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Mr. Norris : Costs arising from the abolition of the dock labour scheme, including those associated with the industrial tribunal, have been entered as extraordinary items, separate from the operational expenditure of the Tilbury and other divisions, in the accounts of the Port of London Authority. Any further liabilities in this connection, following the sale of the port of Tilbury, remain with the authority.
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United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what input his Department has made to Her Majesty's Government's proposals for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development to be held in Rio de Janeiro in June.
Mr. MacGregor : My Department has played a full part in determining the Government's position during the preparations for the conference.
Road Freight
Mr. Harvey : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on current Government policy concerning the redistribution of road freight to rail.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : We continue to support BR participation in joint ventures with the private sector, to back investment in BR's new channel tunnel services, and to encourage companies to take advantage of the recently improved criteria for freight facilities grants.
We intend to liberalise access to the rail network and return BR's freight businesses to the private sector as soon as practicable, in order to widen customer choice and further encourage rail freight.
School Buses
Mr. Harvey : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list the number of school buses involved in road accidents in Great Britain for each year since 1979 ;
(2) if he will list the number and severity of injuries relating to road accidents involving school buses for each year since 1979.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I regret that the information is not available. The standard report form on which police collect information on road injury accidents records the type of vehicles involved, but not the use to which they were put to at the time of accident.
Mr. Harvey : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the average child-to-seat ratio for peak period school buses in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The information requested is not available.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Development Aid
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of overseas development aid is currently spent on (a) science and technology usage and (b) education and training programmes.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We do not record aggregate expenditure on science and technology as such, but the application of new scientific and technological developments to developing country problems through the research and development programmes which ODA
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supports accounts for approximately 4 per cent. of our total gross aid programme. Support for education and training programmes accounts for approximately 8 per cent. of the gross aid programme, excluding training activities carried out by the multilateral agencies which cannot be identified.Kurdistan
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if his Department has considered an application for an exhibition relatingto Kurdistan to be displayed in the Upper WaitingHall.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Services Committee, arrangements have been made with the authorities of the House for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from 6 to 10 July 1992.
Aid
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much money was spent by the Overseas Development Administration on monitoring and evaluation of aid projects for each year from 1985 to date.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Expenditure on ex-post project evaluation, which is the responsibility of the ODA's evaluation department, has been as follows :
|£'000
------------------
1985 |222
1986 |399
1987 |269
1988 |608
1989 |456
1990 |426
1991 |580
Expenditure on monitoring is the responsibility of the ODA's operational departments managing the projects concerned, and is not recorded separately in the ODA's expenditure records. Details of monitoring expenditure could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list (a) the amount of overseas aid in the form of grants and (b) the amount of overseas aid in the form of loans to be (i) directed towards Africa and (ii) directed towards eastern Europe ; what were the corresponding figures for each of the past three years ; and by how much these figures are to be increased over the next financial year.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 15 May 1992] : The information is as follows :
£ thousand
Total aid of which
|expenditure|Grants |Loans
------------------------------------------------------------
1988-89 |328,949 |326,738 |2,211
1989-90 |371,949 |369,209 |2,740
1990-91 |418,374 |417,248 |1,126
Bilateral assistance to central and eastern Europe
1988-89 |- |- |-
1989-90 |<1>63,769 |<1>63,769 |-
1990-91 |16,784 |16,784 |-
<1>Includes £61.7 million payment to Polish stabilisation
fund.
#989
Figures for bilateral aid to Africa in 1991-92 are not yet available on this basis. Estimated expenditure in central and eastern Europe, including the former Soviet Union, in 1991-92 is £52 million, which includes know-how and emergency relief supplies for Russia. This and the amounts for Africa exclude the substantial assistance we provide through the EC and other multilateral bodies.
The overall public expenditure provisions for 1992-93 for aid to developing countries and assistance to central and eastern Europe, including the former Soviet Union, are set out in the FCO/ODA "Departmental Report 1992", Cm 1902. Copies can be found in the Libraries of the House.
Africa (Drought)
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what extra measures Her Majesty's Government are taking to help to relieve the effects of the drought in central and southern Africa.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development has announced two packages of aid, on 4 March and 29 April, totalling £30 million. These include food, balance of payments aid, technical assistance and support for the activities of the voluntary agencies. In addition, Britain will be paying around £27.5 million towards the cost of the recently approved European Community special food aid programme which will provide an additional 800,000 tonnes of food aid, mostly for Africa.
