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Fish Processers
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement outlining the Government's position on the provisions of article 7 of EC directive 91/493 dealing with derogations for small-scale fish processors.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 13 March 1992] : Detailed guidance and application forms for derogations under article 7 of directive 91/493/EEC are being prepared. It is hoped to send these to local authorities early in April.
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to be able to provide guidance to environmental health officers to enable them to advise small-scale fish processors of the opportunities open to them to be exempt from the officially set health requirements as detailed by EC directive 91/493.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 13 March 1992] : Small- scale fish processors are not exempt from the provisions of EC directive 91/493. However under article 7 of that directive fish processors may seek temporary derogations from certain structural and equipment requirements. It is hoped to issue guidance and application forms to local authorities early in April.
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In addition, under article 14 of the directive, there is a prospect that minimum structural and equipment requirements may be set for small establishments which distribute on the local market and are situated in regions subject to particular supply constraints. This possibility is largely dependent on the content of a report to be submitted to the Council by the Commission by 1 July 1992 and the outcome of subsequent discussions.Arts Grants
Mr. Robert Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the annual grant to arts organisations and events in the regions of Scotland and the cities of Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee for the financial year 1991-92 and projected for the year 1992-93.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 13 March 1992] : For those areas of expenditure on the arts for which the Scottish Office Education Department is responsible I set out the grants made to the national institutions and arts organisations in 1991-92 and those expected to be made in 1992-93.
|199-92 |1992-93
|£ million|£ million
-------------------------------------------------------------
National Museums of Scotland |13.355 |15.804
National Galleries of Scotland |7.379 |8.569
National Library of Scotland |11.801 |15.994
Scottish Museums Council |0.665 |0.731
Scottish Film Council |0.619 |0.686
Scottish Film Production Fund |0.087 |0.090
Scottish Community Drama
Association |0.025 |0.025
Scottish Youth Theatre |0.053 |0.055
National Youth Orchestra of
Scotland |0.034 |0.035
The majority of the grants to the national institutions will be spent in Edinburgh. Grants to other organisations are to support their work throughout Scotland.
In addition to the above grants, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland announced on 28 February that he would make an exceptional payment of £500,000 to Scottish Opera in the financial year 1992-93 to reduce their current deficit.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Passes
Mr. Allen : To ask the Lord President of the Council pursuant to his answer of 17 December, Official Report, column 99, if he will request those hon. Members who have places on the research assistants' list which are currently not filled to release them in order to reallocate spare places to the hon. Members who require a researcher's pass ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. MacGregor : There are 172 actual pass holders, out of the 230 places allowed, which means that 58 Members are currently not filling their places. I suspect that this has come about because of the imminence of the general election and some Members who have places are not filling them until they know whether they will need their places after the general election.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will make it his policy not to allow any hon. Member to
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have two full researchers passes until all hon. Members requiring only one such pass have been allocated one ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. MacGregor : Only the leaders of the official Opposition and of the Liberal Democrats have two full researchers' places, and, due to the imminence of the general election, I did not think that we could consider changing their entitlements.
I am sure that the situation over Members' research assistants' places will sort itself out in the aftermath of the general election. However, if it does not, I think that it would be an appropriate subject for the Administration Committee to investigate.
Evacuation (Westminster)
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Lord President of the Council what account is taken, during the evacuation of Westminster station due to bomb threats, of the need to alert or evacuate staff in St. Stephen's house overlooking the station.
Mr. MacGregor : Full account is taken of the need to alert--or to evacuate if necessary--all staff in the vicinity of any bomb threat.
European Delegates
Mr. Harris : To ask the Lord President of the Council what are his plans for the appointment of the delegation for the 1992-93 session of the Council of Europe/Western European Union.
Mr. MacGregor : My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will be making the appointments to the delegation at the end of April and will announce them to the House as soon as practicable thereafter.
Office Costs Allowance
Mr. Harris : To ask the Lord President of the Council when he received the Top Salaries Review Body report on the office costs allowance ; and what implications it has for the uprating of the office costs allowance on 1 April.
