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Training
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the annual performance target for employment training places for 1991-92 ; and what has been the attainment in the first six months of the current year.
Mr. Jackson : Plans are to provide an average of 149,000 trainees in training on employment training (ET) in Great Britain in 1991-92. By 12 September an estimated 130,000 trainees were in training.
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make it his policy to provide for the training of those with special needs.
Mr. Jackson : It is the Government's policy to provide training for people with special needs through its arrangements with training and enterprise councils and through specialist residential training colleges. Many people with special needs will of course be covered by the Government's guarantees and aim.
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the annual performance target for employment training places for 1990-91 ; and what was the outturn.
Mr. Jackson : An average of 215,000 trainees in training on employment training (ET) was planned in Great Britain in 1990-91. An average number in training of 196,000 was achieved.
Workers' Hours
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many British workers work more than (i) 40 hours a week, (ii) 50 hours a week and (iii) 60 hours a week, including overtime.
Mr. Jackson : The following table gives the estimates requested.
Usual hours<1> of work of employee and self-employed-Great Britain, Spring 1990 Hours per |Thousands week --------------------------------- More than 40 |11,015 More than 50 |3,687 More than 60 |1,314 Source: Labour Force Survey, Spring 1990 <1>Usual hours of work including overtime
Claimant Adviser Interviews
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the average duration of claimant adviser interviews 12 months ago ; and what it is now.
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Mr. Jackson : Questions on operational matters in the Employment Service Executive Agency are the responsibility of Mike Fogden, the agency's chief executive, to whom I have referred this question for reply.Skills Analysis
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to analyse the skills of those registering as unemployed and available for work.
Mr. Jackson : Questions on operational matters in the Employment Service Executive Agency are the responsibility of Mike Fogden, the agency's chief executive, to whom I have referred this question for reply.
Rehabilitation Courses
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are undergoing a course of rehabilitation (i) at employment rehabilitation centres and (ii) with outside agencies funded by the Employment Service ; and what is the average weekly cost of these courses.
Mr. Jackson : Questions on operational matters in the Employment Service Executive Agency are the responsibility of Mike Fogden, the agency's chief executive, to whom I have referred this question for reply.
Unemployed, Newham
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish details of the occupational breakdown of the unemployed register in the London borough of Newham.
Mr. Jackson : The information requested is not available.
Vacancy Statistics
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many vacancies were notified to employment offices and jobcentres in each of the past 10 years ; and if he will publish a table showing (i) the actual number, (ii) the percentage of the total and (iii) the split between part- time and full-time.
Mr. Jackson : Following is the available information.
(i) The table shows the total number of vacancies in the United Kingdom, on the seasonally adjusted basis, notified to jobcentres for each year from 1981 to 1990.
(ii) Vacancies notified to jobcentres do not represent the total number of vacancies in the economy. The latest research indicates that nationally only about a third of all vacancies are notified to jobcentres.
(iii) Information on the number of vacancies notified to jobcentres split between part-time and full-time is only available for Great Britain, and on the unadjusted basis, from July 1986 onwards. The table shows the number of vacancies notified to jobcentres in Great Britain for each year from 1987 to 1990 and the split between full-time and part-time jobs.
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(i) Vacancies notified to jobcentres in the United Kingdom (seasonally adjusted annual total) Year |Vacancies ------------------------------ 1981 |1,799,300 1982 |1,989,500 1983 |2,180,300 1984 |2,327,000 1985 |2,419,400 1986 |2,546,300 1987 |2,716,700 1988 |2,773,900 1989 |2,712,500 1990 |2,413,300
(iii) Vacancies notified to jobcentres in Great Britain (unadjusted
annual total)
Year |Vacancies |Of which full-time|Of which part-
|vacancies |time vacancies
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987 |2,668,597 |2,033,699 |634,898
1988 |2,725,832 |2,035,023 |690,809
1989 |2,702,549 |1,949,953 |752,596
1990 |2,372,129 |1,667,182 |704,947
Office Staff Statistics
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many staff were employed in (i) jobcentres and (ii) unemployment benefit offices in each of the past 10 years.
Mr. Jackson : Questions on operational matters in the Employment Service Executive Agency are the responsibility of Mike Fogden, the agency's chief executive, to whom I have referred this question for reply.
