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Mr. Chope : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 3 June 1991, Official Report, column 116.
Dock Workers (Redundancy)
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the original estimate of contributions towards payments to former registered dock workers made redundant under the terms of the Dock Work Act 1989 ; what has been the total cost to date of such contributions ; what is the current estimate of the final total cost ; in how many cases payments of 100 per cent. have been made consequent upon a liquidation and at what cost ; and what recoveries have been made from liquidators.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 15 July 1991] : The explanatory and financial memorandum to the Bill which became the Dock Work Act 1989 estimated that the dockworkers' compensation scheme might cost £25 million over three years. It also made clear that no precise forecast could be given. To date, the actual cost to the Government has been £128 million. The final cost is not expected to exceed £141 million. In 18 cases, where employers were in liquidation or receivership, the Department has met the full cost of compensation at a total cost of £33 million, of which nearly £0.5 million has so far been recovered.
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EMPLOYMENT
Employment Training
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what change in the number of Government-sponsored places there has been for retail, computer, office skills and information technology training in 1990 -91 and 1991-92 in east London.
Mr. Jackson : Provision of training in east London is a matter for East London training and enterprise council. I understand that the number of training places available in these occupational areas is about the same in 1991-92 as the previous year.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what sums of money have been contributed from the European social fund towards employment training for the years 1989, 1990 and 1991 ; and what percentage contribution to the total costs of ET this represents for each year.
Mr. Forth : European social fund contributions towards ET were as follows :
|£ million
------------------------------------
1989 |81.7
1990 |144.5
1991 |161.48
Employment training expenditure is determined by financial year and a direct comparison is therefore not possible. The most recent figures are as follows :
|£ million
------------------------------------
1989-90 |1,097
1990-91 |1,066
<1>1991-92 |915
<1> Estimated
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what the average unit cost is for employment training per trainee/week.
Mr. Jackson : It is estimated that the overall gross Exchequer unit cost for employment training in Great Britain in 1991-92, including trainee allowances, will be some £119 per trainee per week.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what average unit cost is assumed for the additional employment training places which were announced on 19 June.
Mr. Jackson : Changes to training and enterprise council and local enterprise company business plans,
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including payments per trainee week and per output, as a result of the additional £35 million made available for employment training on 19 June are currently the subject of renegotiation.Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what consideration has been given to uprating employment training allowances in line with increases in the retail prices index ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : The training allowance paid to non-employed employment training--ET--trainees is equivalent to their previous entitlement to benefit plus a training premium of £10. The benefit element of the ET trainee allowance is increased each year in line with increases in social security benefits which are linked to the retail prices and Rossi indices.
Training and enterprise councils and local enterprise companies are also responsible for other trainee allowances, such as travel, lodging and child care.
Since its beginning in September 1988, more than 1 million people have been trained on ET. The Government are satisfied that the allowances paid to trainees offer sufficient incentive for individuals to take up training.
Genetic Modification Sites
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of sites licensed under the procedures of the Advisory Committee on Genetic Modification ; what is the distribution of these sites by region ; and what is the number of visits carried out each year by the Health and Safety Executive to these sites.
Mr. Forth : There are currently 372 active centres that have notified the Health and Safety Executive of their intention to undertake work on genetic modification. The distribution of these centres by HSE regions is as follows :
|Number
------------------------------------
Midlands |48
Wales and South West |24
North East |36
North West |25
Scotland |51
Home Counties |72
London and South West |116
During the calendar year 1990 inspectors from HSE's technology division visited 100 of these centres to carry out site inspections. The number of centres visited in calendar years 1989 and 1988 were 77 and 89 respectively.
Pop Concerts
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects the guidance of the Health and Safety Executive on pop concerts and similar events to be available.
Mr Forth : I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 7 February, Official Report, column 238. Regrettably, there have been some delays in the preparation of this guidance, but it is now hoped that a draft will be available for consultation in the early autumn this year.
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Crown Suppliers (Remploy Factories)
Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the value of orders placed by the Crown Suppliers with Remploy factories in each of the past three years of the Crown Suppliers' existence ; and what currently is the annual value of orders placed by Government Departments and agencies, previously purchased through the Crown Suppliers, with Remploy factories.
Mr. Jackson : The value of orders placed by Crown Suppliers with Remploy factories in each of the last three years of Crown Suppliers' existence was
Year |£ million ------------------------------------ 1988-89 |7.4 1989-90 |6.6 1990-91 |3.6
No figures are available either centrally or in Remploy itself on the annual value of orders placed by Government Departments and agencies with Remploy factories, which would previously have been purchased through the Crown Suppliers.
