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Employment Laws
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the Lord Advocate has issued any guidance in the last 10 years to procurators fiscal in respect of prosecutions under the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act 1920 and part III of the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Act 1937 as amended and associated local byelaws ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : My noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate has not issued any guidance in the last 10 years to procurators fiscal in respect of contraventions of the Acts or byelaws specified. Any
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reports received by procurators fiscal alleging such contraventions are considered according to the individual circumstances of each case.Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) prosecutions have been brought and (b) convictions obtained in respect of alleged offences under (i) the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act 1920, (ii) part III of the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Act 1937 as amended and (iii) local byelaws made under section 28 of the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Act 1937, in each year since 1980.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information requested is not separately identifiable in the Scottish Office classification of crimes and offences.
Criminal Justice
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the number of persons convicted for offences in relation to the provisions of the Debtors (Scotland) Act 1880 or the Civil Imprisonment (Scotland) Act 1882 in each of the past 20 years in terms of (a) type of offence, (b) sex of convicted miscreant and (c) type of sentence imposed by the court ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Information in the form requested is not available, but the prison population of civil prisoners averaged 1 in the years 1985 to 19879, while the average number of receptions of such prisoners over this period was 15. These figures relate to all types of civil imprisonment.
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the latest available figures and percentages for people sentenced by the courts for indictable offences broken down by (a) sex and (b) age.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The tables give information on all persons who were proceeded against on indictment and who had a charge proved against them in 1989. It is not possible to provide information on persons who had a charge proved under summary procedure whose cases could have been heard on indictment.
Persons with a charge proved under
solemn procedure, 1989
Sex |Number |Per cent
--------------------------------------
Males |2,965 |95
Females |147 |5
|--- |---
Total<1> |3,129 |100
<1>Includes sex not known.
Age |Number |Per cent
------------------------------------
8-15 |12 |0
16-20 |741 |24
21-25 |912 |29
26-30 |598 |19
31-40 |503 |16
Over 40 |306 |10
Age not known 57 2
|--- |---
Total |3,129 |100
Note: Companies have been excluded
throughout.
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the latest available figures and percentages for the total number of people cautioned for summary and indictable offences broken down by (a) sex, (b) age and (c) type of offence.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Information on the number of persons warned by the police is not collected centrally.
Prison Service
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the latest available figures for the total number of people employed in the prison service broken down by (a) occupation and grade and (b) sex.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information is as follows :
Grade |Male |Female |Total
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Governor 1 |6 |0 |6
Governor 2 |8 |0 |8
Governor 3 |20 |2 |22
Governor 4 |24 |2 |26
Governor 5 |48 |13 |61
Senior medical officer |2 |0 |2
Medical officer |5 |0 |5
Catering adviser |1 |0 |1
Steward 1 |1 |0 |1
Steward II |1 |0 |1
Senior professional and
technical officer |4 |0 |4
Higher professional and
technical officer |4 |0 |4
Professional and technical
officer |7 |0 |7
Discipline
Principal officer |190 |10 |200
Senior officer |261 |20 |281
Officer |2,152 |105 |2,257
Physical education instructors
Principal officer |3 |0 |3
Senior officer |7 |0 |7
Officer |31 |1 |32
Staff training officers/tutors |32 |2 |34
Caterers
Governor 5 |1 |0 |1
Principal officer |7 |0 |7
Senior officer |17 |1 |18
Officer |54 |3 |57
Nurses
Governor 5 |1 |0 |1
Principal officer |10 |1 |11
Senior officer |20 |2 |22
Officer |102 |14 |116
Instructors industries
Principal officer |28 |0 |28
Senior officer |46 |1 |47
Officer |145 |11 |156
Officer vocational training |26 |1 |27
Works officers
Governor 4 |3 |0 |3
Governor 5 |5 |0 |5
Principal officer |28 |0 |28
Senior officer |40 |0 |40
Officer |190 |0 |190
Office staff
Chief clerk officer |14 |0 |14
Principal clerk officer |64 |7 |71
Clerk officer |44 |13 |57
Civilian instructors industries
