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Mr. Jackson : The provisional number of confirmed redundancies received for the Merseyside area in the three months to September was 2,210.
Co-operatives
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how much money his Department has set aside for aiding the development of co- operatives in the present financial year ; and how much of the money has been allocated or granted to (a) the United Kingdom Co-operative Council, (b) other organisations concerned with the promotion or development of co- operatives and (c) directly to co-operatives in the form of pump-priming grants.
Mr. Jackson : The amount available to support innovative projects in the co-operative sector is up to the amount that might otherwise have been spent in maintaining the Co-operative Development Agency until 1993 ; that is, up to £300,000 per annum.
In the present financial year £45,000 has been allocated to the United Kingdom Co-operative Council. No further sums have been allocated at present, but the Department is considering proposals from a number of organisations.
Dangerous Cargoes
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects to publish the report on the transportation of hazardous cargoes and dangerous substances by road or rail or marine transport.
Mr. Jackson : The Health and Safety Commission's report on the major hazard aspects of the transport of dangerous substances was published on 12 November 1991. Sir John Cullen, chairman of the Commission, launched the report at a press conference on the same day.
A copy has been placed in the Library.
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Restart Interviews and Job Clubs
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many people in Coventry have attended a restart interview since 1 April ; what were the results of those interviews ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) how many people in Coventry have attended a restart interview since 1 April 1991 ; how many of those interviewed then (a) started work, (b) began training under employment training, (c) started in a job club, (d) started a restart course or (e) attended an enterprise allowance scheme awareness day ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) how many people in Coventry in the last 12 months since April 1990, and the six months since April 1991 have joined job clubs ; how many have left ; how many leavers got jobs ; how many entered another positive outcome ; if he will publish that information broken down by the ethnic origin and by gender ; and what are the comparable figures for the west midlands region as a whole.
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 these questions for reply.
Working Hours
Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to introduce statutory rights for people working less than eight hours a week.
Labour Statistics
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give for Coventry the figures of unemployment, broken down by age, sex and duration.
Mr. Jackson : Unemployment figures by age and duration are available only on a quarterly basis. The latest, relating to July 1991, can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the Library. Figures for October 1991 will be published on Tuesday 19 November.
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the top 10 constituencies with the highest level of unemployment in England, Scotland and Wales at the latest available date ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : For areas with different sized work forces, such as parliamentary constituencies, the only meaningful comparisons are based on unemployment rates. These are not available at the level of parliamentary constituencies.
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Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons under the age of 21 years are unemployed in the Liverpool travel-to -work area at the most recent date.
Mr. Jackson : Unemployment figures by age and duration are available on a quarterly basis and provide separate figures for those under 20 years of age. In July 1991, the latest available date, there were 6,804 unemployed claimants aged under 20 in the Liverpool travel-to-work area.
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the percentage rate of unemployment in Liverpool, Riverside constituency at the latest date ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : The smallest geographical areas for which unemployment rates are available are travel-to-work areas. The unemployment rate in October 1991 for Liverpool travel-to-work area was 14.7 per cent., 6.2 percentage points lower than at the peak in January 1986. The figures are on the unadjusted basis and comparisons are affected by changes in the coverage of the count over the period and by seasonal influences.
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will produce a table to show, for each of the last 12 months, the number of (a) unemployed in Coventry, (b) the number of vacancies available at (i) the local jobcentre and (ii) the careers office and (c) (a) divided by (b).
Mr. Jackson : The information on unemployment and jobcentre vacancies can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the House of Commons Library. Information for vacancies at career offices in Coventry can be found in the west midlands regional press notice, copies of which are available in the Library.
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on unemployment figures for Liverpool and Merseyside at the latest date.
Mr. Jackson : In October 1991, the unadjusted level of unemployment in the county of Merseyside was 93,485. In the Liverpool travel-to-work area, part of which falls in the county of Merseyside, the unadjusted level of unemployment was 71,150.
Manufacturing Jobs
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the number of manufacturing jobs in the northern region in 1979 and the number in 1991 or the latest date available.
Mr. Jackson : The information is shown in the table.
Employees in manufacturing in
the Northern Region
|Thousands
------------------------------
June 1979 |410
June 1991 |261
TECs
Mr. Dykes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has issued any strategic guidance to training and enterprise councils ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Howard : I issued my strategic guidance for 1992-93 to TECs on Friday 15 November. The guidance sets out the key issues I would like TECs to address in their plans for the coming year. At the same time, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and I issued a joint statement setting out ways we see the relationship between TECs and his Department being strengthened. I have placed copies of the guidance and the joint statement in the Library.
