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Employment Training
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many adults with learning difficulties were undertaking employment training in each of the last five years ; and how many are in training in the current year.
Mr. Jackson : While information is available about the overall number of trainees with disabilities entering employment training, information is not collected separately about those with learning difficulties.
Astra Training Services
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made of whether Astra Training Services Ltd. has carried out all its statutory obligations and formal undertakings to trainees and employees ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : At the point of sale the Government met their undertakings to ensure that the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 applied to former civil servants who transferred to the private sector, including Astra and that pension arrangements were satisfactorily covered. Astra Training Services Ltd. is now a private company and it, and not the Government, is responsible for such statutory or other obligations that fall on it.
Food Industry
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the number of people employed in the food industry by county on the latest available date for which figures are available.
Mr. Jackson : The most recent estimates of employees in employment according to industry and by county are from the September1989 census of employment. Data for the food industries are given in the table.
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Employees in Employment in the Food Industries, September 1989, by County
|Thousands
Industries (Groups of SIC 1980)
Food Food Distribution
|Manufacturing|Retail |Wholesale<2>
|SIC Groups |SIC Group |SIC Group
|411 to 423 |617 |641
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South East
Bedfordshire |3.6 |5.4 |2.0
Berkshire |5.1 |9.4 |3.4
Buckinghamshire |2.7 |6.9 |2.3
East Sussex |3.0 |8.4 |2.9
Essex |5.1 |19.8 |5.1
Greater London |34.5 |74.9 |34.2
Hampshire<1> |8.1 |22.4 |6.1
Isle of Wight<1>
Hertfordshire |4.5 |16.6 |4.5
Kent |5.9 |18.8 |6.9
Oxfordshire |6.4 |8.2 |1.9
Surrey |2.5 |13.1 |4.5
West Sussex |3.2 |8.9 |1.8
East Anglia
Cambridgeshire |7.0 |7.8 |3.2
Norfolk |12.4 |8.9 |5.3
Suffolk |13.7 |8.5 |3.1
South West
Avon |6.1 |14.4 |6.6
Cornwall |2.2 |5.4 |2.5
Devon |6.6 |11.3 |5.6
Dorset |4.1 |8.4 |1.7
Gloucestershire |3.8 |6.6 |1.4
Somerset |5.1 |5.7 |2.2
Wiltshire |6.5 |7.4 |2.4
West Midlands
Hereford and Worcester |7.3 |7.5 |2.5
Shropshire |4.3 |5.0 |1.9
Staffordshire |8.4 |10.5 |3.2
Warwickshire |2.7 |6.0 |1.4
West Midlands |13.5 |26.3 |10.5
East Midlands
Derbyshire |6.9 |9.8 |2.6
Leicestershire |9.9 |9.4 |3.9
Lincolnshire |12.0 |7.5 |4.2
Northamptonshire |7.7 |7.2 |3.5
Nottinghamshire |7.8 |11.7 |4.5
Yorkshire and Humberside
Humberside |17.8 |11.8 |6.8
North Yorkshire |14.8 |9.1 |2.4
South Yorkshire |10.5 |13.1 |5.5
West Yorkshire |21.1 |24.0 |8.4
North West
Cheshire |8.3 |12.2 |4.3
Greater Manchester |27.0 |25.5 |10.8
Lancashire |13.6 |15.3 |6.2
Merseyside |14.5 |12.8 |5.2
North
Cleveland |4.2 |5.4 |1.0
Cumbria |7.6 |6.3 |0.9
Durham<1> |4.6 |8.2 |1.7
Northumberland<1>
Tyne and Wear |4.9 |12.7 |3.6
Wales
Clwyd |4.2 |6.1 |1.0
Dyfed |1.6 |3.7 |1.3
Gwent |3.8 |5.2 |1.0
Gwynedd |1.6 |3.4 |0.8
Mid-Glamorgan<1> |4.5 |7.2 |1.6
Powys<1>
South Glamorgan |2.0 |5.1 |1.9
West Glamorgan |1.5 |4.3 |1.1
Scotland (Regions)
Borders<1> |4.2 |3.6 |0.7
Dumfries and Galloway<1>
Central<1> |1.9 |8.2 |1.1
Fife<1>
Grampian |10.7 |7.6 |3.5
Highlands |1.3 |3.1 |0.9
Lothian |8.1 |9.6 |4.4
Strathclyde |18.3 |27.4 |8.5
Tayside |4.3 |6.0 |2.1
Islands |0.7 |0.9 |0.4
<1> Figures for these two counties are combined to avoid disclosure, directly or indirectly, of
information concerning an individual firm.
