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Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the arrangements to involve the Welsh Office in the decision-making process on the future of (i) Royal Navy armaments depot, Trecwn and (ii) RAF Brawdy.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There has been regular contact between the MOD and the Welsh Office, at ministerial and official level, throughout the decision-making process. The MOD will be represented on the special west Wales task force which was announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales on 24 January.
Military Bases
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy on informing the work force at military bases of closure decisions prior to that information being made public.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : In accordance with departmental practice, announcements on closure decisions are made to the work force concerned at the time the decision becomes public knowledge.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Theft
Mr. Andrew Hargreaves : To ask the Lord President of the Council how many thefts were reported in the Palace of Westminster in 1989 and 1990 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. MacGregor : Thirty-seven and 66 respectively. Each report of property stolen is vigorously followed up by the police. The amount of property stolen would be considerably reduced if articles of value were secured and desks and filing cabinets locked when offices are left unattended.
EMPLOYMENT
Training
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what is his estimate of (a) how many adults will be eligible for training under the employment
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training initiative in Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark in 1992-93 and (b) the percentage of these adults who are likely to be classified as facing special training needs ;(2) what is his estimate of (a) the number of young people likely to fall into the youth training guarantee group in 1992-93, in the four boroughs of Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark and (b) the percentage of these young people in the youth training guarantee group who are likely to have special training needs.
Mr. Jackson : The south Thames training and enterprise council, which covers Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, is responsible for providing training places under employment training and youth training in its area, including training places for those with special training needs. The training and enterprise council is currently discussing the number of training places required in 1992-93 with my officials.
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the estimated average cost for providing additional support for trainees on youth training and employment training for (a) child care support, (b) language support, (c) travel, (d) communication services for the deaf and premises adaptation and (e) other specialist support for people with disabilities.
Mr. Jackson : The information is not available.
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the average cost of providing training for adults and young people on employment training and youth training programmes in Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark.
Mr. Jackson : The south Thames training and enterprise council, which covers Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, is currently negotiating its plans for 1992-93 with my officials. While these negotiations are in progress they are subject to normal confidentiality.
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the percentage of young people and adults eligible for employment training and youth training, who may require child care support payments in Lambeth, Lewisham, Greenwich and Southwark.
Mr. Jackson : It is not possible to estimate the number of young people and adults who may require help with the cost of child care in order to enter YT and ET. Training and enterprise councils are required to provide reasonable and necessary support costs, including child care, for those ET and YT trainees who are resident or normally resident in the TEC area, and who are in the guarantee and aim groups.
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many young people were registered as unemployed and covered by the guarantee by the careers offices in Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham and Greenwich on 10 January.
Mr. Jackson : This information is not available in the form requested.
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Tourism
Mr. Allason : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress has been achieved in finding a method of accumulating statistics of day visitors to coastal resort towns so an appropriate criteria can be added to the standard spending assessment calculations, to compensate local authorities for the extra expenditure required to support tourism.
Mr. Forth : Information on day visits from the home is available for most counties from the leisure day visits survey. Officials from my Department are assisting their colleagues in the Department of the Environment who are considering how this and subsequent survey data can best be developed for use in the standard spending assessment calculations.
Work Permits
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the number of work permits issued by his Department in each of the last three years ; and what was the employment for which these permits were given.
Mr. Forth : The total number of work permits granted in 1989, 1990 and 1991 were 29,730, 34,627 and 28,978 respectively. The main areas of employment in each year for which permits were granted were :
Occupational groups |1989 |1990 |1991 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Professional entertainers |12,107 |13,289 |12,248 Company secretaries, accountancy occupations |4,877 |5,442 |3,921 Directors, general managers |2,059 |2,318 |1,697 Engineering researchers, designers, consultants |1,695 |1,877 |1,144 Management specialists |1,279 |1,024 |666 Scientific researchers and consultants |1,155 |974 |1,092 Hotel and catering occupations |1,104 |1,186 |1,060 Health care occupations |973 |1,317 |1,398 Teaching and training occupations |840 |2,764 |1,373 Construction specialists |840<1> |1,675 |1,982 Marketing and public relations specialists etc. |629 |532 |327 <1> Revised figure.
Of the total figures for each year 4,228, 4,812 and 3,513 were granted in 1989, 1990 and 1991 under the training and work experience scheme.
Disabled People
Mr. Michael Spicer : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has any plans to publicise the advantages to employers of employing disabled people in respect of their aptitude for certain kind of work, including routine work.
Mr. Jackson : We believe that people with disabilities have the same range of abilities as others in the labour market, and that they should have access to the full range of employment opportunities. The Department already encourages employers to recognise the advantages of employing people with disabilities and to adopt and implement constructive policies and practices in this area. The Employment Service's disablement advisory service works with employers to achieve this.