Libya
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration he has given to the resumption of direct flights between the United Kingdom and Libya to assist British workers and businesses operating there.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have no plans to propose the resumption of direct flights between Britain and Libya. Any such move would be particularly inappropriate in view of the charges that Libyans were responsible for the Lockerbie bombing.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance he is providing to British businesses to try to obtain contracts in connection with (a) the great man-made river project and (b) the Melita power station in Libya.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : None. We have neither encouraged nor discouraged British companies who wish to trade with Libya. This has been a matter for their commercial judgment alone.
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek an assurance from the Libyan authorities that they do not supply arms to terrorists.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Our considered response to the charges that Libyan officials were responsible for the Lockerbie bombing will be announced shortly.
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on United Kingdom relations with Libya.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Relations remain very poor, and particularly so in the light of the charges that Libyan officials were responsible for the Lockerbie bombing.
Iraq
Mr. Carrington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what inspections have so far been carried out by the United Nations Special Commission and the International Atomic Agency in Iraq under the terms of Security Council resolution 687 ; and what contribution Britain is making to their work.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We are actively supporting the work of the United Nations special commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency--IAEA --as they carry out their mandates under the relevant Security Council resolutions. They have so far completed 20 inspections. These are listed in the table, together with details of the assistance given by Britain. A further two inspections are currently in progress.
In addition to providing assistance for specific inspections, a senior British expert on chemical and
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biological defence matters is a full-time member of the special commission. Other British experts have taken part in ad hoc specialist meetings, one is chairman of the chemical warfare destruction advisory panel who also took part, together with the British member of the commission, in two fact-finding missions to Iraq on chemical weapons. We have made available to the United Nations information on Iraq's weapons capabilities. The Government also suport in principle the nuclear industry's readiness to assist the IAEA, in partnership with French industry, in the IAEA's task of recovering irradiated nuclear fuel from Iraq.We shall continue strongly to support the work of the special commission and IAEA, and encourage others to do likewise. It is vitally important for the security of the region and the world that Iraq should not be allowed to retain or redevelop its weapons of mass destruction.
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Date<1> |Inspection<2> |United Kingdom
|inspectors<3>/Technical
|experts
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14-22 May |UNSCOM 1-first nuclear |-
| inspection by the IAEA.
9-15 June |UNSCOM 2-first chemical |Three
| weapons inspection.
30 June to 7 July |UNSCOM 3-first ballistic |One
| missile inspection.
22 June to 3 July<4> |UNSCOM 4-second IAEA |One
| nuclear inspection.
6-19 July |UNSCOM 5-third IAEA |Two
| nuclear inspection.
27 July to 10 |UNSCOM 6-fourth IAEA |Two
August | nuclear inspection.
2-8 August |UNSCOM 7-first bilogical |Five, including the leader
| weapons inspection.
8-15 August |UNSCOM 8-third ballistic |One
| missile inspection.
15-22 August |UNSCOM 9-second chemical |One
| weapons inspection.
18-20 July<4> |UNSCOM 10-second ballistic |-
| missile inspection.
30 August to |UNSCOM 11-third chemical |One
8 September | weapons inspection.
30 August to |UNSCOM 12-fourth chemical |One
5 September |weapons inspection.
6-13 September |UNSCOM 13-fourth ballistic |One
| missile inspection.
14-20 September |UNSCOM 14-fifth IAEA |-
| nuclear inspection.
20 September to |UNSCOM 15-second biological |Two, including the deputy
3 October | weapons inspection. | leader
21-30 September |UNSCOM-sixth IAEA nuclear |Two
| inspection.
6 October to |UNSCOM 17-fifth chemical |Five in Iraq, including the
9 November | weapons inspection. | deputy leader and a
| CBDE Porton Down
| analytical team, plus a
| further CBDE Porton
| Down analytical team in
| the area.
1-14 October |UNSCOM 18-fifth ballistic |Two
| missile inspection.
11-22 October |UNSCOM 19-seventh IAEA |One
| nuclear inspection.
22 October to |UNSCOM 20-sixth chemical |One
2 November | weapons inspection. | equipment.
<1> Dates for entry/exit into/out of Iraq.
<2> UNSCOM denotes "UN Special Commission".
<3> Not including UN or IAEA employed UK nationals.
<4> Brought forward at short notice.