Instructional officer |15 |1 |16
Instructional officer vocational
training |6 |0 |6
Other staff
Stores supervisor |4 |1 |5
Stores staff |12 |2 |14
Typists |0 |45 |45
Telephonists |1 |7 |8
Messengers |3 |0 |3
Bricklayer |1 |0 |1
Driver |14 |0 |14
Electrician |2 |0 |2
Industrial ganger |1 |0 |1
Joiner |2 |0 |2
Mechanical fitter |1 |0 |1
Nightwatchman |1 |0 |1
Painter |8 |0 |8
Plasterer |2 |0 |2
Plumber |5 |0 |5
Sewage plant attendant |3 |0 |3
Slater |5 |0 |5
Stockman |1 |0 |1
Stoker/boilerman |13 |0 |13
Stonemason |1 |0 |1
|-------|-------|-------
Total full-time staff |3,753 |265 |4,018
Part-time staff
Medical Officers |24 |1 |25
Chaplains |65 |3 |68
Temporary female assistants |0 |16 |16
Typists |0 |7 |7
Organists |8 |9 |17
Weekend watchmen |2 |0 |2
Others |10 |1 |11
|-------|-------|-------
Total part-time staff |109 |37 |146
Casual staff
Drivers |1 |0 |1
Painters |2 |0 |2
Stoker/boilerman |1 |0 |1
|-------|-------|-------
Total casual staff |4 |0 |4
|-------|-------|-------
Overall total staff |3,866 |302 |4,168
Sheriff Ewen Stewart
Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has had about the conduct of Sheriff Ewen Stewart ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang : Following representations, including representations from Members of this House, and in the light of the observations of Sheriff Principal R. A. Bennett QC in a recent case, I have concluded that it would be appropriate for an investigation to be undertaken of the fitness for office of Sheriff Ewen Stewart. I have therefore asked the Lord President and Lord Justice Clerk to carry out such an investigation under the provisions of section 12 of the Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act 1971.
Foreign Languages
Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to strengthen support for foreign language study in Scotland.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Government attach great importance to the study of modern foreign languages within the school curriculum and beyond. Guidance is that all secondary pupils should pursue the study of a modern European foreign language throughout the four years of
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compulsory secondary education and that increasing numbers should continue their study beyond that. At the same time pilot studies are being undertaken on the teaching of modern languages in the primary school. Employers are increasingly aware of the need for language training to ensure that their staff have the requisite capabilities to trade successfully within the single European market.To support schools and others in the substantial demands made on them by these developments the Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research (CILT) and the university of Stirling, with the support of the Scottish Office Education Department, are to establish a Scottish Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research. The centre will be based in the university of Stirling and will commence operations in December this year. Its work will be evaluated after three years. The centre will provide support and material for language teachers in their work and will also aim to supply information and advice to firms about language policy, recruitment and training. The centre will draw on the experience and resources of CILT built up over many years and will also benefit from Stirling University's particular facilities for modern language provision and associated pre-service teacher training.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Manufacturing Industry
Mr. Cash : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Government will respond to the Report of the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology on innovation in manufacturing industry --1st report, 1990-91, HL Paper 18-1.
Mr. Lilley : Yesterday the Government published their reply, "Innovation in Manufacturing Industry : Government Response to the First Report of the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology, 1990-91 Session." Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
Steel
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the output of the steel industries of each EC member state in 1980 and in 1990.
Mr. Leigh : The information requested is shown in the table. Output is given in terms of crude steel production ; this is the basic output measure for which EC-wide statistics are available.
Crude steel production in current EC
countries, 1980 and 1990
(million tonnes)
|1980 |1990
---------------------------------------
Germany |43.8 |41.8
Italy |26.5 |25.5
France |23.2 |19.0
United Kingdom |<1>11.3|17.9
Spain |12.6 |12.7
Belgium |12.3 |11.5
Netherlands |5.3 |5.4
Luxembourg |4.6 |3.6
Greece |0.9 |1.0
Portugal |0.7 |0.7
Denmark |0.7 |0.6
Ireland |0.0 |0.3
|--- |---
Total |141.9 |140.0
<1>1980 was an exceptional year for
crude steel production in the United
Kingdom because of strike action.
Production in 1979 was 21.5 million
tonnes and in 1981 was 15.3 million.
Source: Eurostat, with additional
information for 1980 for Spain,
Portugal and Greece from the
International Iron and Steel
Institute.