In 1984, the Department published the code of good practice on the employment of disabled people ; in 1990,
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my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State launched the disability symbol initiative, which offers employers the opportunity to state publicly their commitment to recruiting, integrating in employment, retaining and offering career development to people with disabilities. The Department has also recently reconstituted the committees for the employment of people with disabilities and has given them a more focused brief to promote effective policies to employers.Unemployment (Costs)
Mr. Callaghan : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the total current cost of unemployment to the Exchequer including benefits, administrative costs and lost revenue.
Mr. Jackson : The latest available estimate of gross benefit payments to the unemployed in 1991-92 is £5,590 million. The cost of administering unemployment benefit in 1989-90, the latest year for which figures are available, was £176 million. Administration costs for other benefits paid to the unemployed cannot be separately identified. Estimates of tax revenue foregone are not available.
Offshore Installations
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what information he has about how many offshore installations have carried out a review of the ability of emergency systems to withstand severe weather conditions, as recommended by the Cullen report ; and what the Health and Safety Executive has done to ensure that installations have carried out this review ;
(2) what the Health and Safety Executive has done to ensure that all personnel on board offshore installations are supplied with personal survival equipment, in accordance with recommendations Nos. 85 and 86 of Lord Cullen's report ;
(3) what information he has about how many offshore operators have undertaken an evacuation, escape and rescue analysis of their installations as recommended by Lord Cullen ; and what the Health and Safety Executive has done to ensure this has been done ;
(4) what information he has on how many offshore installation operators have conducted fire-risk analysis, as recommended by Lord Cullen in his report on Piper Alpha ;
(5) what action the Health and Safety Executive has taken to ensure that fire-risk analysis is carried out on all offshore installations ; and what assistance the Health and Safety Executive has given to the platform operators by way of practical and technical advice ; (6) how many offshore installation operators have carried out an assessment of the risk of ingress of smoke or gas into the accommodation sections as recommended by Lord Cullen in his report on Piper Alpha ; and what the Health and Safety Executive has done to ensure that these assessments have been carried out ;
(7) what information he has about how many offshore installations have fitted smoke and gas detectors and implemented ventilation shutdown arrangements for accommodation sections as recommended in the Cullen report ; and what the Health and Safety Executive has done to ensure that this recommendation has been acted upon.
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Mr. Forth : Immediately following the publication of Lord Cullen's report, the Department of Energy wrote to individual companies and industry organisations asking for action on these and other recommendations which could be implemented without, or in advance of, legislation. Following the transfer of regulatory responsibility, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) wrote in July 1991 asking for progress reports on these recommendations. All offshore operators have now responded. The HSE is following up these responses with individual companies where necessary and monitoring progress during offshore inspections. In appropriate cases enforcement powers will be used to require improvements to be made. I understand that the Health and Safety Commission's proposals for safety case regulations to be published next month will require all these areas to be addressed adequately and in an integrated way.Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what research work the Health and Safety Executive is currently engaged in to do with escape methods from offshore installations ; and how far this work is being conducted jointly with the offshore industries ;
(2) what extra money the Government are making available to fund research into safe escape methods for emergency conditions on board offshore installations.
Mr. Forth : Studies on temporary safe refuges, methods to enhance the launch capacity of survival craft, the practicability and safety of escape chutes and emergency stairway systems, survivor recovery techniques and personal protective equipment have been commissioned by the Health and Safety Executive's offshore safety division. The offshore industry is collaborating in all of these studies. Research on evacuation, escape and rescue methods is one of the HSE's main priority areas within its research strategy for offshore safety. The enhanced financial provision for offshore safety provided by Ministers following the Cullen report included an element to cover these and other recommendations for additional safety research.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what the Health and Safety Executive has done to ensure that all offshore installation managers and their deputies receive training and regular refresher courses in decision making for emergency situations ;
(2) what advice the Health and Safety Executive has given to offshore installation operators about emergency drills and exercises, their frequency, content and which staff should be included in the exercises.
Mr. Forth : Existing offshore safety legislation specifies the frequency and content of emergency drills and musters and which persons should be included.
I understand that the Health and Safety Commission's proposals for safety case regulations to be published next month will require these and other aspects of safety-related training to be adequately addressed as part of the operator's safety management system. In the meantime, the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation, the Health and Safety Executive and both sides of industry are working together to develop
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a standard for training in offshore emergency command and control, aimed specifically at offshore installation managers.Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what advice the Health and Safety Executive has given to offshore installation operators about the registering of contractor staff ; how often these lists are updated ; and where copies of the register are kept.