Mr. MacGregor : I have recently received the TSRB's report on the office costs allowance. It makes a number of important
recommendations which it should be for the new Parliament to consider. Accordingly copies will be placed in the Vote Office and Library early in the new Parliament.
The House will wish to know that the report recommends no immediate change in the uprating mechanism. It will be for the new House to decide what recommendations in the report it wishes to implement and in what time scale. Meanwhile, under the resolution of this House of 21 July 1987 the OCA will, as in recent years, be uprated from 1 April 1992 in line with the increase in the maximum point on the scale for civil service senior personal secretaries in receipt of inner London weighting. The uprating will be implemented as soon as a settlement is reached covering senior personal secretaries in the civil service.
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EMPLOYMENT
Training Guarantee
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps have been taken to ensure that the training guarantee to young and unemployed people in Greenwich can be met during the next 12 months ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : Our officials and their counterparts in the South Thames training and enterprise council have been seeking agreement on the level of youth training--YT--provision needed in 1992-93 in Greenwich and other areas for which the TEC is responsible. The aim is to agree a
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business plan sufficient to support the guarantee of the offer of a suitable YT place to young people under 18 who are unemployed and are seeking training.Employment Statistics
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the occupational distribution of the number of persons employed in second jobs, including both employees and the self-employed, in the labour force survey for the latest year for which figures are available, giving the information by males, married females, other females and all persons.
Mr. Forth : Estimates for Great Britain from the spring 1991 labour force survey are as follows :
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Employees and self employed persons (aged 16 or over) with a second job by sex, female marital status and occupation of second job:
Spring 1991
Great Britain Thousands
Occupation of second job<2> |All persons |Males |Married |Non-married
|<3>females |females
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All occupations<4> |1,074 |501 |395 |177
1 Managers and administrators |113 |73 |33 |<1>-
2 Professional occupations |147 |93 |42 |12
3 Associate professional and technical occupations |149 |84 |44 |21
4 Clerical and secretarial |141 |40 |83 |18
5 Craft and related |44 |34 |<1>- |<1>-
6 Personal and protective services |233 |87 |76 |71
7 Selling |78 |27 |31 |21
8 Plant and machine operatives |36 |26 |<1>- |<1>-
9 Other occupations |127 |33 |73 |22
Source: Labour Force Survey.
<1>Less than 10,000 in cell: estimate not shown.
<2>Based on the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) major groups, (first published February 1990).
<3>Married includes those reported as cohabiting.
<4>Includes persons with a second job for which the occupation was inadequately described or not stated.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total average hours worked per week by those with second jobs, broken down by occupational group, for employees and the self-employed,
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in the labour force survey for the latest year for which figures are available, giving the information by males, married females, other females and all persons.Mr. Forth : Estimates for Great Britain from the spring 1991 labour force survey are as follows.
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Average total actual hours worked in the survey week (excluding mealbreaks), by employees and self employed persons (aged 16 or over) with
a second job, by sex, female marital status and occupation of second job: spring 1991-Great Britain
Hours<2>
Occupation of second jobs<3> |All persons |Males |<4>Married |Non-married
|females |females
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All occupations<5> |39.1 |48.3 |29.1 |35.7
1 Managers and administrators |51.0 |57.1 |38.5 |<1>-
2 Professional occupations |35.6 |41.1 |31.5 |33.7
3 Associate professional and
technical occupations |40.3 |45.5 |30.5 |39.0
4 Clerical and secretarial |34.3 |45.4 |29.3 |32.8
5 Craft and related |48.0 |38.0 |<1>- |<1>-
6 Personal and protective services |37.7 |49.4 |26.2 |35.7
7 Selling |35.1 |41.7 |29.2 |35.3
8 Plant and machine operatives |46.4 |50.9 |<1>- |<1>-
9 Other occupations |30.1 |42.5 |24.1 |21.9
Source: Labour Force Survey.
<1> Less than 10,000 in cell: estimate not shown.
<2> Averages are based only on persons reporting valid hours of work.
<3> Based on the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) major groups (first published February 1990).
<4> Married includes those reported as cohabiting.
<5> Includes persons with a second job for which the occupation was inadequately described or not stated.