Employment Contracts (Jurisdiction)
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he proposes to introduce the regulations to transfer jurisdiction from courts to industrial tribunals over claims by dismissed employees in respect of alleged breaches by their employers of their contracts of employment.
Mr. Forth : Further consideration will be given to this matter when the House of Lords has given its decision in a case which is expected to clarify existing industrial tribunal jurisdiction under the Wages Act 1986.
Construction Training
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what change in the number of places for construction industry training on employment training in east London has taken place in 1990-91 and 1991-92.
Mr. Jackson : Provison of ET in east London is a matter for East London training and enterprise council.
Holloway Job Club
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if the Employment Service guarantees the funding of the Holloway job club.
Mr. Jackson : Questions on operational matters in the Employment Service executive agency are the responsi-bility of Mike Fogden, the agency's chief executive, to whom I have referred this question for reply.
Youth Training
Mr. Rooney : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he received the statement on youth training schemes by the British Printing Industry Federation ; what assessment he has made on its implications for training and enterprise councils ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Jackson : My right hon. and learned Friend, the Secretary of State for Employment, has received no formal notification of future withdrawal from YT from the British Printing Industry Federation, the BPIF. I am however aware of the British Printing Industry Federation's letter to the Financial Times of 8 July in which it expressed its intention to cease operating as a YT managing agent in 1992. Responsibility for contracting for youth training in England and Wales rests with the training and enterprise councils, which have the authority and resources to apply local solutions to local needs. The implications for TECs if BPIF withdraws from YT would be a matter for individual TECs to address in the light of local demand for training in printing occupations.Chest Diseases
Mr. Caborn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what research projects have been undertaken or funded by the Health and Safety Executive since 1975 in relation to emphysema, chronic obstructive airways disease, asthma and chronic bronchitis and in particular to the incidence of each disease amongst (a) coal miners and ex-coal miners and (b) foundry workers and ex-foundry workers.
Mr. Forth : The majority of research into emphysema, chronic obstructive airways disease, asthma and chronic bronchitis in coal miners, ex-coal miners, foundry workers and ex-foundry workers in the United Kingdom has been sponsored by the relevant industry in collaboration with the European Coal and Steel Community which is now conducting its fifth programme of medical research into occupational ill health. The HSE is consulted about the contents of this research and is closely following the programme's progress. On this basis the HSE has not directly funded any separate research projects. However, the HSE has recently undertaken a review of research on chronic non-malignant respiratory disease in ferrous metal manufacturing and production workers and has also commissioned a wider ranging review of the health effects of airborne substances in the ferrous foundry industry. The results are expected to be available early next year.
Full details of HSE's research are listed in their "Programme of research and related services" which is published annually. Copies are available from the House of Commons Library.
Training
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to regionalise the management and development of the vocational training programmes which are supported by the European social fund ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : The training and enterprise councils--and the local enterprise companies in Scotland--already have responsibility for the delivery of vocational training programmes such as employment training and youth training and they carry out this task so as to take full account of local circumstances and needs.
Employment Action
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether travel costs for individuals who participate in employment action will be reimbursed.
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Mr. Jackson : Training and enterprise councils and local enterprise companies will have the discretion to offer travel costs to participants on employment action. The arrangements will be similar to those that apply for employment training.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Contributory Benefits
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria are used to identify the relevant tax years for the purposes of processing a claim for any contributory benefit.
Mr. Hanley : For unemployment, sickness and invalidity benefit, the relevant tax years are the last two complete tax years before the start of the benefit year. The benefit year which starts on the first Sunday in January is determined by the first day of a period of interruption of employment.
For retirement pension, the relevant tax years are those in the working life from the year in which age 16 is reached to the tax year ending immediately before pension age which is 65 in the case of a man and 60 in the case of a woman.
For widows' benefit, the relevant tax years are those in the working life of the late husband which run from the year in which he reached age 16 to the tax year ending immediately before he died or reached age 65 whichever is the earlier.
RU486
Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidelines he has issued to medical practitioners on the use of RU486 in Northern Ireland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley [holding answer 8 July 1991] : None. The product licence recently granted in respect of the drug known as RU486 does not extend to Northern Ireland, and therefore it will not be available in the Province.
Police Authority
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the names of new members of the Police Authority for Northern Ireland were the subject of consultation with the Government of the Republic of Ireland in accordance with the provisions of the Anglo- Irish Agreement.
