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Wages Councils
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will update his answer to the hon. Member for Coventry, South-East, Official Report, 22 April 1991, column 366, concerning wages councils.
Mr. Forth : The information requested is not yet available but will be available during March.
Publicity
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list all the television advertising campaigns and all other publicity campaigns costing over £100,000 to be carried out by his Department in February, March, April, May or June of the current year.
Mr. Forth : No television advertising campaigns are planned by the Department between February and June this year. Other publicity campaigns costing more than £100,000 planned for this period are jobclubs, national training awards, high technology national training, employment action, and learning technologies.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Commonwealth of Independent States
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessments have been carried out of the impact of food aid on markets for locally produced food, on the development of the marketing system and on the prices that farmers receive in the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Mrs. Chalker : EC food aid is being sold through free market mechanisms so as to bolster the development of a
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market infrastructure which will greatly assist the development of distribution systems and thus benefit local producers. No formal assessment has yet been carried out of the impact of this on emerging markets, as the process of providing food aid on a large scale is as yet in its infancy, and time is needed to assess its full effect.Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total level of counterpart funds raised from the sale of food aid from all western donors in the Commonwealth of Independent States ; and what mechanisms exist within the Overseas Development Administration, the EC and other bodies to monitor the use of these counterpart funds.
Mrs. Chalker : Unofficial estimates suggest that over 400 million roubles may be generated by the sale of food so far delivered under the European Community's 200 mecu (£140 million) food aid package for Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities. These counterpart funds will be used to provide direct aid for needy groups such as families and pensioners --an approach which we endorse. The fund will be monitored by the Community task force which currently oversees the entire food aid operation. We are pleased to see that more staff have been made available to the European Commission in this area.
Turks and Caicos Islands
Mr. Fishburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are his plans for assistance to the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Mrs. Chalker : Discussions on future assistance were held between the Government and the Turks and Caicos Islands--TCI--Government on 13 and 14 February.
Her Majesty's Government have agreed to provide nearly £24 million to the TCI Government over the three financial years beginning in 1992-93.
Of this, £18 million in bilateral funds and £1 million in regional funds will be used in support of projects agreed between the two governments in accoreance with the TCI Government's "Progress through Partnership" policy. It is anticipated that a further £4 million will be forthcoming over the same period for activities in support of the basic functions of government. Funds will also be used to clear part of the debt of the TCI Government inherited during the winding up of the national airline.
This is the largest aid package the United Kingdom has provided to TCI and is designed to assist the TCI Government in their policy of moving rapidly towards economic self-sufficiency.
Her Majesty's Government have agreed to further talks with the TCI over the next few years to monitor the progress of this aid in meeting the objective of economic self-sufficiency.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Education, Suffolk
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what extra money has been given to Suffolk county council to cover the teachers' salary award for 1992-93 ; and what advice he has given to the authority on how to meet the gap between its budget and its teachers' pay bill ;
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(2) if he will make a statement on the estimates he made of pupil numbers and teachers required for Suffolk county council for 1992-93 ; and how he expects those estimates to be altered following the teachers' salary settlement for 1992-93.Mr. Fallon : The Government are paying additional grant to authorities in England of £56.5 million to help them cover the cost of the increase in teachers' pay recommended by the school teachers review body. Suffolk's share will be some £677,000. The Government's view is that with this additional support LEAs should have adequate headroom within the 1992-93 local authority finance settlement to cover the cost of the teachers' award in full, provided that they exploit their scope for making efficiency savings. It is for individual local authorities and schools with delegated budgets to determine spending priorities, including the number of teachers to be employed. In determining education's share of the overall 1992-93 settlement, the Government took account of the expected growth in pupil numbers nationally ; and individual authorities' shares reflect the latest information available about the distribution of school pupils between authorities.
Palaeontology
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has had from geologists at the British Geological Survey about funding for palaeontology in Edinburgh.
Mr. Alan Howarth : My right hon. and learned Friend has received no such representations.
Ice Skating
Mr. Denis Howell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what discussions he has held with the National Skating Association regarding the need to replace the first-class coaching facilities lost to skating by the closure of the Richmond ice rink ; and what proposals he has to ensure the future level of national and international skating skills in this country ;
(2) what steps he has taken to assess the effects of the closure of the Richmond ice rink upon the development of the sport of ice skating in the United Kingdom and the training of future international competitors ; also upon the public of the loss of these facilities for recreational use ; and what steps he is taking to safeguard these interests.