Timeshares
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations his Department has received about misleading advertising techniques practised by promoters selling timeshares ; whether he has any evidence that such complaints are increasing in number ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Leigh : I receive a steady stream of complaints about the marketing practices of some timeshare companies and associated high pressure selling. There has been an increase over the last month but this may reflect publicity given to these practices in a recent television programme.
I have already told the House that we intend to amend the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 to tighten the controls on statements about services and to bring timeshare award schemes within the Act's powers.
European Community
Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will obtain for his departmental library a copy of "European Economy December 1990", published by the European Commission.
Mr. Sainsbury : A copy of the publication is already held by the Library.
Mr. Grylls : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of the single market laws have been implemented by each EEC member to date.
Mr. Sainsbury : I refer to the response that I gave to the hon. Member for Warrington, South (Mr. Butler) on 25 June at columns. 438-40, which gives the full implementation records of all member states.
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give details of the proposals not yet adopted necessary for the completion of the single market.
Mr. Sainsbury : Annex 2 of the Commission's reports to the Council and the European Parliament give the proposals submitted by the Commission which still require Council adoption. These reports are deposited in the House Library when my Department receives them from the Commission. A copy of the fifth report is already held. A copy of the sixth report is expected shortly.
Mr. Grylls : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of the single market laws each EC country has refused to implement ; and which countries have been brought before the European Court of Justice by the European Commission for persistently refusing to implement the single market laws.
Mr. Sainsbury : I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Warrington, South (Mr. Butler) on 25 June at columns 438-40.
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Our understanding is that it is not a question of member states refusing to implement single market measures, but of legislative and administrative delays.The Commission's latest report on the completion of the internal market notes that implementation of court judgments has itself considerably improved ; 26 judgments by the court are currently the subject of actions brought for failure to act. These failures to act involve only four member states : Greece (3), Germany (4), Belgium (4) and Italy (15). It should be noted that these cases include measures which fall into the general single market area, but go considerably wider than the White Paper programme, on which the figures for implementation provided on 25 June are based.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the departmental on-line data base Spearhead, in providing public and commercial information on the European single market ; how many users have accessed the data base in each month since it was established ; and at what cost to his Department and the consumer of the service Spearhead is operated.
Mr. Sainsbury : [holding answer 27 June 1991] : My Department's Spearhead detabase provides comprehensive information on current and prospective EC legislation affecting business. It provides a brief synopsis of measures which have been adopted (and where appropriate how they have been implemented in this country), proposals currently under discussion in Brussels, and others which the Commission intend to submit. A Government contact point is given for each measure who can provide more detailed advice.
In addition Spearhead provides information on shared-cost EC research and development programmes and gives details of draft national legislation proposed in other member states and EFTA countries notified to the European Commission under the procedure laid down in Directive 83/189/EEC.
Spearhead is published commercially through private sector data providers. The Department provides the information free of charge to the hosts. However, in return the Exchequer receives royalties based on actual usage by customers. It was originally launched in April 1988 exclusively on Profile Information (now FT Profile). The database is now also hosted on the Justis on-line service provided by Context Limited and by Data-Star. All subscribers to these services can access the database directly. It is also available through a range of distributors (including Telecom Gold) who offer gateways to these hosts. Because hosts bill distributors as if they were a single customer the actual number of users who have accessed the database each month is not available. My officials therefore monitor the performance indirectly through the royalties received from the hosts which is related to the use made of the database.
The table gives combined royalty payments received on a half yearly basis since Spearhead was launched.
The costs to consumers of accessing the Spearhead database are the standard charges for accessing the various data files carried by the individual hosts. This is approximately £1.80 per minute plus VAT. Distributors set their own pricing arrangements. The estimated marginal cost to my Department of making this service available to business (excluding royalties) is some £10,000 per annum.
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Period |Royalties
|(£ thousand)
------------------------------------------------
April to June 1988 |<1>
July to December 1988 |<1>
January to June 1989 |9.5
July to December 1989 |6.9
January to June 1990 |5.7
July to December 1990 |5.6
January to May 1991 |5.0
<1> For the first eight months the Department
waived royalty payments as part of the launch
campaign. Had they not have been waived
royalties would have been some £8 thousand.