Brazilian Rain Forest
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in discussions with Brazilian authorities with regard to providing further support for Brazilian research on rain forest problems.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Since signing a Memorandum of Understanding on environmental co-operation with the Government of Brazil in July 1989, under which we are supporting a range of research activities in forest management in the Amazon, we have discussed with the Brazilian authorities and have approved a total of nine forestry projects for which we are providing £11.5 million. Additional project proposals are under discussion. We are also contributing £1.5 million to the core fund of the pilot programme for the conservation of the Brazilian rain forests, to be managed by the World bank in liaison with the European Commission.
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HOME DEPARTMENT Sexual Crime
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will lay down guidelines for the counselling and care of male victims of rape and other serious sexual assaults ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Charles Wardle : No. The police have been issued with guidance on the reception and treatment of victims of rape. While there is a presumption that most victims of sexual offences will be female, I am confident that the principles set out in the guidance will be observed regardless of the victim's gender.
Overseas Voters
Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will list for each parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom the number of registered overseas voters and their countries of residence.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The number of overseas voters included in the electoral register for each parliamentary constituency will be published in the summer by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys in the annual reference volume "Electoral Statistics 1992", series EL 19. However, prior to the publication, details of the figures have been placed in the Library. Information on the country of residence of overseas electors is not held centrally.
Judith Ward
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the estimated cost, in 1992 prices, of detaining Judith Ward since 1974.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : At 1992 prices, the average cost of detaining a female prisoner from November 1974 to May 1992 would be £424,000. Figures are not collected for particular individuals.
North Wales Police Force
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been (a) the total funding and (b) the established number of full- time officers of the North Wales police force in each of the past five years ; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding to meet the public demands of this service.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Over the last five years expenditure and the police establishment of the North Wales police have been increased as follows :
Year |Expenditure |Establishments
|£ million
------------------------------------------------------------
1987-88 |32.96 |1,316
1988-89 |36.81 |1,326
1989-90 |41.1 |1,330
1990-91 |46.0 |1,352
1991-92 |<1>53.1 |<2>1,352
1992-93 |<3>- |1,369
<1> Estimated.
<2> No application made for establishment increase.
<3> Not available.
#991
When considering applications for establishment increases, my right hon. and learned Friend takes account of a wide range of factors which influence demands on the police.
The Government are satisfied that the North Wales police authority is able to meet its obligations to provide an efficient police force.
Charitable Donations
Mr. Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was donated to charity in Britain in 1979, 1981, 1986, 1989 and 1990.
Mr. Jack : This information is not available centrally, but figures published by the Charities Aid Foundation show that the voluntary income of the top 200 charities in England and Wales for the years mentioned was :
|£ million
------------------------------
1979-80 |293
1980-81 |329
1985-86 |721
1988-89 |1,058
1989-90 |1,184
Government support for the voluntary sector has increased regularly and is now around £2.4 billion per year, an increase in real terms of 114 per cent. over the period in question.
Prison Chaplains
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost of the prison chaplaincy service in the last financial year for which figures are available ; and how this was broken down by (a) chaplaincy salaries, (b) salaries of chaplaincy support staff, (c) chaplaincy budget, (d) expenses for visiting Christian chaplains and (e) expenses for visiting non-Christian ministers.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The cost of the Prison Service chaplaincy in 1991- 92 was £4.9 million. This can be broken down as follows :
|£
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Salaries and related costs of all permanent staff |3,145,327
Fees and travelling for all visiting staff |1,191,603
Travelling expenses of volunteers |17,874
Other miscellaneous running costs |584,110
|-----
|4,938,914
There is no separate chaplaincy budget figure.
Prison Service Staff
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff are employed in the Prison Service, broken down by (a) occupation and grade and (b) gender.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The available information is as follows :
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Border Controls (Republic of Ireland)
Mr. Trimble : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the implications for the common travel area between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland of a decision by the latter to relax border controls along the lines advocated by the European Commission.
Mr. Charles Wardle : We attach considerable value to the common travel area arrangements, and a decision by the Government of the Irish Republic in the sense suggested in the hon. Member's question would inevitably have unwelcome implications. I do not, however, have any reasons to suppose that such a decision is likely in the absence of a general resolution of the frontiers question within the Community.