Second Jobs
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average number of hours worked in second jobs, broken down by occupation, for employees
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and the self-employed in the labour force survey for the latest year for which information is available, giving the information by males, married females, other females and all persons.Column 831
Mr. Forth : Estimates for Great Britain from the spring 1991 labour force survey are as follows.Column 831
Average actual hours worked in second jobs in the survey week (excluding mealbreaks), by employees and self employed persons (aged 16 or
over) with a second job, by sex, female marital status and occupation of second job: spring 1991-Great Britain.
<2>Hours
Occupation of second job<3> |All persons |Males |Married |Non-married
|females<4> |females
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All occupations<5> |9.5 |10.5 |8.8 |8.4
1 Managers and administrators |13.7 |15.1 |11.2 |<1>-
2 Professional occupations |6.0 |6.0 |6.5 |4.3
3 Associate professional and technical occupations |8.5 |8.9 |7.6 |8.4
4 Clerical and secretarial |8.8 |9.5 |8.5 |8.4
5 Craft and related |11.3 |11.0 |<1>- |<1>-
6 Personal and protective service |9.7 |11.4 |9.0 |8.4
7 Selling |8.5 |9.8 |8.0 |7.4
8 Plant and machine operatives |14.4 |14.9 |<1>- |<1>-
9 Other occupations |10.4 |13.7 |9.1 |10.0
Source: Labour Force Survey.
<1> Less than 10,000 in cell: estimate not shown.
<2> Averages are based only on persons reporting valid hours of work.
<3> Based on the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) major groups (first published, February 1990).
<4> Married includes those reported as cohabiting.
<5> Includes persons with a second job for which the occupation was inadequately described or not stated.
Collier Industrial Waste Ltd.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what action the Health and Safety Executive factory inspectorate has taken following the incident on 2 August 1991 when a worker in the paint shop at Collier Industrial Waste Ltd. collapsed, was hospitalised and diagnosed as suffering from isocyanate-induced asthma ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : The Health and Safety Executive's factory inspectorate has received no notification of an incident on 2 August 1991 at Collier Industrial Waste Ltd., Trafford Park, in which a worker collapsed in the paint shop and was diagnosed as suffering from isocyanate-induced asthma.
However, on 8 August 1991 an employment medical adviser from HSE interviewed an employee who had a medical history consistent with isocyanate-induced asthma. An inspector subsequently visited the company and wrote to it to confirm the precautions to be observed during the spraying of isocyanate paint.
A follow-up visit was also paid.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information has been laid against Collier Industrial Waste Ltd., Trafford Park and P. J. Collier Ltd., Rixton by the Health and Safety Executive since January 1989.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what prosecutions have been taken and what convictions gained against Collier Industrial Waste Ltd., Trafford Park and P. J. Collier Ltd., Rixton by the Health and Safety factory inspectorate since January 1989.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences were reported to the Health and Safety Executive by Collier Industrial Waste Ltd., Trafford Park and P. J. Collier Ltd., Rixton since January 1989.
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Mr. Forth : Since January 1989, Collier Industrial Waste Ltd., Trafford Park has reported no diseases or dangerous occurrences but has reported to the Health and Safety Executive the following three injuries :
in 1989 a tyre fitter sustained an injury to his forehead ; in 1990 an employee tripped and broke his arm ;
in 1991 a fitter/welder received bruises to his arm and leg. No injuries, diseases or dangerous occurrences have been reported to HSE by P. J. Collier Ltd., Rixton, since January 1989.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what notices have been issued against Collier Industrial Waste Ltd., Trafford Park and P. J. Collier Ltd., Rixton, by the Health and Safety Executive Factory Inspectorate since January 1989.
Mr. Forth : The Health and Safety Executive's factory inspectorate has issued one improvement notice against Collier Industrial Waste Ltd., Trafford Park, since January 1989, in respect of machinery safety.
The factory inspectorate has issued no notices against P. J. Collier Ltd., Rixton, since January 1989.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what action was taken since February 1991 by the Health and Safety Executive factory inspectorate to ensure that paint shop workers at Collier Industrial Waste Ltd. were not exposed to dangerous isocyanate fumes, by taking action including carrying out dust sampling and consideration of the use of alternative paints in the paint shop and consideration of the adequacy of respiratory protection.