Enterprise Initiative
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent on the enterprise initiative since its inception, broken down into (a) administration, (b) publicity, (c) grants to business and (i) by region and (ii) in total.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 20 June 1991] : Total expenditure on the consultancy initiatives in the period from launch of the initiatives in January 1988 up to the end of March 1991 was £171.2 million, of which £43.2 million was on administration, including enterprise counsellor and scheme contractor activities, £36.2 million on publicity and £91.8 million on consultancy and support for businesses. A breakdown of expenditure on consultancy support for businesses for each DTI region and for Scotland and Wales is as follows. It is not possible to give a breakdown by region of expenditure on administration and publicity.
D.T.I. Expenditure on assisted
consultancies
January 1988-March 1991
|£ million
-----------------------------------------
North East |7.1
North West |14.9
Yorkshire/Humberside |9.7
West Midlands |10.6
East Midlands |5.5
South West |6.4
East |4.9
South East |18.4
Scotland |8.0
Wales |6.3
|--
sub-total |91.8
|--
Administration |43.2
Publicity |36.2
|---
Total |171.2
Bass, Preston Brook
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list all the regional and job creation grants and incentives given to Bass at Preston Brook ; and what were the numbers of jobs expected to be created.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 27 June 1991] : All applications for assistance by companies from my Department are treated in strictest confidence. However, Preston Brook is not in an assisted area and no companies there can qualify for DTI regional assistance.
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Overseas Trade Fairs
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether there is any difference in policy in awarding grants, travel and exhibitions to British firms exhibiting at overseas trade fairs between military companies and non-military companies.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 27 June 1991] : Of the 292 fairs selected for DTI support during 1990-91, only four were specifically military fairs.
The Department of Trade and Industry does not differentiate between civil and military companies when providing assistance at overseas trade fairs.
Environmental Education
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any plans to meet the United Kingdom Chamber of Commerce to discuss the outcome of the meeting co-ordinated by the Association of British Chambers of Commerce on environmental education in business schools, universities and polytechnics, held on 22 May.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 27 June 1991] : My Department has no knowledge of this organisation nor the meeting referred to. However, if the hon. Gentleman can provide further details I shall be glad to consider his question again.
Braille Books
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will introduce legislation to allow reproduction of books in Braille without any copyright fee being required ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 27 June 1991] : I understand that many authors and publishers grant Braille reproduction rights free of charge. I do not think it would be appropriate to compel them to do so.
Shipbuilding
Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what formula was used to calculate the extent to which Britain would have to reduce shipbuilding capacity in return for levels of state aid authorised to the industry in the agreement between the United Kingdom Government and the European Commission which resulted in the closure of North East Shipbuilders Ltd, Sunderland.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 25 June 1991] : The level of state aid to British Shipbuilders authorised by the European Commission in December 1988 was not conditional on a particular reduction in United Kingdom merchant shipbuilding capacity calculated by reference to any formula.
In the absence of acceptable bids for the remaining North East Shipbuilders Ltd. shipyards during the eight and a half months in which they had been up for sale, the Government decided in early December 1988 to close the yards. The proposed closure aid at North East Shipbuilders Ltd. to cover such matters as redundancies and the provision of remedial assistance had to be taken into account in determining the overall level of subsidy
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permissible to British Shipbuilders within the relevant Community shipbuilding aid ceilings. Accordingly these costs were included in the wider package of subsidy measures notified to, and approved by, the European Commission in December 1988.DEFENCE
Operation Granby
Mr. Churchill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British personnel died during Operation Granby ; and how many of those were killed in action.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Forty-seven British personnel died during Operation Granby. It is now known that 24 of these were killed in action.
Injured Grenadiers
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will ask Guardsmen Hicks, Povey and Ray to make a further statement on the events in July 1989 in Suffield, Canada ;
(2) if he will now arrange for Guardsmen Povey and Hicks to be interviewed over the accident in July 1989 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : We have no plans at present to interview or take further statements from Guardsmen Hicks, Ray and Povey in connection with the accident at Batus in July 1989.
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken by his Department to trace the origin of the munition that exploded in July 1989 in Suffield, Canada, causing the injuries suffered by Guardsmen Hicks, Povey and Ray.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The munition was identified in the report of the board of inquiry into this tragic incident as being of Canadian manufacture.
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence why the proceedings of the board of inquiry into the accident during a training exercise in July 1989 at Suffield, Canada, are classified as restricted ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : MOD regulations require the originator of any document to give it security classification appropriate to its contents. The restricted classification of the board of inquiry's report is therefore a result of the judgment of the members of the board exercised at the time.
