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Mr. Fallon : The proposals under sections 12 and 13 of the Education Act 1980 to which the hon. Member refers were published on 5 July and are currently before the Secretary of State. My right hon. Friend will reach a decision as soon as possible, consistent with a full and careful consideration of the proposals.
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Sport Review
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make it his policy to publish his ministerial review of sport before the end of the Year of Sport.
Mr. Atkins : It will be published as soon as it is ready.
St. Anne's Primary School, Birkenhead
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he will approve the capital plans for St. Anne's primary school, Rock Ferry, Birkenhead, which are now lodged with his Department.
Mr. Fallon : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 5 November 1991 at col. 57.
TRANSPORT
Marchioness Disaster
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what representations he has received concerning omissions of relevant facts from the investigation and report of the marine accident investigation branch into the Marchioness disaster ;
(2) on what date he received the letter from the hon. Member for Newham, South dated 19 August concerning the Marchioness report and the numbers of accidents over the years which have involved the dredger Bowbelle ; on what date his letter R/M/PSO/13111/91 was sent in reply ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : No representations concerning omissions of relevant facts from the investigation and report have been received. The letter of 19 August from the hon. Member was received on 20 August ; I replied on 19 September. That letter from the hon. Member was not considered to be a representation about relevant facts in the context of the Marchioness report. The marine accident investigation branch inspectors were aware of the number of incidents involving vessels, including Bowbelle, which had occurred prior to the tragic accident that they were investigating. Section 15 of the report discussed the reaction of the owners, the Port of London Authority and the Department at some length. To have gone into detail on each incident would have greatly lengthened that section without adding to its value ; the reason for singling out the incidents described in annex 11 of the report is that they had particular similarities to the Marchioness case.
M25
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) why a section of the M25 was closed between 4 pm and 6 pm on 1 December ; whether there was any danger to the public during this time ; and what length of the motorway was closed ;
(2) under what powers a section of the M25 was closed to traffic on the afternoon of 1 December.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I have been asked to reply.
A section of the motorway between junctions 19 and 21 on the M25 was closed by the local civil police using normal police powers after a vehicle in a MOD convoy
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suffered a mechanical breakdown. There was no danger to the public, police or military personnel. The inconvenience caused to other road users is greatly regretted.OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
EC Development Council
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the EC Development Council on 28 November.
Mrs. Chalker : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Edmonton (Dr. Twinn) on 9 December at column 278.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Kingfisher Chips
Mr. Kaufman : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will name the manufacturers of the Kingfisher chips served in Members Dining Room.
Mr. MacGregor : I shall arrange for the Refreshment Department to let the hon. Member have this information.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Tourism
12. Mr. Gregory : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his current estimate of the volume and value of tourism to Northern Ireland.
Mr. Needham : Overall visitor numbers are expected to improve on last year's 1.15 million--itself a record. Of particular significance is the estimated 15 per cent. increase in pure holiday visitors. In 1990, out- of-state visitors spent about £153 million in Northern Ireland.
Student Loans
13. Mr. Stott : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the working of the student loans scheme in Northern Ireland.
Dr. Mawhinney : The student loans scheme is administered on a United Kingdom-wide basis by the Student Loans Company and is operating successfully in Northern Ireland. A full-year loan plus grant now gives a student over 30 per cent. more money than did the grant alone in 1989-90.
Political Initiatives
14. Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has any plans for new political initiatives in Northern Ireland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Brooke : I am currently in contact with the main constitutional parties in Northern Ireland and the Irish Government, to see whether a new basis for fresh talks can be established. I am pleased to say that there is a general desire to make substantive progress in the period before the election and a general acceptance that the key elements of my statement to the House on 26 March 1991 should apply in any fresh talks.
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Employment
16. Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the current levels of employment in Northern Ireland.
20. Mr. Dover : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the number of people currently employed in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Needham : At June 1991, the latest date for which figures are available, there were an estimated 525,680 employees in employment. This represents an increase of almost 25,000 in the past five years.
24. Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on recent changes in the level of employment in Northern Ireland in 1992.
Mr. Needham : The latest figures indicate that at June 1991 there were some 525,680 employees in employment, a decrease of 2,660 since March. The current level of employment is, however, almost 25,000 higher than at June 1986.
Intergovernmental Talks
17. Mr. Corbett : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will make a statement on his most recent talks with the Irish Government.
Mr. Brooke : A meeting between the Prime Minister and Taoiseach, which I also attended, took place in Dublin on 4 December. It discussed a wide range of EC, other international and bilateral issues. A meeting of the Anglo-Irish Conference was held on 20 November.