Mr. Forth : Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated regulations, it is the legal responsibility of Collier Industrial Waste Ltd. to ensure that its paint shop workers are not exposed to risks to their health and safety. This includes the risk of exposure to dangerous isocyanate fumes. Since February 1991, the Health and Safety Executive's factory inspectorate has visited the premises at Trafford Park on two occasions and has drawn the company's attention to its legal obligations, including the duty to comply with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988. In
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particular the company's attention has been drawn to the need to assess exposure to dust in the paint shop, to consider using alternative paints and to check the adequacy of the respiratory protective equipment provided.Hazardous Waste (Disposal)
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what measures are being taken by the Health and Safety Executive factory inspectorate and the employment medical advisory service to investigate reports of ill-health by employees of hazardous waste disposal companies.
Mr. Forth : Regulation 5 of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985 requires certain occupational diseases to be reported to the appropriate enforcing authority. The information on all reports of diseases made to the Health and Safety Executive, including those in respect of employees of hazardous waste disposal companies, is verified by HSE's Employment Medical Advisory Service to ensure that it is accurate and complete. EMAS investigates all reported exposures to toxic substances. Other incidents are selected for investigation if in the judgment of the employment medical adviser, intervention may secure prevention or recurrence, prevent exposure of other workers, or derive new information about the cause or prevention of occupational ill health.
EMAS liaises closely with HSE's factory inspectorate, which also determines, using similar criteria, whether a report of an occupational disease should be investigated. The subsequent investigation of those reports selected may be carried out either independently by factory inspectors, jointly by factory inspectors and EMAS, or by EMAS at the request of the factory inspectorate. A current priority of HSE's field operations division is to raise awareness of occupational health in industry.
Unfair Dismissal
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number and proportion of reinstatements for cases of unfair dismissal over the last five years.
Mr. Forth : The number and proportion of reinstatement and re- engagement orders made by industrial tribunals over the last five financial years are as follows :
D
Year |Number of |Percentage of
|reinstatement/ |unfair dismissal
|re-engagement |cases proceeding
|orders |to a hearing
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1990-91 |63 |1.0
1989-90 |59 |1.0
1988-89 |58 |1.0
1987-88 |83 |1.1
1986-87 |103 |1.1
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the numbers of claims for unfair dismissal by (a) trade union safety representatives and (b) trade union representatives for the last five years ; and what was the average settlement for each group.
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Mr. Forth : We do not have this information for the period before 1989-90. For the period 1989-90 and after, this information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Hazardous Substances
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what measures are being taken by the Health and Safety Executive factory inspectorate to ensure that companies which handle hazardous waste are fully implementing the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations.
Mr. Forth : Inspectors seek compliance with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1985--COSHH--at all premises and work activities for which they have enforcement responsibility for health and safety legislation and to which the regulations apply, including those of companies which handle hazardous waste. Enforcement of the regulations has been integrated into normal inspection arrangements and inspectors take whatever action is appropriate to ensure that those responsible comply with their duties under the legislation.
Inspectors give a high priority to exaimining employers' action to comply with COSHH when there is exposure to hazardous substances, and liaise with the Health and Safety Executive's employment medical advisory service on matters relating to health risk and medical surveillance. The action taken by inspectors to secure compliance can range from giving advice to the use of enforcement notices and legal proceedings in those circumstances where there is a disregard for health and safety. Inspectors enforce the regulations vigorously and pursue their inquiries to the highest levels in companies which do not meet the required standards.
Relocation
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list those parts of his Department which are currently under review for relocation ; how many of these posts are being considered for relocation to the east midlands ; how many of these posts are being considered for relocation to Mansfield ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 6 November 1989, Official Report, columns 471-72, to the hon. Member for Roxborough and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood).