Ms. Hoey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what discussions have been held with the London borough of Richmond to plan a replacement of ice skating facilities in that area.
Mr. Atkins : Despite the closure of Richmond ice rink I understand that training facilities are available elsewhere. I welcome, however, the feasibility study, by a subsidiary of the National Skating Association and funded by the Foundation for Sport and the Arts, into a proposed national ice training centre.
Discussions are still taking place between the London borough of Richmond and the London Edinburgh Trust which owns the former ice rink, concerning an alternative site for an ice rink in the borough. It is for the National Skating Association to consult with the London borough of Richmond and others as appropriate, and I have not, therefore, held discussions with either body.
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Argentina Animal Health Authority
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about any agreement between the Agricultural and Food Research Council's institute of animal health and the animal health authority of Argentina including the costs involved.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The Pirbright laboratory of the AFRC institute for animal health--IAH--has agreed in principle to undertake a collaborative programme of research with the Centro de Investigacion en Ciencias Veterinarias--CICV--of Argentina's Instituto de Virologia del Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria subject to agreement of suitable funding arrangements. The research will investigate the role of carrier animals in the epidemiology of foot and mouth disease, for which Pirbright is the European and world reference laboratory. The Argentine Government are considering whether to support the project. The CICV and IAH are also seeking support from the Commission of the European Communities as part of its scheme to promote bilateral scientific co-operation between laboratories in the Community and countries in Latin America, Asia and the Mediterranean.
Stratford School
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when Her Majesty's inspectors last visited Stratford school ; and if the report was published.
Mr. Eggar : Two HMIs paid a routine visit to Stratford school on 4 December 1991. As with all such visits, there will be no published report.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much financial support he has given to Stratford school in the past 12 months.
Mr. Eggar : The annual maintenance grant for the financial year 1991 -92 is some £1.5 million. In the last 12 months we have paid further sums amounting to some £100,000 for capital and special purposes.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the current pupil roll at Stratford school ; and what proportion are resident in the borough of Newham.
Mr. Eggar : I understand that there are currently 570 pupils on roll at the school, of whom fewer than 2 per cent. are resident outside Newham.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action he intends to take in respect of Stratford school.
Mr. Eggar : We shall continue to monitor the situation at the school and make further use of our powers to act when appropriate.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action he has taken to date to deal with the current difficulties at Stratford school ; and what has been the effect.
Mr. Eggar : My Department has communicated with the school on a range of matters. My right hon. and
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learned Friend has used his powers to intervene to ensure the reinstatement of the headteacher. He has also appointed Mrs. Daphne Gould and Mr. Eric Bolton as additional governors to the school. We have made it clear that we are keeping in close touch with the situation and we will not hesitate to use our powers further in the interests of the education of the pupils at the school.PE Teachers
Ms. Hoey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many qualified physical education teachers left training colleges in each of the last five years ; and what is his Department's estimate for the number still in teaching.
Mr. Fallon : The table shows the numbers of students specialising in PE who successfully completed an initial teacher training course in England and Wales, in each year from 1985 to 1989, together with the number of these who were teaching in the maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools sector in England and Wales on 31 March 1990.
|ITT |Of whom:
|completers |teaching on
|with main |31 March
|subject PE |1990
------------------------------------------------
1985 |654 |369
1986 |781 |466
1987 |661 |428
1988 |687 |454
1989 |571 |394
|--- |---
Total |3,354 |2,111
The remainder includes those who have not taught since qualifying or have left teaching, as well as those who are teaching in other sectors such as independent schools, or teaching outside England and Wales.
Sports Grounds
Ms. Hoey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what response he has made to the report by the Institution of Structural Engineers "Appraisal of Sports Grounds", a copy of which has been sent to him ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : I received the institution's report with interest. I understand that it has been warmly welcomed by the Home Office, within whose responsibility sports ground safety falls, and whose "Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds" it complements.