Security
18. Sir Patrick Duffy : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the security situation in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Brooke : I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave earlier today to the right hon. Member for Lagan Valley (Mr. Molyneaux).
Electricity Industry
19. Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people currently work in the electricity supply industry ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Needham : At 30 September, 5,576 people were working in the electricity supply industry in Northern Ireland.
25. Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a further statement on the progress of the privatisation of Northern Ireland Electricity.
Mr. Needham : Bids for the purchase of the power stations have been received and are being evaluated. Draft legislation has been laid before Parliament and will be debated in due course.
27. Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on fair employment in the Northern Ireland Electricity service.
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Mr. Needham : I am informed by the chairman of Northern Ireland Electricity that the company is committed to and implementing an employment policy designed to achieve full equality of opportunity.
Royal Family (Portraits)
21. Mr. Trimble : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will introduce legislation to clarify the law with respect to the display of portraits of Her Majesty or members of the royal family.
Mr. Needham : There are no plans to introduce such legislation ; in the context of the work place the position is already adequately covered in the code of practice on fair employment.
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland why he instructed the removal of a portrait of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II from Her Majesty's prison, The Maze ; and if he will make a statement on the display of such portraits in Northern Ireland.
Dr. Mawhinney : It is the policy of the prison service that official portraits of Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip are displayed in specified areas. There is no provision for the diplay of portraits or emblems in areas used by visitors to prison establishments or other areas accessible by the public.
Spearhead Battalion
22. Mr. Ian Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a further statement on the deployment of the spearhead battalion in Northern Ireland to support the RUC and UDR.
Dr. Mawhinney : After consultation with the Chief Constable and the General Officer Commanding, my right hon. Friend agreed with the Secretary of State for Defence that an additional battalion should be temporarily deployed to Northern Ireland from 26 November 1991 to operate in support of the RUC.
This is a decisive and measured response to the current security situation. It is yet another example of the Government's commitment to provide the security forces with the resources they need to help bring terrorism to an end.
Northern Ireland International Airport
23. Mr. Clifford Forsythe : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what Government and European grants were paid to Northern Ireland international airport during the periods January 1990 to December 1990 and January 1991 to October 1991.
Mr. Needham : During the period January 1990 to December 1990, Belfast international airport received grants of £4,861.78 and £6.22 million from Government and the European Commission respectively. Between January 1991 and October 1991 £600,000 was paid to the airport by the European Commission. No grant was paid to the airport by Government during this latter period.
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Public Spending
26. Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money per head of population is currently spent per head of population in Ulster.
Dr. Mawhinney : The Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments will spend approximately £6,449 million in 1991-92, which represents about £4,050 per head of population.
Road Deaths
28. Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people died on the roads in each of the three years up to 30 October.
Mr. Needham : The figures are as follows :
|Number
------------------------------------------------
1 January 1989 to 30 October 1989 |154
1 January 1990 to 30 October 1990 |143
1 January 1991 to 30 October 1991 |151
Border Poll
29. Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he has any plans for holding a border poll in Northern Ireland.
Governance
30. Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he has recently met the leaders of the major political parties to discuss the governance of Northern Ireland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Brooke : I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner).
Unemployment
Mr. Cran : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the current levels of unemployment in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Needham : At 10 October 1991, the latest date for which information is available, there were 101,441 unemployed claimants in Northern Ireland, which represents a decrease of 2,994 compared with the previous month.
Dyslexia
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many schools in Northern Ireland have a specialised teacher for children suffering from dyslexia at (a) primary level and (b) post-primary level.
Dr. Mawhinney : This information is not readily available in the form requested.
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Dyslexia can describe a variety of specific learning difficulties experienced by children. In most cases the children concerned are educated in ordinary schools, many of which have teachers with responsibility for co-ordinating remedial teaching by class teachers and who also provide remedial teaching for small groups of children withdrawn from their normal classes for short periods each week. Education and library boards have a duty to identify and make provision for children with special educational needs. Assistance for pupils with literacy and numeracy problems is provided in a number of ways, for example, by peripatetic remedial teachers, reading centres, literacy teaching and support services and outreach from some special schools.Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what training teachers receive in (a) recognising symptoms of dyslexia in pupils and (b) how to assist pupils who show symptoms of dyslexia.
Dr. Mawhinney : Dyslexia can describe a variety of learning difficulties experienced by children. All courses of initial teacher training must include an element designed to enable students to develop the capacity to identify and deal with pupils with learning difficulties. For serving teachers, the education and library boards mount in-service courses with similar objectives.
The Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (CATE), whose remit applies to England, Wales and Northern Ireland, is at present undertaking an inquiry into the preparation of student teachers to teach reading. As part of this inquiry, CATE has been asked to devote attention to the question of the training of teachers in how to identify and help pupils who might be termed dyslexic.
