will expand and improve training for young people by giving them the power to choose and buy training to approved standards :
the development of youth training, which assists young people to achieve nationally recognised vocational qualifications ; the investors in people initiative, designed to encourage employers to improve performance through effective development to their people ;
education business partnerships, which are joint ventures between TECS and local education authorities involving employers, educationalists and others in the local community.
The creation of TECs and the flexibilities they have will ensure that programmes are more effective and responsive to both business and individuals. This will in turn lead to improved value for money. The purpose of these changes is to help ensure that our economy has the skills it needs.
Kilbarchan Quarry
Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many times in the past 12 months the quarry in Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire, has been examined by health and safety inspectors.
Mr. Jackson : The Health and Safety Executive's quarries inspectorate has carried out two inspections at Kilbarchan quarry, Renfrewshire, during the past 12 months.
Employment Office Closures
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what guidelines he has issued to the Employment Service Executive Agency in connection with the closure of employment offices in the Yorkshire and Humberside region.
Mr. Jackson : The employment service's roles and responsibilities for the management of its estate are outlined in section 6 of the agency framework document, a copy of which is held in the House of Commons Library. When considering the closure of an office, account will be taken of the comprehensiveness of the service available in the office concerned, business volumes, accessibility to other offices and whether resources are being best used.
Strikes, Yorkshire
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many days were lost through strikes in Yorkshire in each of the past 12 years.
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Mr. Jackson : Industrial disputes data are only available by standard region. The data for Yorkshire and Humberside are given below :
Year |Working days lost
|(thousands)
------------------------------------------------------
1990<1> |89
1989 |325
1988 |244
1987 |339
1986 |250
1985 |2,076
1984 |9,354
1983 |415
1982 |575
1981 |449
1980 |2,832
1979 |3,115
<1> 1990 data are provisional.
SCOTLAND
Enterprise Initiative
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what evaluation he has undertaken of the enterprise initiative in Scotland.
Mr. Allan Stewart : The enterprise initiative is a national initiative. Consequently, all evaluations of it have been undertaken by the Department of Trade and Industry on a United Kingdom basis, taking account of, but not evaluating separately, Scottish participation.
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The following evaluations have been published and copies are available in the Libraries of the House :Evaluation of the Consultancy Initiatives
Segal Quince Wickstead
HMSO ISBN 0 11 514677 6 ;
Evaluation of the Consultancy Initiatives--Second Stage
Segal Quince Wickstead
HMSO ISBN 0 11 515269 5 ;
Evaluation of Regional Enterprise Grants
Leslie Hays Consultants Ltd.
HMSO ISBN 0 11 515236 9 ;
Evaluation of Regional Enterprise Grants
Segal Quince Wickstead
HMSO ISBN 0 11 515273 3.
Fishing Vessels (Callings)
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the number of reported callings by fishing vessels for each month from, and including, January into the ports of Scrabster, Stornoway, Ullapool, Aberdeen and Shetland.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : United Kingdom fishing vessels intending to cross the 4 west line of longitude to the north of the Scottish mainland are required to contact a designated office of the Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department. The designated offices were Ullapool, 1 January to 4 March 1991, and Peterhead, 5 March to date. The number of calls received at these offices were as follows :
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|January |February |March |April
|(1 to 15)
------------------------------------------------------------
Ullapool |47 |100 |19 |-
Peterhead |- |- |190 |69
No calls were made to Scrabster, Stornoway, Aberdeen or Shetland as these were not designated offices during the period specified.
Child Care
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many children have been taken into care in each Scottish local authority to protect them from abuse within their family, in each year since 1979.
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Mr. Michael Forsyth : The available information relates to 1987, 1988 and 1989.
The following figures show the number of children who have received compulsory measures of care in relation to grounds (d) , (dd) and (e) of section 32(2) of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, that is, as victims of offence, in the same households as schedule 1 offenders, and in the same households as incest victims.
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1987 1988 1989
|Community |Residential |Community |Residential |Community |Residential
|placement<1>|placement<2>|placement<1>|placement<2>|placement<1>|placement<2>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Borders |8 |0 |4 |2 |4 |0
Central |18 |6 |27 |0 |21 |3
Dumfries/Galloway |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Fife |24 |5 |31 |6 |19 |3
Grampian |29 |5 |32 |0 |48 |6
Highland |11 |0 |8 |2 |27 |2
Lothian |0 |0 |1 |0 |16 |3
Strathclyde<3> |- |- |- |- |260 |81
Tayside |4 |9 |25 |6 |29 |6
Orkney |0 |0 |1 |0 |0 |1
Shetland |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Western Isles |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
SCOTLAND |94 |25 |129 |16 |424 |105
<1>Include at home, with relatives or friends, and foster parents.
<2>Include children's homes or hostels, residential schools, and assessment centres.
<3>Breakdown by individual grounds not available for Strathclyde in 1987 and 1988.
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Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the expenditure figures for each local authority area in social work each year since 1979 and the percentage of such expenditure on child care.
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Mr. Michael Forsyth : The social work gross expenditure figures for the years 1978-79 to 1988-89 and the percentage of expenditure attributed to child care are set out in the tables below.