Sensory Impairments
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what criteria were used in determining the outcome of Liverpool education authority's bid for funds to develop provision for children with dual sensory impairmants ; how many bids from the north-west were successful ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Fallon : Bids under the grants for education support and training programme to encourage the development of regional provision for deaf-blind children were assessed against the criteria set out in the Department's published guidance. Bids were to be made on a regional basis, with
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at least three local education authorities per bid unless geographical constraints made this impossible in practice. The successful bids were those thought most likely to secure lasting benefits both locally and nationally. Geographical representation was not a selection criterion, and none of the successful bids involved authorities in the north-west.GCSE Coursework
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many letters he has received on the subject of GCSE coursework ; and how many of these have supported his proposed changes in the extent of coursework.
Mr. Eggar : My right hon. and learned Friend has received a large volume of correspondence on this subject. The correspondents have expressed a range of views.
Publicity
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list all the television advertising campaigns and all other publicity campaigns costing over £100,000 to be carried out by his Department in February, March, April, May or June of the current year.
Mr. Eggar : Publicity campaigns costing over £100,000 cover the following areas :
A touring exhibition, "Time for School", which was launched in January will continue during February and March.
A campaign of information for companies about tax relief on business gifts and charitable giving to educational
institutions--February/April.
Information for parents about the National
Curriculum--February/March.
Information for parents about testing at age 7 and 14--May/June. In addition, the professional, industrial and commercial updating programme will continue to support and encourage colleges, polytechnics and universities to improve and increase their provision to meet the training needs of employers and their employees. No television campaigns are planned for these months.
Mr. David Mogie
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to pay Mr. David Mogie, a student at Sunderland polytechnic, his bursary of £1,500 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Fallon : A cheque for the first instalment of the bursary was dispatched from this Department to Sunderland polytechnic on 29 January. The second instalment of £750 will be paid in April.
A-levels
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has on the drop-out rate from A-level courses in England and Wales each year from 1985.
Mr. Eggar : Comprehensive information on A-level drop-out rates is not readily available. However, estimates of the percentage of 16-year-olds commencing A or AS level courses at schools in England who were no longer pursuing those courses a year later are as follows :
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Z
Academic year of commencement |Percentage no longer pursuing
of A/AS level course |course one year later
|Per cent.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1984-85 |13.6
1985-86 |13.3
1986-87 |13.5
1987-88 |12.7
1988-89 |12.9
1989-90 |12.4
Seven-year-olds (Tests)
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish a table of local education authorities whose attainment test results at seven years were published showing in each case (a) those who included all seven-year-olds in the tests, (b) those who excluded special needs pupils, (c) those who excluded statemented or excluded pupils, (d) those who excluded pupils with a mother tongue other than English, (e) those who excluded other categories of pupil with an indication of which other category was so excluded and (f) those who made no return of which categories of pupil were excluded.
Mr. Eggar : With the exception of pupils with statements of special educational needs, and some others temporarily excepted from the provisions of the national curriculum under section 19 of the Education Reform Act, all pupils coming to the end of key stage 1 of the national curriculum were required to be tested in the core subjects last summer.
Some LEAs and schools chose to include pupils with statements of special educational needs in the tests. The reply which I gave to the hon. Member for the City of Durham (Mr. Steinberg) on 10 February, Official Report, column 374, explains how the LEA results published on 19 December treated such pupils.
National Curriculum Council
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what financial arrangements were made for the former chairman and chief executive of the National Curriculum Council upon his departure from office last year.
Mr. Eggar : Mr. Duncan Graham received financial compensation of just over £100,000 in respect of loss of income and pension benefits on the early termination of his contract of employment.
Pupil Placements
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children attend city technology colleges, grant-maintained schools and grammar schools and use the assisted places scheme.
Mr. Eggar [pursuant to his reply, 10 February 1992, c. 373-74] : Latest estimates suggest that more than 105,000 pupils now attend grant-maintained schools in England, and that this is expected to rise to some 160,000 next term. Nearly 8,000 pupils are in city technology colleges and in excess of 27,4000 pupils receive support under the assisted places scheme.
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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Fairs and Promotions
Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the cost of the review of the fairs and promotions branch of his Department being carried out by Price Waterhouse.
Mr. Sainsbury : Price Waterhouse is not carrying out a review of my Department's fairs and promotions branch.
Life Cycle Analysis
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what advice and assistance his Department offers companies to introduce life cycle analysis in product planning and development.