Labour and Social Affairs Council
Mr. Summerson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the outcome of the meeting of the Labour and Social Affairs Council held in Brussels on 6 November ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Howard : The Council addressed only one item--the proposed directive on pregnant workers. Agreement was reached on the two most important remaining provisions of the proposal, concerned with dismissal and in particular with the level of maternity pay and benefits.
On maternity benefits, the Council rejected the approach proposed by the European Commission of a quantified link with previous earnings. Instead, the Council agreed the principle that member states must at a minimum set the level of maternity benefit at the level of benefits that are paid when people have to be absent from work for reasons of health.
The Council also agreed a number of important protections for the health and safety at work of women who are pregnant or who have recently given birth.
The United Kingdom and all but one of the other member states supported this agreement.
The United Kingdom in addition recorded its concern at the proposed legal basis for this directive under the Treaty of Rome. The United Kingdom does not agree that such matters as leave, pay and other employment rights fall under article 118A of the Treaty, which is explicitly concerned with health and safety at work. The United Kingdom therefore registered its abstention in the voting on this directive. The Social Affairs Council is likely to adopt its formal common position at its next meeting.
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The United Kingdom was represented by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Forth).Training Schemes
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the cost of running training schemes through each of the previous methods ; what is the cost of running training schemes through training and enterprise councils and local enterprise companies ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : Prior to the introduction of TECs and local enterprise companies in 1990-91 training schemes were run from the Department's area offices. Area office running costs were not separately identified from those of regional and head office. During 1990-91 expenditure on TEC management fee in England and Wales was £36.195 million.
For 1991-92 the published estimate shows expenditure of £124.342 million on TEC management fee and residual area office running costs for England and Wales.
Running costs for programmes in Scotland are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.
RNIB Needs Survey
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what consideration he has given to the report "Blind and Partially Sighted Adults in Britain--The RNIB Needs Survey"; what action he will be taking in relation to its findings ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : The Department already provides considerable help for visually impaired people, but we take seriously any indication that more needs to be done. We are therefore considering the recent RNIB report very carefully.
My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Employment will be meeting the RNIB in the near future to discuss this Department's services for people with disabilities in the light of the survey evidence.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Gulf States (Ministerial Visit)
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the recent visit of the Minister of Trade to the Gulf states.
Mr. Sainsbury : I visited Kuwait and Bahrain between 29 October and 3 November.
In Kuwait I met the Amir, Crown Prince, six Ministers, the Governor of the Central Bank and senior Kuwaiti officials. In Bahrain I met the Crown Prince, the Prime Minister and two senior Ministers. In Kuwait I was accompanied by seven senior British business men. In Bahrain I visited the "Rebuild Kuwait 91" exhibition at which 150 British companies were represented, the largest national group. My visit strengthened the already excellent bilateral commercial relations with Bahrain and Kuwait and enabled me and the business team accompanying me to pursue various export opportunities.
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Bankruptcy
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many bankruptcy petitions have been presented in Wales (a) in 1990 and (b) in the current year.
Mr. Redwood : During 1990 there were 855 bankruptcy petitions presented to the county courts in Wales. From January to September 1991 there have been 1,081.
Dressed Leather, Japan
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he intends to make to Japan to abolish the quota system that they place on imports of dressed leather ; and what other action he proposes to take in this area.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 11 November 1991] : Following a complaint to the GATT by the EC Commission and the USA, the Japanese Government replaced their quotas on imports of dressed leather and leather footwear with a 60 per cent. rate of import duty with effect from 1 April 1986. Lower rates, between 20 per cent. and 27 per cent. are applied to limited quantities of these products.
The British Government and the European Commission have taken every opportunity to press the Japanese Government to reduce these unacceptably high levels of import duty and substantially increase the quantities admitted at the lower rates. They will continue to do so, both bilaterally and in the GATT Uruguay round negotiations. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will certainly raise this problem with the newly- appointed MITI Minister, as he did with his predecessor.