<2> Includes the wholesale distribution of drink and tobacco.
Labour and Social Affairs Council
Mr. William Powell : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the outcome of the meeting of the Labour and Social Affairs Council held in Luxembourg on 25 and 26 June ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Howard : The Council had a useful and productive meeting. On the first day, the Council formally adopted its common position on the directive concerned with the health and safety of temporary workers and a directive to control the use of asbestos in the workplace.
Agreement was reached on an amendment to a regulation on social security arrangements for migrant workers ; on a decision relating to the PETRA programme
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concerning vocational training exchanges for young people ; on a directive concerning the provision of medical assistance on board ships ; and on a decision on the European Year of Health and Safety. Agreement in principle was also reached on a proposed directive on proof of employment relationships. Formal adoption was not possible since the European Parliament had failed to deliver its opinion in time for the Council.A regulation to bring forward by one year to 31 December 1991 the full free movement of workers between Spain and Portugal and the rest of the Community was also adopted.
There was a protracted discussion, in which divergent views were expressed by a large number of member states,
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on one article of the proposed directive on the protection of pregnant women at work, but no agreement was reached. Almost all member states continue to have serious concerns on many aspects of the substance of this proposal.Contrary to a number of inaccurate newspaper and broadcast reports, there was no discussion of the proposed directive on working time. On the second day dealing with youth affairs, when my noble Friend Viscount Ullswater represented the United Kingdom, the Council agreed a decision on the Youth for Europe programme and a resolution on priority action in the field of youth.
Overall, the outcome of the proceedings demonstrated once again that the United Kingdom is far from isolated on even those proposals under the social action programme which cause us the most difficulty. Many member states are now experiencing difficulties and are working to keep important and sensitive areas of employment and social policy within the bounds of national law and practice. It is to be hoped that the Commission will take heed of these developments and concentrate its efforts on bringing forward proposals which will increase employment and reduce burdens on business.
The meeting also showed that the present treaty is perfectly adequate to enable sensible progress to be made in those areas where the Community has a proper role.
To date the Council has reached a decision on eight of the 19 social action programme measures so far submitted by the Commission.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Baltic States
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of attacks by units of the Soviet armed forces and Ministry of the Interior troops on targets in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in May and June ; and if he will make representations to the Soviet authorities to withdraw all armed forces from the Baltic republics.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have received several accounts of these attacks from our embassy and other sources. We have left the Soviet authorities in no doubt of our strong feelings about them. In the conclusions of its meeting at Luxembourg on 29 June, the European Council expressed its deep concern at the continued acts of intimidation and violence which had taken place in the Baltic states since the events in January, most recently in Vilnius on 26 June. The Council appealed for serious negotiations to be engaged between the Soviet authorities and the three Baltic states to find a solution which would fulfil the legitimate aspirations of the Baltic peoples.
Gibraltar
Mr. David Young : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to provide the Government of Gibraltar with all EC documents on which future directives or other legislation will be based ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Garel-Jones : It is already our policy to provide Gibraltar with all EC documents relevant to Gibraltar's status within the Community.
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HOME DEPARTMENT
Iraqi Refugees
8. Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Iraqi refugees are presently living in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Around 700 Iraqi nationals, including associated dependants, have been recognised as refugees in the United Kingdom since 1979. Corresponding information for earlier years is not available.