Mr. Leigh : Life cycle analysis--LCA--is a system for assessing the environmental impact of products at all stages of their life from the winning of raw materials through to the eventual disposal of the product. Although the methodology for assessing these impacts is still developing, many individual companies are turning to LCA to assist them in understanding where the main environmental impacts of their products occur. My officials actively encourage companies in this direction.
My Department has been involved in a number of presentations to business audiences to explain the relationship between LCA and the setting up of an EC-wide official ecolabelling scheme for consumer products. This official scheme will use a "cradle to grave"
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analysis as the underpinning requirement for assessing the environmental criteria to be applied to products which may attract a label.RENAVAL
Sir Robin Maxwell-Hyslop : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how his statement to the House on 17 February, Official Report, column 27, about agreement with European Commissioner Bruce Millan affects the RENAVAL programme in Plymouth, and other Devon county council programmes dependent on EEC part-funding including RECHAR.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 21 February 1992] : I expect the RENAVAL programme now to proceed satisfactorily. Devon is not eligible for RECHAR grants, which are for coalfield areas.
Export Controls
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when his Department next plans to hold seminars on changes to United Kingdom export controls to prevent proliferation ; and if he will make a statement on the outcome of the export control seminars his Department sponsored for industry in 1991.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 21 February 1992] : Five DTI non-proliferation seminars are planned for this year, the first in Manchester on 23 March.
The seminars held last year were well received by industry. I am satisfied that they made a valuable contribution to highlighting awareness about the risks of clandestine procurement activities and explaining export controls.
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HOME DEPARTMENT
Criminal Records
Mr. Gill : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received regarding the production in court of the offender's previous criminal record.
Mr. John Patten : We receive representations from time to time on this subject, about which my hon. Friend wrote to my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 4 February.
Marriages of Convenience
Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department was last notified by the Registrar General that a proposed marriage was purely one of convenience.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : On Wednesday 29 January 1992.
Police (Body Armour)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 30 January, Official Report, column 647, what is the cost to public funds in providing body armour for police forces.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Police, Hampshire
Mr. Hill : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the figures for Hampshire police establishment (a) police operational duties and (b) civilian staff ; and what were the figures in 1979.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The present establishment of the Hampshire Constabulary is 3,202 compared to 2,954 in 1979. The establishment will increase to 3,269 from April 1992. It is for the chief constable to decide how available manpower should be deployed. At the end of 1990, 84 per cent. of the force was deployed to operational duties. My right hon. Friend does not control civilian staff numbers : this is a matter for the police authority. At the end of December 1991 the civilian strength for the Hampshire Constabulary was 1,039, as against 708 in 1979.
Vehicle Test Certificates
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the numbers of prosecutions for using or possessing stolen Ministry of Transport test certificates each year for the last five years by each of the following categories (a) heavy goods vehicles, (b) public service vehicles and (c) private cars.
Mr. John Patten : The information is not available centrally.
Extradition
Mr. Archer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been detained at his request by the police in (a) Spain, (b) Turkey, (c)
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Zimbabwe, (d) the Republic of South Africa and (e) all other countries and subsequently flown to the United Kingdom, arrested and remanded into custody for each of the last five years ; and whether extradition procedures were followed in each case.Mr. Peter Lloyd : No such requests have been made in the last five years. International co-operation between police forces to apprehend people suspected of criminal offences is a matter for individual chief officers of police.
Charities
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements his Department has to assess proposals for regulations to be made by his Department and their effect on charities ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : Guidance on this matter, approved by the ministerial group on the voluntary sector, has been issued by the Home Office to all Government Departments. It has been circulated to officials within the Home Office. The guidance is designed to ensure that, when considering changes of policy or changes in procedures, the Home Office, and other Departments, should assess the implications which those changes may have for voluntary organisations and charities.
Sports Grounds
Ms Hoey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what response he has made to the report by the Institution of Structural Engineers, "Appraisal of Sports Grounds", a copy of which has been sent to him ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : I was sent a copy of "Appraisal of Sports Grounds" on 30 May 1991. My private secretary replied to the Institution of Structural Engineers on 13 June 1991 to convey my thanks for the report and to relay my congratulations to the institution on producing a document which I regard as an important contribution towards achieving safety at sports grounds.
Football, London
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was received by the Metropolitan police from London Football League clubs in respect of matches called off last season 1990-91 and 1991-92 to date.
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