Training and Enterprise Councils
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many, and which, training and enterprise councils have notified his Department in writing about a failure to deliver (a) the youth training guarantee or (b) the employment training requirement as required under the TEC contract for 1991-92 ; how many individual youth training and employment training cases this involved ; how the problems were resolved ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : The delivery of the YT and ET guarantee is a contractual commitment upon the TECs. Additional funds have been provided in the year 1991-92 to the following TECs :
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EssexMilton Keynes and North Buckinghamshire
Somerset
Avon
Dudley
Hereford and Worcester
Sandwell
Shropshire
Walsall
Sheffield
Rochdale
Bolton and Bury
This is consistent with maintaining the delivery of the guarantees. Meanwhile, the existence of a procedure under which individuals may register problems covering their treatment under the training guarantees is an important aspect of the policy in guarantees, and will continue under the new TEC operating agreement for 1992-93.
Training Initiatives
Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what training initiatives have been introduced in Basildon in each of the last two years.
Mr. Jackson : Over the last two years Essex TEC has carried out the training initiatives specified in its contract, including youth training, employment training, enterprise allowance scheme, high technology national training, business enterprise training and various education programmes, such as education business partnerships. TECs have also been given the flexibility to introduce other initiatives to meet specific local needs and information on these can be obtained by contacting Essex TEC direct.
European Grants
Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what European grants have been made to Basildon in the last year.
Mr. Jackson : I will write to my hon. Friend.
Self-employment
Mr. Trotter : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his current estimate of the number of self-employed people in the northern region.
Mr. Forth : In September 1991 there were 115,000 self-employed in the northern region.
Tourism
Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what help is available for tourism in Basildon.
Mr. Forth : Basildon is within the area of the East Anglian tourist board which, with the help of financial support from the English tourist board, encourages the development and promotion of tourism within its region.
Small Businesses
Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what help is available to help small businesses start up in Basildon.
Mr. Forth : The Essex training and enterprise council provides a wide range of help and advice to small business.
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This includes a business start-up programme which in 1991-92 will assist some 800 people throughout the county. In addition, my Department operates a loan guarantee scheme to help viable small businesses obtain loans where conventional funding would not otherwise be available.ENERGY
Combined Heat and Power
Mr. Rost : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what have been his Department's achievements in the development of combined heat and power since 1979 ; and what plans he has to further advance the development of combined heat and power in the next five years.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The main achievements of my Department in the development of CHP since 1979, mainly through the programmes of the Energy Efficiency Office and in conjunction with industry and other Government Departments, have been :
The Lead City' programme to evaluate the potential for large scale CHP/Community Heating (CHP/CH). This stimulated widespread interest in the potential for CHP/CH which is culminating in schemes such as that recently announced by Citigen.
To develop and demonstrate the use of small-scale packaged CHP for buildings, leading to an unprecedented rise in the installation of such units.
The development and encouragement of the use of cost effective CHP applications in industry based on the use of modern gas turbines. The environmental benefits of CHP have been assessed and the potential of the technology to reduce environmentally harmful emissions is now widely acknowledged.
The privatisation of both the electricity and gas industries has led to the creation of new competitive markets. CHP operators can obtain gas on a non- discriminatory basis and they have a market into which they can sell surplus electricity. The majority of genuine on-site CHP operators generating for own use are free to continue to do so without the need for a licence and, therefore, do not have to pay the fossil fuel levy. This has provided a commercial environment which is stimulating interest in CHP not only from the privatised companies but from energy users in all sectors of the economy. The Pooling and Settlement Agreement now enables companies generating their own electricity to sell only surplus power to the pool, instead of having to sell all they generate and buy back their own requirements.
Measures have also been provided, where appropriate, to assist the development of CHP. Under the 1989 Electricity Act CHP operators as licensed generators may have powers to break streets to lay heat and power mains. There are special provisions for the treatment of CHP in the Department of Environment's Integrated Pollution Control regulations. Equitable treatment for CHP/CH schemes in the Department of Environment's rating formulae has been secured.
The Department has produced a wide range of publications and two videos highlighting successful applications of CHP technology. The Department has also successfully collaborated with industry on the promotion and marketing of CHP, particularly with the CHPA on their Power Plus campaign. These activities have helped to raise the profile and awareness of CHP in industry, commerce and the public sector to a record level.
Throughout the remainder of the 1990s the EEO will continue to vigorously promote the technology through its best practice programme and will aim to achieve the environment White Paper commitment to double CHP capacity to 4,000MWe by 2000.
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