Immigration
14. Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a further statement on the Government's policies towards immigration.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The basic principles of the Government's immigration policy remain to maintain a firm and fair immigration control which restricts the numbers coming to work or settle here from outside the European Community.
Independent Television Franchises
15. Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to announce the outcome of applications for Channel 3 licences ; and if he will make a statement.
25. Mr. Andrew Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to announce the outcome of applications for Channel 3 licences ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : It will be the Independent Television Commission, and not my right hon. Friend, which announces the outcome of applications for Channel 3 licences. I understand that it hopes to make such an announcement no later than October this year.
Uniform Business Rate
16. Mr. Ron Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were jailed for non-payment of uniform business rate in 1990 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : This information is not recorded centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Police Authorities (Yorkshire)
17. Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will visit Yorkshire to discuss the funding of the police authorities.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : I have no plans to visit Yorkshire to discuss police funding.
Youth Crime Prevention Panels
18. Mr. Roger King : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many junior crime prevention panels have been set up in England and Wales.
Mr. John Patten : At the end of December 1990 there were 352 youth crime prevention panels in England and Wales, an increase of 91 over the previous 12 months.
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Regional Television Companies
19. Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the percentage of the profits of regional television companies which are taken in levy payments.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Based on figures supplied by the ITC, which is statutorily responsible for collecting the ITV levy, it is estimated that for the 1990 calendar year the levy payable by ITV companies, including TV- am, will amount to 52 per cent. of gross profits.
Guns
20. Mr. Ted Garrett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will initiate another review of the gun licence laws.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The Firearms Consultative Committee is required to keep the Firearms Acts under review. If it thinks fit, it may make recommendations to my right hon. Friend for their amendment.
Dog Control
21. Mr. Ian Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he plans to take to ensure existing and future dog control legislation is enforced by the police.
Mrs. Rumbold : We have discussed the measures in the Dangerous Dogs Bill with the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Metropolitan police, who support the action that the Government are taking to tackle the problem of dangerous dogs. We shall issue guidance to the police on enforcement of the legislation when it is enacted.
Identity Cards
22. Sir John Hunt : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent consideration he has given to the introduction of identity cards for the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : In its report on practical police co-operation in the EC, the Home Affairs Committee recommended the introduction of a voluntary system of identity cards. In responding in January 1991, the Government said that the public demand for a voluntary identity card, and the benefits it would confer on the community, would not be commensurate with the high cost of developing and maintaining such a system. None the less, I shall continue to keep this question under review in the light of relevant developments.
West Midlands Serious Crime Squad
23. Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to have prepared a report on the lessons to be learnt from the disbandment of the West Midlands serious crime squad.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : A full investigation of the handling of cases by the former serious crime squad of the West Midlands police is being undertaken. It is for the Police Complaints Authority to decide whether matters that have come to its notice as a result of the investigation, should be made public or should be drawn to my right hon. Friend's attention by way of a report under section 97(2) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.
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Police Federation
24. Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will next meet the executive of the Police Federation to discuss recent rises in the level of crime.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : My right hon. Friend meets the executive of the Police Federation regularly to discuss a wide range of policing matters, including the level of crime.
Fire Services (Northolt and Greenford)
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment he has made of the appropriate level of firefighting facilities and staff in the Northolt and Greenford area ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what proposals he has received for the reduction of the number of fire engines at Northolt fire station ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : It is for the London fire and civil defence authority to assess the resources necessary to meet efficiently the fire risks in the Northolt and Greenford area. Any proposals to reduce the numbers of operational firefighters or firefighting appliances--and we have received none from the authority--would require my right hon. Friend's approval under section 19 of the Fire Services Act 1947. In deciding whether to grant it, we should want to be satisfied that the London fire and civil defence authority would continue to be able to meet the nationally recommended minimum standards of fire cover.