Suckler Calves
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table to show for the principal markets in Northern Ireland the price received for suckler calves in each of the months September, October and November, respectively, of the current year, and the figures for 1986, 1981 and 1976, and if he will show the prices in actual and real terms taking 1976 as the base year.
Mr. Hanley : The information requested is as follows :
Year Current Prices Prices in real terms<1>
(£/head) (£/head)
|Sept. |Oct. |Nov. |Sept. |Oct. |Nov.
--------------------------------------------------------
1976 |- |171.56|174.40|- |171.56|171.99
1981 |- |228.85|223.61|- |123.24|119.13
1986 |214.18|230.16|224.17|90.30 |96.87 |93.56
1991 |- |276.61|241.51|- |84.82 |74.31
<1>Deflated by changes since October 1976 in the United
Kingdom
index of retail prices.
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NORTHERN IRELAND
Pupil Selection
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children who undertook the selection transfer procedure in the academic year 1990-91
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gained (a) grade 1, (b) grade 2, (c) grade 3 and (d) grade 4 in each of the education and library board areas ; and of these how many gained a place in the school of their first choice.Dr. Mawhinney : The information requested is as follows :
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Table 1
Grades obtained by children in the 1990-91 transfer procedure tests in primary schools in each education and library board area.
Grade
Education and library board |1 |2 |3 |4 |Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Belfast |1,016 |485 |471
Western |1,413 |553 |571 |1,038 |3,575
North-Eastern |1,592 |650 |650 |1,459 |4,351
South-Eastern |1,624 |649 |657 |1,423 |4,353
Southern |1,009 |495 |454 |859 |2,817
|------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |6,654 |2,832 |2,803 |6,107 |18,396
Table 2
Pupils admitted to school of first choice in September 1991 by
grade<1>
Education and |Grade
Library Board
|1 |2 |3 |4
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Belfast |1,538 |696 |377 |1,108
Western |1,359 |350 |482 |969
North-Eastern |1,554 |530 |504 |1,440
South-Eastern |1,233 |315 |454 |1,325
Southern |929 |393 |342 |733
Total |6,613 |2,284 |2,159 |5,575
<1> As pupils admitted to secondary and grammar schools in each board's area can
transfer from primary schools in other board's area, it is not valid to compare
tables 1 and 2 for each board.
Agriculture
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table to show for each of the last 10 years for which figures are available gross
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income of Northern Ireland agriculture by sector and in total showing figures in actual and real terms, taking the first year as a base ; and if he will show in the same way (i) the value of agricultural land and (ii) the value of farm equipment for those years.Mr. Hanley : Gross income data are not available. Data using the closest alternative measure, total income from farming, are shown in table 1.
Total income from farming is an aggregate measure of income and is not calculated by sector. The closest available sectoral measure is the sector gross margin, data on which are given in table 2. Information on the value of agricultural land is given in table 3. Information on the value of farm equipment is not available.
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Table 1
Total income from Farming
|1981 |1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In actual prices
(£ million) |91.9 |123.4|128.2|170.2|119.5|106.3|156.0|181.4|211.8|168.9
In real terms
(Index 1981 = 100) |100 |124 |123 |155 |103 |88 |125 |138 |150 |109
Table 2 Aggregate gross margin estimates by sector (a) In actual prices (£ million) Sector |1981 |1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 (f) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dairying |111.6 |144.6 |153.6 |157.7 |147.6 |136.6 |164.8 |198.1 |224.6 |191.8 Beef rearing and fattening |95.6 |80.6 |104.9 |130.7 |126.7 |107.1 |119.9 |161.1 |177.9 |177.9 Sheep |14.1 |16.9 |25.0 |28.4 |33.3 |34.9 |40.7 |47.3 |51.7 |57.0 Pigs |16.2 |19.5 |11.7 |21.0 |20.6 |17.5 |18.3 |10.4 |24.8 |30.0 Poultrymeat and eggs |1.3 |-1.9 |-4.2 |3.6 |2.8 |7.4 |9.8 |1.6 |5.2 |10.4 Cereals |16.2 |18.0 |22.7 |25.1 |15.3 |21.8 |23.3 |23.4 |27.4 |31.3 Potatoes |19.6 |18.9 |24.5 |15.2 |11.6 |17.8 |17.5 |14.0 |20.3 |20.4 Horticulture |10.3 |9.0 |12.5 |13.9 |16.0 |14.4 |19.5 |22.7 |17.4 |19.3
(b) In real terms (Index 1981=100) Sector |1981 |1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990(f) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dairying |100 |119 |121 |119 |105 |94 |108 |124 |131 |102 Beef rearing and fattening |100 |78 |97 |115 |105 |86 |92 |118 |121 |110 Sheep |100 |111 |156 |169 |187 |189 |212 |235 |238 |240 Pigs |100 |111 |64 |109 |101 |83 |83 |45 |99 |110 Poultrymeat and eggs |100 |-131 |-285 |231 |169 |438 |554 |85 |262 |477 Cereals |100 |102 |123 |130 |75 |103 |106 |101 |110 |115 Potatoes |100 |89 |110 |69 |47 |69 |65 |50 |67 |62 Horticulture |100 |81 |107 |114 |122 |107 |139 |154 |110 |111
Table 3
Value of agricultural land\#\
|1981 |1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In actual prices
£ million) |2,847.2|2,533.4|2,733.3|2,733.6|2,702.8|2,810.6|2,937.0|2,569.2|3,114.4|3,024.1
In real terms
(Index 1981=100) |100 |82 |85 |81 |75 |75 |76 |63 |71 |63
Disabled Drivers (Parking)
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will arrange for the Department of the Environment roads service to make provision for free parking for disabled drivers in Northern Ireland along the lines of that made available in Great Britain by local authorities.