Mr. Adol Owen-Williams
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what occurred when Mr. Adol T. Owen-Williams junior recently arrived at Gatwick airport ; what questions and comments were made to him by immigration officers ; and what plans he has to investigate his statement that he was subject to offensive comments by immigration officers.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Mr. Owen-Williams was refused entry because he failed to meet the criteria for admission as a visitor in the published immigration rules. He was asked a number of questions about his background, employment, financial status and future plans. His allegations about his treatment by immigration officers have been investigated and he will receive a full reply. The investigating officer is satisfied that no offensive comments were made to him by immigration officers.
Jersey Bailiff (Dismissal)
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the reasons for the dismissal of Her Majesty's deputy bailiff in the island of Jersey.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : As the Privy Councillor with special responsibility to the Crown for Jersey, and in
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consultation and agreement with the lieutenant governor and the bailiff, I advised the Queen that the deputy bailiff, Mr. V. A. Tomes, should be removed from office in the interests of the effective administration of justice in Jersey.The principal function of the office of deputy bailiff is as a judge. Mr. Tomes has a history of extended delay in his delivery of judicial judgments, despite interventions by the Jersey authorities to assist him and despite undertakings given by him to the then Home Secretary in 1990.
In October 1991, my predecessor as Home Secretary decided that Mr. Tomes might continue in office subject to his meeting conditions imposed solely to ensure that his performance of his judicial duties should be to a satisfactory standard. Mr. Tomes accepted those conditions immediately, without reservation and in writing. He failed to meet them. He also declined the opportunity to resign which my predecessor then afforded him.
The history of failure to respond to warnings given, and to undertakings received, by previous Home Secretaries left me with no confidence that Mr. Tomes could properly be relied upon to discharge the vital requirement to deliver justice within reasonable time. Therefore, in fulfilment of my duty to uphold the Crown's ultimate responsibility for the good government of Jersey, I decided that I had no acceptable alternative to advising that he must leave office. Personally I regret having to advise Her Majesty to take this sad but necessary step.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the last time a bailiff or deputy bailiff in the Channel Islands was dismissed on the initiative of United Kingdom Ministers.
Mr. Jack : There is no record of any such previous dismissal.
Death Penalty
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to review the use of the death penalty in those circumstances where it is still legally available as a sentence in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Jack [holding answer 18 May 1992] : None. A review of the law of treason remains on the agenda of the Law Commission, in the context of its work on the codification of the criminal law, but such a review has to take its place among the commission's other priorities.
Pornography
Mr. Shore : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy that a Europe without frontiers will not extend to the importation into the United Kingdom of hard-core pornographic maga- zines and videos.
Mr. Jack [holding answer 18 May 1992] : We have no intention of relaxing controls on those who would seek to profit from the trade in pornography.
Prisoners (HIV)
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if it is the policy of his Department to inform prison officers if an inmate in a prison in England and Wales is known to be HIV positive ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Peter Lloyd : No. The recommended practice is that such information obtained in a clinical context should be available only to staff with responsibility for the prisoner's health care unless the prisoner consents to wider disclosure in his own interests or, exceptionally, such disclosure is deemed necessary to prevent the spread of infection.Bail Offenders
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to introduce legislation to give effect to the measures announced by his predecessor on 25 February to deal with offenders who commit an offence while on bail ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jack : I intend to support and encourage measures to reduce the incidence of offending on bail. By no means all the measures announced on 25 February require legislation ; and work is already in hand on those measures not requiring legislation. Proposals for changes in the law will be introduced as soon as a suitable legislative opportunity occurs.
HEALTH
Health Boards
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many chairmen and how many non-executive directors, by authority in England, do not reside in the district in which the health authority or trust is situated.
Dr. Mawhinney : This information is not held centrally. Chairmen, members and directors are expected to live in or have close links with the authority or trust to which they are appointed.
Dentists
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what measures she is taking to provide national health service dental treatment for those patients of dentists who have stopped providing national health service treatment ;
(2) if she will hold talks with the British Dental Association about the number of dentists who have stopped providing or intend to stop providing national health service treatment for their patients.
Dr. Mawhinney : The Department is in frequent contact with the British Dental Association on a range of issues. There is no evidence of a widespread problem of dentists ceasing to provide NHS treatment. We recognise, however, that there are areas where some problems do exist. Family health services authorities are taking action to improve provision of dental care in their localities, and can make use of initiatives such as the location incentives scheme and employment of salaried dentists where a need exists. We are already discussing several possibilities with regional health authorities, family health services authorities and representatives of the profession on how to make further improvements.