Mr. Carrington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made by the United Nations Special Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency in the destruction, removal or rendering harmless of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction under Security Council resolutions 687 and 707.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The United Nations Special Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency have made substantial progress in dismantling Iraq's weapons of mass destruction--WMD--capability in the 22 inspections which have been mounted since May 1991, despite deception and obstruction by Iraq in flagrant breach of its obligations under Security Council Resolutions 687 and 707. SCR 687 required Iraq to make a declaration of the locations, amounts and types of all the items related to its WMD programmes. In making its original declaration, Iraq denied having a nuclear weapons programme or a biological weapons programme, and declared only some 11,000 chemical munitions and only 52 ballistic missiles, with no mention of a supergun. Revised declarations by Iraq and subsequent inspections have revealed : an enormous covert nuclear weapons development programme ; a biological research programme for military purposes ; some 46,000 filled chemical munitions, 79,000 unfilled chemical munitions, over 600 tons of chemical weapon agent and some 3,000 tons of chemical precursors ; 62 ballistic missiles and supergun assemblies and parts. We do not believe that the full extent of the Iraqi WMD programmes has yet been uncovered.
Under the terms of SCR 687, items relating to Iraq's WMD programmes are to be destroyed, removed or rendered harmless. Inspectors have so far supervised the destruction of 62 ballistic missiles ; 10 missile launchers, 18 fixed Scud missile launch pads, 11 dummy missiles, 32 ballistic missile warheads, 127 missile storage support vehicles, a substantial amount of rocket fuel, an assembled 350 mm supergun, components for 350 mm and 1,000 mm superguns, 1 tonne of supergun propellant and over 11,800 unfilled chemical munitions. In addition, inspectors have confirmed the destruction, by coalition bombing, of several missile repair and production facilities. Plans are now in hand for the destruction of the chemical munitions and bulk agents. Destruction of the equipment used in Iraq's nuclear weapons development programme has begun and the IAEA is preparing to remove nuclear weapons usable material from Iraq.
At present sanctions apply to all exports to Iraq other than food, medicine and essential civilian supplies for humanitarian purposes. Under paragraph 22 of SCR 687
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sanctions will be lifted only when the Security Council agrees that Iraq has completed all the actions concerned with the destruction of its WMD. Even then all states will be required to prevent the sale or supply to Iraq of arms, weapons technology and military training facilities for the foreseeable future, that is, until a further decision of the Security Council.Moreover, Iraq's ability to use, develop, construct or acquire weapons of mass destruction in future should be precluded by the stringent monitoring and verification regimes embodied in two detailed plans approved under SCR 715 on 11 October. One plan, submitted by the Secretary-General pursuant to paragraph 10 of SCR 687, covers chemical weapons, biological weapons and ballistic missiles. The other, submitted by the director general of the IAEA pursuant to paragraph 12 of SCR 687, covers the nuclear field. The plans entered into force with the adoption of SCR 715 and will remain in force until otherwise determined by the Security Council.
Kenya
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to the Government of Kenya regarding their relations with Renamo.
Mrs. Chalker : At the beginning of this month, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs sent a message to the Kenyan Foreign Minister expressing the hope that Kenya would continue to use its influence in the region to promote peace in Mozambique. The Secretary of State also thanked President Moi of Kenya for his part in persuading Renamo to cease attacks on the Limpopo corridor.
Yugoslavia
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Yugoslav National Army requesting it not to use cluster bombs in the present fighting.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We and our EC partners have repeatedly called on all sides to respect the ceasefire agreements in their entirety.
Mr. Anson Na Yong
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made by the post in Guatemala about the death of British citizen journalist, Mr. Anson Na Yong ; what statement has been issued by the post or his Department
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on Mr. Yong's death ; when letters from the National Union of Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists to him about Mr. Yong's death will be answered ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Garel-Jones : The British embassy in Guatemala is following the Guatemalan investigation into the murder of Mr. Anson Na Yong closely. An initial report was received and forwarded to the United Kingdom coroner. The embassy is pressing for a further progress report.
It is not the practice of Her Majesty's Government or British diplomatic posts to issue statements on the death of British nationals overseas.
The International Federation of Journalists, whose letter was acknowledged on 14 August 1991, asked to be kept informed through the National Union of Journalists. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State replied to the National Union of Journalists on 14 October 1991.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Open University
Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science to what extent he proposes to enhance the broad coverage of the Open university's methods of imparting higher education.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The university is playing a prominent part in the development of new course delivery methods and technologies, with the support of the block grant it receives from the Department of Education and Science. I have every confidence that it will continue to do so when it is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
English GCSE
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what research was undertaken before the proposal to change the GCSE key stage 4 assessment system in English was introduced.