Exploited Labour
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what representations he has made and plans to make to countries which export goods to Britain manufactured using children or adults who are not paid a living wage ;
(2) what plans he has to deal with the threat faced by the British textile and footwear industry from unfair competition from imports produced with cheap and exploited labour ;
(3) what plans he has to determine which imports into Britain have been produced using forced child labour and to take steps to ban such imports.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 11 November 1991] : The Government urge all states who have ratified international instruments covering slavery, servitude, forced labour and similar institutions and practices to meet their obligations under those instruments, and also urges those states who have not done so to ratify at the earliest opportunity. This is carried out by the Government at all levels. I am not aware of any specific cases which would justify making representations of the sort that the hon. Member mentions. Moreover, there would be severe practical difficulties in trying to identify goods which had been produced with allegedly forced or sweated labour, given the varied and complex channels of production and distribution in the textile and footwear industries. Customers can, of course, determine for themselves the acceptability of buying any particular product which may otherwise be lawfully supplied.
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More generally, it is highly doubtful whether social conditions can be improved by restricting trade ; indeed, opening up trade is more likely to contribute to economic growth in the developing world, which is a prime objective of the current GATT Uruguay round negotiations, and thus help to improve social conditions in those countries. Labour costs do not of themselves create unfair competition. Where competition is genuinely unfair, appropriate trade policy measures will remain available. The export interests of UK industry, including the textile and footwear sector, which has a meritorious record in this respect, also have to be borne in mind in striking the final balance.Multi-fibre Arrangement
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the current position of the multi-fibre arrangement and bilateral agreements resulting from it.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 11 November 1991] : Our latest information is that 27 signatories of the multi-fibre arrangement (MFA) including the Community have accepted or provisionally accepted the protocol extending the MFA until the end of 1992. With the guidance of member states the Commission is now negotiating the necessary extensions to the bilateral agreements with individual exporting countries.
Israel
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the level of imports and exports between Israel and the United Kingdom each year since 1970 (a) as a percentage of all United Kingdom exports and imports and (b) at 1990 prices.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 11 November 1991] : The available information is published in table 1B of the annual editions of "Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom" (HMSO), available in the Library of the House. Statistics on United Kingdom trade with individual countries, in 1990 prices, are not available.
Negative Certificates
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to introduce legislation which prohibits the use of negative certificates for companies who trade with Arab companies and who wish to trade with Israel.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 11 November 1991] : None.
Textile and Clothing Markets
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to ensure that increased access to the United Kingdom textile and clothing markets is linked to reciprocal access and adoption by the relevant countries of market principles.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 11 November 1991] : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Mr. Lee) on 6 November at column 126.
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Care Home Proprietors
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry why his investigations division is currently examining the affairs of the British Federation of Care Home Proprietors ; when he expects these investigations to be completed ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 11 November 1991] : I cannot comment on the affairs of individual companies. I am prepared to consider any information the hon. Member may provide which might warrant an inquiry. Investigations under the Companies Act are confined to limited companies.
ENVIRONMENT
Property Valuation
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he has any plans to amend the Domestic Property (Valuation) Regulations 1991 to enable a garage or carport to be disregarded if it is required for meeting the needs of the disabled occupant ; (2) if he has any plans to amend the Domestic Property (Valuation) Regulations 1991 to enable an additional room to be disregarded if it is predominantly used by or required for meeting the needs of the disabled occupant.
Mr. Portillo : We are discussing with organisations representing disabled people their representations that other rooms and features should be disregarded within the valuation arrangements.
Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if his Department has any plans to amend the Domestic Property (Valuation) Regulations 1991 to enable the extra space within a property which is required by a wheelchair user to be disregarded.
Mr. Portillo : Under the regulations extra space required by a wheelchair user may be disregarded if it is a feature of a specially adapted additional bathroom, kitchen or lavatory. We are discussing with organisations representing disabled people their representations that other rooms and features should be disregarded within the valuation arrangements.
Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations his Department has received from organisations of and for disabled people with regard to the Domestic Property (Valuation) Regulations 1991.
Mr. Portillo : We have received representations about these regulations from the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation (RADAR), the Association of Disabled Professionals, and the Disablement Income Group.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if it remains his policy to restore the benefits of the Rating (Disabled Persons) Act 1978.
Mr. Portillo : Our policy was stated in the consultation paper, "A New Tax for Local Government". It is that necessary adaptions to the homes of disabled people should be disregarded in assessing the band into which the property should fall for the purposes of the council tax.
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Community Charge
Mr. Stern : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he proposes to take against those local authorities, up to and including Bristol, which are least effective at collecting the community charge to prevent their continuing to create greater community charge in 1992 than they did in the current year.