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Gross expenditure of social work (£ 000s), 1978-79 to 1988-89.
|1978-79|1979-80|1980-81|1981-82|1982-83|1983-84|1984-85|1985-86|1986-87|1987-88|1988-89
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Borders |2,732 |3,406 |4,099 |4,698 |5,137 |5,418 |5,881 |6,284 |6,744 |7,563 |8,440
Central |6,300 |7,938 |9,992 |11,594 |12,584 |13,939 |15,346 |16,727 |18,012 |19,984 |22,632
Dumfries/
Galloway |3,102 |3,812 |4,725 |5,318 |5,642 |6,297 |6,876 |7,566 |8,415 |9,263 |10,680
Fife |7,963 |10,451 |13,182 |15,411 |17,140 |18,497 |22,114 |23,433 |25,193 |28,681 |32,255
Grampian |11,528 |13,969 |17,706 |19,883 |22,014 |23,838 |25,859 |28,329 |30,388 |35,281 |39,505
Highland |4,398 |5,461 |6,942 |8,202 |9,063 |10,233 |11,210 |12,191 |12,458 |13,888 |15,313
Lothian |27,688 |36,451 |48,669 |53,111 |54,391 |55,770 |55,531 |59,676 |64,828 |71,844 |77,364
Strathclyde |78,713 |97,613 |121,651|133,324|144,962|153,966|163,267|178,206|180,271|205,669|230,846
Tayside |12,476 |15,764 |19,443 |21,914 |23,634 |25,129 |26,932 |29,553 |30,923 |34,264 |38,318
Orkney |723 |902 |1,624 |1,137 |1,221 |1,304 |1,459 |1,675 |1,745 |1,851 |2,172
Shetland |755 |958 |1,446 |1,852 |2,075 |2,284 |2,464 |2,691 |2,771 |3,029 |3,245
Western Isles |1,284 |1,771 |2,262 |2,686 |3,034 |3,370 |3,295 |3,578 |3,806 |3,875 |4,408
|---- |---- |---- |---- |---- |---- |---- |---- |---- |---- |----
Scotland |157,662|198,496|251,741|279,130|300,897|320,045|340,234|369,909|385,554|435,192|485,178
Percentage of gross social work expenditure on child care, 1978-79-1988-89
Percentages
|1978-79|1979-80|1980-81|1981-82|1982-83|1983-84|1984-85|1985-86|1986-87|1987-88|1988-89
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Borders |11.8 |13.7 |11.9 |11.8 |11.9 |12.3 |11.3 |10.6 |11.9 |10.5 |9.7
Central |22.9 |22.3 |21.8 |21.2 |21.1 |21.1 |20.1 |19.6 |20.1 |17.8 |16.7
Dumfries/Galloway |14.5 |14.8 |12.3 |13.7 |14.1 |16.3 |14.0 |13.2 |12.3 |12.6 |14.3
Fife |19.8 |20.5 |20.1 |18.2 |18.8 |19.6 |16.1 |15.8 |12.2 |11.1 |9.5
Grampian |18.1 |17.3 |17.0 |16.1 |13.4 |15.4 |14.5 |14.5 |16.1 |15.0 |14.7
Highland |15.3 |15.1 |14.1 |15.4 |14.2 |13.7 |14.4 |14.4 |14.9 |12.4 |11.5
Lothian |22.3 |22.1 |22.0 |22.5 |21.6 |22.4 |19.9 |18.3 |19.9 |19.8 |20.1
Strathclyde |23.6 |23.6 |23.2 |23.0 |22.2 |22.5 |21.3 |20.1 |18.3 |19.9 |19.6
Tayside |21.6 |22.1 |12.5 |21.8 |21.4 |21.6 |18.7 |18.5 |19.2 |18.5 |16.2
Orkney |3.5 |2.9 |2.3 |3.2 |3.4 |3.9 |4.2 |3.6 |3.9 |3.3 |3.9
Shetland |6.1 |4.2 |3.5 |4.2 |4.7 |7.0 |7.3 |7.4 |8.1 |6.7 |6.9
Western Isles |3.8 |4.2 |3.5 |3.2 |3.3 |3.4 |2.7 |3.3 |3.3 |3.1 |3.3
Scotland |21.6 |21.6 |20.4 |21.0 |20.2 |20.7 |19.1 |18.1 |17.5 |17.8 |17.4
Mentally Handicapped People
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement of Government policy towards provision for the profoundly mentally handicapped.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Government's policy on care for all people with mental handicaps is that where possible they should be enabled to live in the community with appropriate support.
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the statutory obligations of central and local government towards the provision of care for the profoundly mentally handicapped.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The information is as follows :
Secretary of State's duties discharged through health boards-- National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978
Section 1(1) Duty to promote in Scotland a comprehensive and integrated health service
Duties of Local Authorities--
Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968
Section 5A Duty to prepare and publish community care plans Section 12 Duty to promote social welfare
Section 14 Duty to provide or arrange home help services Section 61 Duty to register establishments providing social care Section 68 Duty to visit people in social care establishments
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Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970Section (2)1 Duty to provide, where need is established material assistance
Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984
Section 8 Duty to provide after-care
Section 9 Duty to appoint mental health officers
Section 11 Duty to secure training and occupation for persons suffering from mental handicap
Section 39(3) Duty to consider taking people into guardianship Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986
Section 8 Duty to consider carer's needs
Section 13 Duty to assess needs of young people leaving special care, for social work services
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what is his estimate of the numbers of profoundly mentally handicapped persons in each region outwith Strathclyde and within each district council area within Strathclyde ;
(2) what is his estimate of the numbers of profoundly mentally handicapped aged 16 years and over.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The information requested is not held centrally.
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Arson
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many arson attacks there were on Scottish schools in 1990 ; how many prosecutions resulted from such attacks ; and what was the total cost to each Scottish education authority from arson.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : In 1989, the latest year for which figures are available, fire brigades attended 322 fires in educational establishments in Scotland, of which 176 were recorded as deliberate or possibly deliberate. Separate figures are not available for the numbers of such fires in schools. Information on prosecutions resulting from wilful fire- raising does not identify the type of property involved. Information on the cost to education authorities from such attacks is not collected centrally.
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