Mr. Eggar : HM inspectorate has reported that coursework is of a variable quality, may fail to bring out the best in pupils at both ends of the ability range, and may be inadequately moderated. It has, however, reported that it has a generally positive effect on pupil motivation.
Student Support
Mr. Ronnie Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what local education authorities have made no provision for discretionary awards to students in 1991-92 and 1990-91 ;
(2) what local education authorities in the United Kingdom have reduced their budget provision for discretionary awards to students at (a) further and (b) higher education levels in real terms in 1991-92 relative to provision in 1990-91.
Mr. Alan Howarth : Information is not yet available about local education authorities' outturn expenditure on discretionary awards to students in 1990-91, or their budgeted expenditure in 1991-92. The 1991-92 revenue support grant settlement increased standard spending on education by 16 per cent. over 1990-91. It would have
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allowed authorities collectively to spend 9 per cent. more in 1991-92 than they themselves planned to spend in total on education in 1990-91. This would have permitted some growth in overall discretionary award provision if authorities so chose. I am not aware of any authority ceasing to pay discretionary awards altogether.Human Tissues
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what co-ordination exists between human tissue banks to prevent human material from going to waste.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The Medical Research Council, which receives grant aid from my Department, provides funds for the foetal tissue bank at the Royal Marsden hospital, London and for nine brain tissue banks. The foetal issue bank is a national facility supplying material to more than 100 centres in the United Kingdom. It operates according to guidelines published in the "Review of the Guidance on the Research Use of Foetuses and Foetal Material"--the Polkinghorne report, Cm. 762. The MRC is reviewing the activities of the brain tissue banks to ensure that there is optimum co-ordination between them and their users. The health departments, university departments and medical schools may also be supporting other tissue banks. Information is not held centrally about these.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assessment he has made of the advantages and preferred use of human tissues compared with animal tissues in research, testing and education ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Howarth : None. This is a matter for the academic and research community.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish the number, location and type of human tissue storage facilities which exist for the purposes of research, testing and education in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Alan Howarth : Such facilities may exist at higher education institutions, research establishments and hospitals. The information requested is not held centrally.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will bring forward proposals to expand the number of human tissue storage facilities.
Mr. Alan Howarth : No evidence has been put to my Department which would indicate that such an expansion was needed.
Schools (Ministerial Visits)
Ms. Armstrong : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the schools which (a) he, (b) the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Enfield, North (Mr. Eggar) and (c) the Parliamentary Under-Secretary, the hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Fallon), have visited in their official capacity since assuming their different offices, with the date, purpose of visit, type of school and local authority concerned, in each case.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 14 November 1991] : I, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and the
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Darlington (Mr. Fallon) have visited the following schools during our periods in office :Secretary of State
Monday 26 November 1990
Ribston Hall GM Grammar School
(Gloucestershire)--General visit
Wednesday 30 January 1991
Stockingford First and Middle Schools
Alderman Smith High School
(Warwickshire)--General visit
Wednesday 1 May 1991
Jewish Free School
(Camden)--General visit
Thursday 9 May 1991
Chaucer Technical School
Canterbury High School
(Kent)--General visit
Friday 17 May 1991
St. Pauls C of E VA School
Hills Road 6th form College
St. Ivo Secondary School, Huntingdon
(Cambridgeshire)--General visit
Friday 7 June 1991
Rushcliffe School
(Nottinghamshire)--To speak with Rushcliffe Teachers
Tuesday 11 June 1991
Bourne GM Primary School
(Lincolnshire)--Visit to the first GM primary school
Wednesday 12 June 1991
Valley End CE Primary School
(Surrey)--To look at SATs for 7 year olds in progress
Wednesday 19 June 1991
Chestnut Grove Secondary School
(Wandsworth)--To talk to Parents and Teachers about
opting out
Friday 21 June 1991
Harry Carlton Secondary School
Djanogly CTC
(Nottinghamshire)--General visit
Monday 24 June 1991
Westminster School (Independent)--Lunch with HMC
Tuesday 16 July 1991
The Arnewood School, New Milton
(Hampshire)--Visit to the 100th GM school
Tuesday 10 September 1991
Old Swinford GM School (West Midlands)
(Dudley)--General visit
Wednesday 9 October 1991
Fleetwood High School--General visit
Rossall School (Independent)
(Lancashire)--Meeting with Independent Heads of
Independent schools
Wednesday 16 October 1991
RNIB Rushton Hall School, Rushton--General visit
Friday 18 October 1991
Nottingham High School
(Nottinghamshire)--To address School Politics Society
Friday 1 November 1991
Rutland 6th form College
Oakham School (Independent)
(Leicestershire)--General visit
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