Mr. Forth : The Offshore Installations (Logbooks and Registration of Death) Regulations 1972 require that a continuous record of persons on or working from an offshore installation is maintained both on the installation and onshore. The record must include details of the employers of such persons.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many offshore installations currently have totally enclosed motor propelled survival craft available with a capacity of carrying safely 150 per cent. of the people on the installation.
Mr. Forth : The maximum number of persons allowed on board any offshore installation is fixed by the Health and Safety Executive following an examination of lifesaving appliances. However, since the number of persons on board offshore installations varies according to the activities being undertaken, this information can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if the safety case regulations for offshore installations will be applicable to temporary and experimental drill sites.
Mr. Forth : I understand that the Health and Safety Commission's proposals for safety case regulations, to be published next month, apply to all fixed and mobile offshore installations engaged in drilling activities.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what steps have been taken to create a central register of the personal details of offshore employees who have attended training courses ;
(2) what consultations he has had with the United Kingdom Offshore Operators Association concerning the implementation of Lord Cullen's recommendation 105 on minimum training requirements.
Mr. Forth : The United Kingdom Offshore Operators Association has issued revised guidelines for offshore emergency safety training ; these take account of consultations with the Health and Safety Executive, whose inspectors will take them into account in considering compliance with employers' general duties to provide adequate training. The guidelines state that they represent a minimum training requirement for survival, firefighting and emergency safety training ; and that personnel who have not met the minimum requirements should not be permitted to work offshore.
In July 1989 the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation established a central training register to hold details of attendance at, and completion of, emergency safety training courses by offshore personnel. Access to the register is available by registering as a user.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on what the
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Health and Safety Executive is doing, before the safety case regulations are brought in, to ensure that offshore installation operators are complying with existing safety regulations.Mr. Forth : Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive's offshore safety division will continue to enforce existing offshore health and safety regulations by conducting inspections and audits and by using their powers to require improvements to be made or to prohibit activities where necessary. Additional inspectors are being recruited using the increased resources made available to the Health and Safety Commission to implement the recommendations in Lord Cullen's report and to enhance the inspection and audit functions.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the recommendations made by Lord Cullen from the Piper Alpha inquiry, that have already been implemented ; if he will list the recommendations made by Lord Cullen that will be implemented by the Offshore Safety Bill [Lords] ; and if he will list those recommendations which will be implemented by regulation.
Mr. Forth : The following recommendations in Lord Cullen's report have been implemented : numbers 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 34, 53, 88(part), 91, 93, 94 and 105.
Work is well under way towards implementing the following recommendations, including those which industry have been asked to take forward in advance of legislation : 27, 29, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, 45, 46, 48, 52, 54, 59, 60, 61, 66, 67, 68, 69, 71, 72, 76, 77, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 89, 95, 96, 99, 101, 102, 103 and 104.
Recommendation 18 will be implemented by the Offshore Safety Bill [Lords].
The proposed safety case regulations and associated guidance will implement recommendations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 28, 32, 40, 44, 47, 51, 65, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 104 and 106. I understand that the Health and Safety Commission will be publishing a consultative document in February 1992.
The review of offshore safety regulations and guidance will take forward recommendations 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 31, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43, 49, 50, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 62, 63, 64, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 78, 79, 81, 82, 83, 85, 88(part), 89, 90 and 103. The review cannot formally commence until the Offshore Safety Bill has been enacted.
Recommendation 30 will be taken forward as soon as a suitable primary legislative vehicle is available.
On recommendation 92, the Department of Transport already receives notification of the location of standby vessels on a weekly basis and this information is available to HSE's offshore safety division. HSE is considering what further action may be necessary.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what discussions he has had with offshore operators about the Offshore Safety Bill [Lords] and the recommendations of the Cullen report ; what submissions he has received ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : I have met representatives of the United Kingdom Offshore Operators Association to discuss matters connected with offshore safety. In addition, HSE's offshire safety division has had extensive discussions with offshore industry associations and individual companies about a range of matters arising from the Cullen report.
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Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has had from trade unions concerning the Offshore Safety Bill [Lords] and the Cullen report ; and if he will make a statement.
M r. Forth : No representations have been received from trade unions on the Offshore Safety Bill, but HSE's offshore safety division has had extensive discussions with trade unions about a range of matters arising from the Cullen report.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has on what proportion of the offshore division's time will be dedicated to visiting installations and checking that safety cases are correct and are being adhered to.