Dr. Mawhinney [holding answer 12 July 1991] : It is policy not to disclose whether any views have been put forward under article 6 of the Anglo-Irish Agreement on the composition of public bodies.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Foreign Prisoners
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many foreign national prisoners who have been granted home leave have returned to prison after home leave in the last five years ;
(2) how many foreign national prisoners have (a) requested, (b) been granted and (c) been refused home leave in each of the last five years.
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Mrs. Rumbold : This information is not readily available.Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who makes the decision on home leave for foreign national prisoners.
Mrs. Rumbold : As in the case of other applications for home leave, it is for the governor to decide, on the recommendation of the home leave board, whether the request can be approved.
Electoral Registration
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he proposes to increase resources available for electoral registration in October.
Mrs. Rumbold : Central Government support for local authority expenditure on electoral registration is provided through the revenue support grant system. There is no provision for increasing that level of support in the current financial year.
Firefighters
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is his policy on the future role of retained firefighters ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what proposals he has to ensure that retained firefighters play a part in the overall provision of fire and rescue services.
Mr. John Patten : We are committed to the continuation of the retained fire service in England and Wales. Retained firefighters perform a vital and extremely cost-effective role in the provision of fire cover, particularly in the more rural areas. We have encouraged fire authorities to make arrangements for whole-time firefighters to undertake retained duties in their spare time if they so wish. This will help to ensure that the retained fire service continues to play an important part in the provision of fire cover in England and Wales.
Prisoners
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is taking to ensure that all prisoners are able to exercise their entitlement to a fortnightly visit.
Mrs. Rumbold : This is being monitored by area managers--who have to seek my right hon. Friend's approval for any temporary reduction in the visiting allowance--as part of their line management responsibilities.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those prisons which do not allow prisoners more than one visit a month.
Mrs. Rumbold : Convicted prisoners are normally able to receive at least two visits every four weeks, and sometimes more, at all establishments except Swansea.
Political Asylum
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what response he has made to the letter from the hon. Member for Nottingham, North concerning the request of Mr. Gabrielle Purendea, currently held in Exeter prison, for political asylum.
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Mr. Peter Lloyd : I shall be writing to the hon. Member shortly.
Prison Officers
Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why rest days are now counted for the purpose of assessing whether a prison officer has suffered more than 365 days of absence through illness over a period of four years ; and whether the counting of rest days in this way is applied retrospectively to the period before the introduction of fresh start.
Mr. Rumbold : The rules governing sick absence and pay for civil servants, including prison officers, are detailed in the civil service pay and conditions of service code. Under these rules, the first six months of sick absence--182 days--during any period of 12 months are on full pay thereafter pay drops to half rate. This is subject to a maximum of 12 months--365 days--sick absence in any period of four years or less.
During a period of sick absence, all days, including Saturdays, Sundays, public and privilege holidays and rest days, count. However if they occur at the beginning or end, they are not included or reckoned.
These rules were not altered in any way by the introduction of fresh start pay and working arrangements in 1987.
Woolf Report
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the timetable for full implementation of each of the measures announced in his statement on 25 February following publication of the Woolf report on prison disturbances.
Mrs. Rumbold : My right hon. Friend's response to the Woolf report, in the form of a White Paper on the future direction of the prison service in England and Wales, will review the progress of all the measures referred to in his statement of 25 February. The extension of arrangements for financially assisted visits was introduced on 1 April ; opportunities for home leve were increased from 7 May ; the abolition of routine censorship in all except dispersal prisons came into force on 16 May ; the increase in the level of visits for convicted prisoners took effect from 17 June ; and the programme for installing cardphones in all establishments which do not already have them is scheduled to be completed in May 1992.
Car Thefts
Mr. Mills : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to recommend stronger penalties for those who steal cars and then use the vehicle recklessly.
Mr. John Patten : We have no plans at present to increase the maximum penalty of six months' imprisonment for taking a motor vehicle without the owner's consent. When those who have taken a car are convicted of reckless driving, they are liable to up to two years' imprisonment, or five years, if they have caused a death.
Homosexuals (Isle of Man)
Mr. Squire : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) by what date he expects homosexual activity to be decriminalised in the Isle of Man ;
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(2) what consultations have taken place with the Isle of Man Government over the wording of the Sexual Offences Bill currently before Tynwald ; and if he will make a statement ;(3) if he will make a statement on the consequences of the action of the Manx Parliament in amending the Sexual Offences Bill to remove clauses decriminalising homo-sexual activity on the Isle of Man.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The Isle of Man Government sent the Home Office drafts of its Sexual Offences Bill, including clauses providing for the decriminalisation of homosexual activity between consenting adults in private, as part of the usual consultative procedures. The Bill remains subject to possible amendment in Tynwald, where consideration is expected to resume after the island's general election in November.