Sexual and Physical Violence
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how women victims of sexual and physical violence are encouraged to report the offence to the police.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Police procedures and facilities for the reception and treatment of victims of physical and sexual violence have improved greatly in recent years. We believe that the increase in reported rape over the same period is in part attributable to changes in police practice in this respect. In the light of recent Home Office guidance, many forces are now taking practical steps to provide a better service to victims of domestic violence, with a view to encouraging more women to report such incidents to them.
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines there are on how victims of sexual and physical abuse should be treated by the police.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Home Office guidance to the police on the treatment of victims of rape and domestic violence was issued in 1986. A revised and expanded circular on domestic violence was produced in July 1990. Additional guidance for the police on the investigation of child sexual abuse will be issued in conjunction with the Department of Health's revised "Working Together" in the autumn. Copies of the current guidance are in the Library.
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how data on women victims of sexual and physical abuse are collected ; and how it is made available.
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Mr. John Patten : Statistics of recorded violent offences are collected by the police and published quarterly in a Home Office statistical bulletin and annually in Chapter 2 of "Criminal Statistics England and Wales". More detailed information on women victims of physical and sexual abuse is not collected on a regular basis but ad hoc analysis of police statistics, the British crime survey and other research studies classify offences by gender of victim. This information is made available either in ad hoc statistical bulletins such as Issue 29/86 "Violent Crime : Characteristics of victims and circumstances of recorded offences 1984", or in Home Office Research Studies such as "Personal Violence" HORS 89,"Changes in Rape Offences and Sentencing" HORS 105, "Concerns about Rape" Hors 106 and "Domestic Violence" HORS 107. Copies of all these publications are available in the Library.Column 210
Political Asylum
Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the numbers of people seeking political asylum in the United Kingdom ; and what further action he proposes to announce to control such immigration.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : My right hon. Friend made a statement on asylum on 2 July at columns 165-67.
Immigration (Caribbean)
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many nationals of (a) Trinidad and Tobago, (b) Guyana, (c) Barbados and (c) Jamaica have (i) been admitted and (ii) refused admittance and removed each month during the period November 1990 to March 1991.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information requested is given in the table.
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Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados and Jamaica admitted to, and refused leave to
enter and removed from, the United
Kingdom.
1990 1991
|November|December|January |February|March
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trinidad and Tobago
Total admitted<1> |1,150 |1,230 |1,100 |800 |1,100
Total refused leave to enter and removed |10 |8 |7 |13 |7
Guyana
Total admitted<1> |400 |400 |300 |300 |400
Total refused leave to enter and removed |5 |8 |3 |4 |6
Barbados
Total admitted<1> |400 |400 |400 |300 |400
Total refused leave to enter and removed |2 |5 |5 |3 |2
Jamaica
Total admitted<1> |1,900 |2,080 |1,700 |1,300 |1,700
Total refused leave to enter and removed |52 |33 |33 |32 |37
<1> The data for January to March 1991 are provisional.
Thames Valley Police
Mr. Andrew MacKay : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on future manning levels in the Thames Valley police force.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : My right hon. Friend announced on 20 December 1990 an additional 40 police posts for Thames Valley with effect from 1 October 1991.
The police authority has also made an application for an additional 132 police posts for 1992-93. My right hon. Friend hopes to make a decision before the end of the year.
May Inquiry
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects Sir John May to resume his inquiry into the conviction of innocent people for the Guildford and Woolwich bombings.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : I understand that Sir John May will resume his inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the convictions of the Guildford and Woolwich defendants as soon as any proceedings against officers of the Surrey police force have been concluded. I further understand that Sir John intends holding further public hearings into the Maguire case in September.
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Drug Initiative Teams
Mrs. Maureen Hicks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress is being made on the establishment of drug initiative teams.
Mr. John Patten : Twelve local drugs prevention teams are in action under the Government's drugs prevention initiative, including one in Wolverhampton. Four further teams are in the process of being appointed or recruited. Discussions with local agencies in another four areas are taking place about the arrangements for setting up teams in those areas.