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether guardsmen on the training exercise in July 1989 at Suffield, Canada, were properly briefed on the possibility of unexploded munitions ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The board of inquiry into this incident concluded that the men were properly briefed.
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his reply of the 25 June to the hon. Member for Walsall, North, Official Report, column 453, if he will state the name and rank of the senior officer in the Grenadier Guards who has made representations to him over Guardsmen Povey, Hicks and Ray.
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Mr. Archie Hamilton : Major General (Ret'd) B. C. Gordon Lennox CB MBE, the regimental lieutenant-colonel of the Grenadier Guards.
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what insurance policies are taken out by his Department on soldiers involved in non-combat or non anti-terrorist activities.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : None. Service men killed or injured are eligible for benefits under the armed forces pension scheme. Where death or injury is attributable to service they are also eligible for benefits under the Department of Social Security's war pensions scheme. Both these schemes are funded by the Exchequer. The Department has, however, arranged for service men to have access to various commercial insurance policies at advantageous premium rates ; participation is a matter for the individuals concerned.
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to assure himself that the board of inquiry held in Canada after the accident in July 1989 at Suffield, examined all the relevant facts pertaining to his Department's responsibility for the safety of their employees.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer the hon. member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Winchester (Mr. Browne) on 21 June at columns 347-48 .
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his reply of 25 June to the hon. Member for Walsall, North, Official Report, column 453, if he will place in the Library a copy of the transcript of the interview with Lance Corporal Ray at Medicine Hat City hospital, Canada.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : No. The transcript in question forms part of the proceedings of the board of inquiry which investigated the accident at Batus in July 1989. Board of inquiry reports are confidential to the Ministry of Defence, and it is not the Ministry's practice to release them to outside parties.
Holy Loch
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if it is planned to retain X-berth facilities at Holy Loch following the departure of the United States navy.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : No. Following the departure of the United States Navy, Holy Loch will be designated as a Z berth, which will allow occasional visits by nuclear-powered warships. This designation will not require any facilities to be retained ashore or afloat at Holy Loch.
Naval Vessels
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his Department's conclusions regarding the capability of Soviet neutron and gamma ray detector equipment to verify the presence of nuclear weapons aboard naval vessles.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : In 1989 a Soviet agency conducted experiments with the National Resources Defence Council--a United States non- governmental
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body--in which it was demonstrated that under favourable circumstances the Soviet Union has the capability to detect some types of nuclear weapons at short range using neutron and gamma ray detection equipment.Nuclear Safety
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if any member of the United States Congress's Drell Commission on nuclear warhead safety was provided with facilities or visits to British nuclear weapon system establishments during the course of the Commission's inquiry.
Mr. Alan Clark : We received no requests for such facilities or visits.
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information on British nuclear weapon system safety arrangements was provided by his Department to the Drell Commission of the United States Congress ; and what security restrictions were applied to any such information.
Mr. Alan Clark : We received no requests to provide such information to the Drell panel.
Submarines (Women Crew)
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration is being given to opening up afloat postings in the submarine service to women.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : When sea service for women was announced on 5 February 1990 it was made clear that current plans did not include extending mixed manning to the submarine flotilla. The reason for this was not one of principle but simply that conditions in existing RN submarines are such that major problems would be encountered in ensuring a proper degree of privacy for both men and women. Now that sea service for women in surface ships is well established, the feasibility of their serving in submarines in the future is being addressed.
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Navy (Training)
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide figures showing the level of training activity by naval forces from the Portland naval base in each year since 1979.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The information requested is as follows :
Year |Total number|Total ship
|of ships |weeks
|undertaking
|training
----------------------------------------------------
1979 |61 |253
1980 |49 |181
1981 |61 |285
1982 |87 |348
1983 |105 |363
1984 |99 |352
1985 |99 |347
1986 |81 |294
1987 |84 |302
1988 |74 |237
1989 |92 |332
1990 |70 |213
<1>1991 |52 |166
<1> To date.
These figures include the training of foreign warships.
East Timor
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if, at his recent meeting with Indonesia's Minister for Research, the question of the use of United Kingdom supplied arms in East Timor was discussed ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Clark : Such discussions are a confidential matter between Governments.
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