If the island were demonstrably to refuse or to fail to amend its law satisfactorily, Her Majesty's Government would have no alternative but to introduce the requisite legislation in Parliament at the earliest suitable opportunity.
Mr. Karamjit Singh Chahal
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a further statement concerning the case of Mr. Karamjit Singh Chahal.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 25 June at columns 405-6.
Shop Squatting
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received about the growth of illegal shop squatting and the speed of repossession procedure ; and what response he is making.
Mr. John Patten : We have received a number of representations from hon. Members and others about squatting in vacant shops and problems with the speed of repossession. The effectiveness of the remedies available under the civil law is a matter for my noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor, but I understand that accelerated procedures are available to deal with squatters.
We are currently reviewing the criminal law as it affects the unlawful occupation of premises, including shops, and my right hon. Friend will announce the outcome of this review in due course.
Child Sex Offences
Mr. Rooney : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were convicted of child sex offences in the last year for which figures are available ; and, of these, how many were allowed bail prior to trial, how many pleaded guilty and how many pleaded not guilty.
Mr. John Patten : Information on the number of persons convicted of child sex crime in England and Wales is given in the table. It is only possible from the information held centrally to identify sex offences where the victim is know to be aged under 16. Reliable information is not available centrally on the numbers given bail prior to trial or how they pleaded.
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Number of persons convicted of child sex offences. 1989 England and Wales Offence |Convictions --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Buggery with a boy under the age of 16 or with a woman or an animal |183 Attempt to commit buggery with a boy under the age of 16 or with a woman or an animal |26 Indecent assault on a male aged under 16 years |406 Indecent assault on a female aged under 16 years |1,657 Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl aged under 13 years |96 Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl aged under 16 years |262 Incest with a girl under 13 years |100 Inciting girl under 16 years to have incestuous sexual intercourse |5 Householder permitting unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 years |3 Person responsible for girl aged under 16 causing or encouraging her prostitution, etc |1 Abduction of unmarried girl aged under 16 years |13 Gross indecency with children |219
Mr. Paul Vickers
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when he proposes to reply to recent correspondence from the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central about the sentence of Mr. Paul Vickers ;
(2) when he expects to conclude his review of the further medical evidence on Paul Vickers's sentence submitted by Mr. Vickers solicitors in October 1990 ;
(3) whether he has concluded his inquiries into the review of the sentence of Paul Vickers referred to in the answer given to the hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) on 1 November 1988, Official Report, column 576.
Mr. John Patten : Dr. Vickers' solicitors made representations on his behalf in August 1988 suggesting that his conviction was unsafe. I wrote to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central on 6 August 1990 informing him that these representations did not provide sufficient ground to justify my right hon. Friend intervening in Dr. Vickers' case. The further representations made by Dr. Vickers' solicitors in October 1990 are under consideration and my right hon. Friend hopes to reach a decision on Dr. Vickers' case shortly. I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as a decision has been reached.
Medical Advisers
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the scale rate of fees for pathologists and other medical advisers called in to advise his Department in the years 1988-89 to 1990-91, and currently ; what sums have been expended by his Department on this in these years ; what internal audit procedures there are to ensure timeliness and value for money in the tendering of such advice ; and whether any such audit procedures were put into action in these years.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : The information is not available centrally in the form requested. I shall write to the hon. Member.
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Regional Public Services
Mr. Wilshire : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many regions the police service in England and Wales is divided into ; what area is covered by each region ; and if he will publish a map showing the relevant areas.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : There are eight regions, divided along force boundaries. A map is being placed in the Library.
Mr. Wilshire : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many regions the fire service inspectorate in England and Wales is divided into ; what area is covered by each region ; and if he will publish a map showing the relevant areas.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Brigade inspections in England and Wales are carried out by four regionally-based territorial inspectors. Details of the inspection areas covered by each region are given in the table. I have placed a map showing these areas in the Library. London Area
Bedfordshire
Buckinghamshire
Cambridgeshire
Essex
Hertfordshire
Leicestershire
Lincolnshire
London (coordinator)
Norfolk
Northamptonshire
Suffolk
Wiltshire
Northern Area
Cleveland
Cumbria
Derbyshire
Durham
Greater Manchester
Lancashire
Northumberland
Nottinghamshire
Tyne and Wear
North Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
Southern Area
Avon
Berkshire
Cornwall
Devon
Dorset
Gloucestershire
Hampshire
Humberside
Kent
Oxfordshire
Somerset
Surrey
East Sussex
West Sussex
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