Mr. Key : We have provided local authorities with stronger powers to collect the community charge than were available for domestic rates. These include attachment of earnings and deductions from income support. If authorities use the powers vigorously this should achieve a high collection rate. We have made it clear that there will be no amnesty for non-payers.
SSSIs
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will identify all the sites of special scientific interest suffering partial loss or long-term damage from April 1990 to March 1991.
Mr. Baldry : I shall write to the hon. Member shortly with the details requested.
Voluntary Sector Forum
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many meetings of the voluntary sector environment forum have been held.
Mr. Baldry : There has been one meeting of the full forum. The working group set up at that meeting to consider DOE funding for Environmental work by the voluntary sector has met four times. The next meeting of the forum will be on 14 November.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the voluntary sector environment forum has produced any reports to Ministers on its work to date.
Mr. Baldry : The forum has a joint departmental and voluntary sector membership. A number of position papers have been produced by the members, and the forum's working group on DOE funding for environmental work by the voluntary sector has produced an interim report, which will be considered by the forum at its meeting on 14 November.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on progress made by the voluntary sector environment forum ; and if he will set out the terms of reference of both the voluntary sector environment forum and the Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment.
Mr. Baldry : The forum has made useful progress in its discussions, particularly through the work of its working group on DOE funding for environmental work by the voluntary sector, which has helped to inform decisions on the second year of the operation of the environmental grant fund.
The terms of reference of the Forum as agreed at the first meeting are :
To provide a national forum for discussion between Government and environmental voluntary organisations on
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generic questions relating to the role of the voluntary sector in environmental protection, enhancement and related issues, and problems facing them in pursuing environmental goals, including : --increasing the contribution of voluntary organisations (particularly non-environmental bodies) to environmental work ; --how the Government and voluntary sector can work together ; --Government support for the voluntary sector ;--helping the voluntary sector develop partnerships with other agencies ; and
--how voluntary organisations could use their experience in environmental work to contribute to the Government's environmental policies.
The terms of reference of the Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment are :
--to provide for a strategic level dialogue between Government and business on environmental issues, both of an immediate and topical interest and of a longer term nature.
--in liaison with other appropriate organisations, to help mobilise the business community in demonstrating good environmental practice and management, building on existing initiatives and activities. --to provide a link with, and focus attention on, international business initiatives on the environment.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions Ministers or officials of his Department have met the voluntary sector environment forum.
Mr. Baldry : My hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment and Countryside chairs the main Forum, which has met once. The working group on DOE funding for environmental work by the voluntary sector has a joint membership of voluntary sector and departmental officials and has met four times.
Shellfish
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he will take to protect the United Kingdom marine environment from hazards associated with the introduction of non-native shellfish.
Mr. Baldry : My Department received a recommendation from the former Nature Conservancy Council that a number of non-native species should be added to schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, including the following species of non-native shellfish : American hard shell clam ; noble crayfish ; signal crayfish ; Turkish crayfish and Pacific oyster. The effect of such changes would be to make it illegal to release specimens of these species into the wild in Great Britain. We have consulted widely on the recommendations and expect to make an announcement shortly.
Smoking
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for the ‡Environment whether Her Majesty's Government intend to ban smoking from all public places.
Mr. Baldry : We have no plans at present to legislate against smoking in public places. We intend instead to publish guidance later this year in the form of a code of practice, encouraging the voluntary implementation of smoking policies by owners and managers of all places visited by the public. Our policy is that non-smoking should be the norm in all public places, with separate facilities for smoking where appropriate.
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The Government are committed to achieving the goal of a smoke-free environment and will monitor the effects of this initiative closely.Zoos
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the number of dispensations granted under section 14(2) of the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 in each year since 1981.
Mr. Baldry : The Zoo Licensing Act 1981 came into force in April 1984. The number of dispensations issued under section 14(2) of the Act in each calendar year is as follows :
|Number
----------------------
1984 |29
1985 |43
1986 |8
1987 |15
1988 |7
1989 |15
1990 |12
<1>1991 |11
<1> To date.
Wild-caught Birds
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will list those species of wild-caught birds which are traded and where doubt exists as to the sustainability of such trade, as recommended by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
Mr. Baldry : In section 5 of its report on the wildlife trade, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee listed 47 species about which it was concerned. Copies of the report--which indicated that the European Community has already taken action to restrict or prohibit trade in most of the species listed--were placed in the Library of the House last month.
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