Mr. Needham : I have no plans to introduce legislation to enable disabled drivers to park free of charge in Department of the Environment car parks. Orange badge holders are entitled to free parking on roads where charges or restrictions would normally apply.
Crawfordsburn
Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will designate Crawfordsburn, County Down as an environmentally sensitive area.
Mr. Needham : There are no plans to designate Crawfordsburn as an environmentally sensitive area, nor are there any plans to apply any other nature conservation-related designation to the area. It is intended, however, to designate a conservation area in Crawfordsburn village during 1993-94.
Rathgael Training School
Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions young persons have absconded from Rathgael training school, Bangor in each month since 1 July 1991, giving the number of occasions on which each young person has absconded on each occasion ; and whether Bangor police station is notified of every such case of absconding irrespective of the home address of the person absconding.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information requested is given below :
1991 |Clients |Episodes
-------------------------------------
July |38 |70
August |47 |114
September |44 |74
October |41 |69
November |31 |48
|------- |-------
Total |<1>94 |375
<1> Some individuals absconded in
more than one month.
All episodes of absconding are reported to Bangor police station irrespective of clients' addresses.
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Labour Statistics
Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the number of unemployed young people in the North Down area ; and what was the figure for each of the past 10 years.
Mr. Needham : The number of unemployed persons aged under 25 in the North Down district council area at 10 October 1991, the latest date for which figures are available, was 738. Information for previous years is only available from 1984 onwards.
October |Number of
|unemployed <1>
|(aged under 25)
------------------------------------------------
1984 |1,248
1985 |1,210
1986 |1,175
1987 |1,113
1988 |888
1989 |706
1990 |789
1991 |738
<1> Figures are not consistent over time due to
changes in procedures governing entitlement to
benefit.
Benefit Fraud
Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the amount of money which it is estimated has been paid out as a result of fraudulent applications for DHSS benefits which have been detected in each of the last five years in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Hanley : During the period 1986 to 1990 the amount of money paid in Northern Ireland as a result of fraudulent claims for DHSS benefits, which have since been detected, was :
|£
------------------------
1986 |668,924
1987 |640,924
1988 |621,109
1989 |814,637
1990 |894,140
The figure for 1990 represents a period of 15 months from 1 January 1990 to 31 March 1991 as from 1991 it was decided to record these statistics on a financial year basis. Figures in respect of 1991 will not be available until mid-1992.
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Hearing Therapists
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many hearing therapists are employed in Northern Ireland ; and whether he has proposals to extend the services provided by hearing therapists in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Hanley : There are two hearing therapists employed in Northern Ireland. The Regional Strategy for the Health and Personal Social Services in Northern Ireland (1992-97) identifies as a key area of concern the need to improve services for people suffering from sensory disability. Boards are required to ascertain the numbers and needs of sensorily impaired people in their populations and ensure access to specialist teams of staff to provide support for those with a hearing and/or visual impairment.
Freshwater Fish
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the scope and frequency of monitoring of freshwater fish flesh in Northern Ireland ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Hanley : There is no regular monitoring regime for freshwater fish flesh. Monitoring and testing are undertaken, however, where problems are suspected.
In 1990, at the request of the Foyle Fisheries Commission, a number of samples of salmon from the River Foyle estuary were analysed for contaminants.
In 1986-87 Northern Ireland scientists participated in a United Kingdom survey of pesticide and heavy metal residues in eels from freshwater sites. A similar survey is planned for 1995.
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