Mr. Forth : The allocation of OSD time to various activities is a matter for the Health and Safety Commission and Executive. However, the assessment of safety cases and the inspection of installations will be key operational priorities for the division as it expands to more than 400 staff in the next few years.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what he intends to do to bring the safety conditions on board offshore support vessels and standby vessels servicing offshore rigs in line with the recommendations made by Lord Cullen for the rigs themselves ;
(2) what plans he has to transfer responsibility for safety on board offshore support vessels and standby vessels to the Health and Safety Executive ; what submissions he has received on this issue ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) what plans he has to propose that offshore support vessels and standby vessels carry out safety case studies similar to those proposed for offshore installations.
Mr. Forth : My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State's responsibilities, and those of the Health and Safety Commission and Executive, relating to the safety of crews of standby and offshore support vessels are confined to activities carried out on or in connection with an offshore installation, as defined in article 4 of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 (Application Outside Great Britain) Order 1989. Safety requirements, under the Merchant Shipping Acts, applicable to all merchant crews are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport. We have received no submissions on this matter and there are no plans to change these arrangements.
The general duties of operators of offshore installations under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act would include ensuring that support vessels do not put the safety of offshore installation personnel at risk. And I understand that the Health and Safety Commission's forthcoming proposals for safety case regulations apply to all offshore installations and heavy lift vessels, and cover risks to all personnel on the installation, or engaged in connected activities as defined by the 1989 order.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to review the codes of practice for manning and operating standby vessels.
Mr. Forth : Responsibility for review of the regulations and Code relating to standby vessels lies with the Health and Safety Commission and Executive. Many specific
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improvements recommended by Lord Cullen were incorporated into a revised code on the assessment of standby vessels attending offshore installations, published in July 1991 by HSE and the Department of Transport ; all vessels must fully meet its requirements by 31 December 1992.Possible changes in regulations will be considered by the commission in taking forward the comprehensive review of existing offshore legislation proposed in Cullen recommendation 19.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what discussions he has had with trade unions, offshore operators and the oil petroleum industry training board about supplying appropriate training packages for staff working on offshore installations ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : Representatives of the department and of the HSE participate in the work of the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation. Trades unions and offshore operators are represented on the OPITO board, and take part, with HSE, in working groups on training standards and competences.
Close co-operation is likely to continue between HSE and OPITO to develop appropriate training standards for offshore personnel. The Health and Safety Commission's proposals for safety case regulations to be published next month will require safety-related training, and competence standards, to be addressed as part of the operators safety management system.
Silica Dust
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will ask for a report from the Health and Safety Executive on its current proposals for changing the limits of silica dust in the atmosphere ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : The new exposure limit for silica has now been implemented by regulations amending the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 1988. These were laid before Parliament on 1 November 1991 and came into force on 1 January 1992. The proposal for this new limit was contained in a widely publicised and free consultative document published by the Health and Safety Commission in December 1990 inviting comments on the proposal by April 1991. This proposal followed a review of occupational exposure to silica dust by the Health and Safety Commission's advisory committee on toxic substances whose members include representatives from industry and trades unions as well as independent experts in the field of occupational health and hygiene.
The Health and Safety Commission, whose members also include representatives from employers and employees, considered the comments received and recommended that the proposal for a maximum exposure limit for silica be adopted. I am satisfied with these arrangements for setting the new limit and the consultation procedures employed.
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SCOTLAND
Exports
16. Mr. Cran : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the increase in Scottish exports in the period 1978 to 1990.
Mr. Allan Stewart : There is no comprehensive information on total Scottish exports.
The Scottish Council (Development and Industry), however, carries out an annual survey of Scottish manufacturing exports only. The results show that the value of Scottish manufacturing exports increased by 21 per cent. in real terms, between 1978 and 1990 to their highest ever recorded level of £8.6 billion.
Royal Hospital for Sick Children
7. Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will pay an official visit to the royal hospital for sick children to discuss funding the new extension.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : My right hon. Friend authorised Lothian health board to donate £1 million to the appeal from the disposal of surplus assets. The running costs are estimated at more than £300,000 every year for the new wing and these will also be met by the Government.
Labour Statistics
18. Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the latest unemployment figures in Lanarkshire and Scotland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Allan Stewart : After falling in each of the previous four months, the number of claimants in Lanarkshire travel-to-work area in December 1991 was 20,095. The work force based unemployment rate was 11.8 per cent.
In Scotland, the number of claimants on the unadjusted series in December 1991 was 228,766. The work force based unemployment rate was 9.2 per cent.
Industrial Development
19. Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met the chief executive of Scottish Enterprise to discuss industrial development in Renfrewshire.
Mr. Allan Stewart : My right hon. Friend and I have frequent discussions with the chairman of Scottish Enterprise, often along with the chief executive, addressing a range of subjects including industrial development in all parts of Scotland.
Ravenscraig
20. Mr. McKelvey : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he has taken in connection with the proposed closure of British Steel Ravenscraig since 13 January.
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