Broadcasting Regulation
Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met the chairman of the BBC to discuss the regulation of the broadcasting industry.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : My right hon. Friend meets the Chairman of the BBC from time to time in order to discuss a wide range of broadcasting issues. The last occasion was in May.
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LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL
Passes
Sir Gerard Vaughan : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will publish a list of the several categories of Palace of Westminster pass, showing the capacities for which each category applies, together with (a) the number of such passes in issue at the latest convenient date and (b) the total number of such passes in issue at any time in the latest convenient annual period.
Mr. MacGregor : I am arranging for the information requested to be placed in the Library of the House.
HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION
Departmental Flowers
Mr. Cohen : To ask the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed as representing the House of Commons Commission, what is the annual cost of flowers supplied to the House ; and which Departments of the House use them.
Mr. Beith : In the last financial year the Refreshment Department spent £8,997 on flowers for the areas under its control. Flowers are also supplied by arrangement with the Refreshment Department for private functions ; but their cost is charged to the sponsoring Member's account.
I understand that the Parliamentary Works Office has responsibility for the supply of flowers to the Speaker's state rooms and other parts of the House, including the Terrace.
DEFENCE
The Gulf (Halons)
Mr. Frank Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of the volume of halons released to the atmosphere in the Gulf region during Operation Granby/Desert Storm as a result of the in-flight refuelling of military planes of the armed forces.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There is no evidence to suggest that any halon gases are released during the air-to-air refuelling of RAF aircraft.
Nuclear Deterrent
Mr. Frank Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what account is taken of the size of the United States and Soviet Union's arsenals in setting the size of the United Kingdom nuclear deterrent.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent is not based on any specific numerical correlation with the nuclear arsenals of others. Rather, it has long been United Kingdom policy to maintain only the minimum numbers of weapons necessary to deter aggression. In this respect the need to ensure that our nuclear deterrent remains effective against improving Soviet defences is of overriding importance when considering the size of our force.
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Trigat
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's involvement in the Trigat programme and the committed cost incurred to date.
Mr. Alan Clark : The United Kingdom is a full member of the European collaborative group procuring the Trigat systems. Expenditure to date has been £130 million.
Regiments
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, further to his answer of 14 June, Official Report, column 733, when his noble Friend will write regarding information on individual regiments.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My noble Friend wrote to the hon. Member today.
Options for Change"
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultations he held with his NATO counterparts about the proposed reductions in the Royal Navy under the "Options for Change" process prior to 25 July 1990.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The United Kingdom's proposals for changes to its defence forces in response to the changing strategic environment in Europe, including the proposed reductions for the Royal Navy, were set out in my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's statement on "Options for Change" last summer. These proposals were carefully considered in the light of international developments and the work under way to determine the alliance's new military posture. At the time of the announcement it was made clear that the United Kingdom's proposals would be subject to consultation with our NATO allies. In common with our allies, we have since engaged in formal consultations within the alliance and with our allies about our future plans.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make it his policy to publish a statement detailing the total anticipated effect of the" Options for Change" process on (a) the procurement budget and (b) the personnel budget.
Mr. Alan Clark : Estimates of expenditure in 1991-92 on equipment procurement and on personnel will be given in the annual defence White Paper, to be published on 9 July. It is not our policy to disclose details of our financial plans beyond the estimates year.
Mr. Warren : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultations he has held with companies involved in the manufacture of defence equipment concerning the formulation of Her Majesty's Government's policy "Options for Change" ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Clark : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Clackmannan (Mr. O'Neill) on 23 May 1991 at column 613 of the Official Report.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make his policy to publish a detailed statement on the strategic rationale underlying the "Options for Change" process.
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Mr. Archie Hamilton : This will be covered in the annual defence White Paper to be published on 9 July.Mr. Warren : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what offers he has received from trade associations representing manufacturers of equipment for defence to assist in the formulation of Her Majesty's Government's policy on "Options for Change" ; and if he will make a statement.
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