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is the recommended maximum number of national health service dental patients registered with a dentist ;
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(2) what was the average number of national health service patients registered with each dentist contracted with family health services authorities and their predecessors in 1990-91.Dr. Mawhinney : Before the introduction of the new dental contract in October 1990, patients did not register with dentists. At 31 December 1990 the average number of patients registered with general dental practitioners in England was 334. At 31 December 1991 the average number of patients registered was 1,605. We understand that the number of patients registering is still increasing. There is no recommended maximum number of registrations.
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria are used by the Dental Practice Board when considering the removal of a dentist's name from the family health services authority list.
Dr. Mawhinney : The Dental Practice Board plays no part in the procedure for determining the removal of a dentist's name from a family health services authority list.
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have recorded no contact by way of estimate form in the last six- monthly period.
Dr. Mawhinney : In the six months period ending 30 April 1992, a total of 650 general dental practitioners contracted to family health services authorities in England--from a total of 14,978--had not submitted any dental payment claim to the Dental Practice Board.
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists' names have been removed from the family health services authority list in each month in the last convenient six-monthly period.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information requested is not collected centrally. Between 30 September 1990 and 30 September 1991 there was a net decrease of 29 dentists practising in the general dental services in England.
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have no registration for continuing care and capitation payments at the most recent date for which figures are available.
Dr. Mawhinney : At 30 March 1992 a total of 482 dentists in England and Wales had no registrations for continuing care or capitation payments.
Ms. Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what impact she expects her Department's proposals on the future level of dentists' fees will have on the number of NHS dentists.
Dr. Mawhinney : The level of dentists' fees in 1992-93 is a matter for the dental rates study group, which will meet shortly.
Health Authority Funding, Stockport
Ms. Coffey : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement about the change in formula for allocating funds to district health authorities, notified to Stockport in April.
Mr. Sackville : Regional health authorities are responsible for revenue allocations to health districts. It is
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for them to use their judgment about the formula adjustments which best reflect local evidence about differences between their districts. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. R. B. Martin, chairman of North Western regional health authority.Female Genital Mutilation
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions since its implementation the Children Act 1989 has been used to prevent or act upon incidents of female genital mutilation.
Mr. Yeo : The Female Circumcision Act 1985 made female genital mutilation in this country explicitly illegal. Since the Act was implemented there has been no firm evidence of illegal mutilations carried out in this country.
Under the Children Act 1989 it would be possible for a local authority to apply to the court for a section 8 prohibited steps order which could be used to prevent female genital mutilation. Although data on the numbers of applications for these orders are collected, there is no central record as to the reasons why the applications are made.
Mr. Hargreaves : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines she has issued to councils regarding the administration and interpretation of the Children Act 1988 ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : The launch of the Children Act 1989 has been accompanied by an unprecedented exercise to disseminate detailed information on the Act to local authorities, courts, voluntary organisations and others involved in child care. A list of publications on the Children Act follows. These include nine volumes of regulations and guidance on the Children Act, produced by the Department, in conjunction with the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Home Office and the then Department of Education and Science. Publication of the various volumes of guidance took place between March 1991 and October 1991, with local authorities in England receiving a proportionate share of approximately 20,000 free copies of each volume. A revised edition of "Working Together on Inter-Agency Co-operation for the Protection of Children from Abuse" was produced which took account of the Children Act.
In addition to guidance to local authorities on the Children Act, the Department commissioned a number of training packs and copies were made available to local authorities. These are also included in the list of publications.
List of Publications on the Children Act aimed at local authorities
I Regulations and Guidance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
List of Publications on the Children Act aimed at local authorities
II Training Materials
Name of Publication |Date of Launch/Issue
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
National Children's Bureau
Children and Group Day care, aimed |16 May 1991
principally at those responsible for |Launched by
registration and inspection in SSDs |Minister of Health
National Children's Bureau
Child Protection Training Project designed
principally for local authority staff in |1 May 1991
relation to court orders obtainable for |Launched by
the protection of children |Minister of Health
Family Rights Group
Working in Partnership with Children and
Families and Communities. It aims to
give social workers and their managers
a thorough knowledge of the inter-
relationship of law and practice in
relation to partnership and prevention |P.S.S. Health
List of Publications on the Children Act aimed at local authorities
III Training Materials Centrally Commissioned
Name and Description of Pack and |Date of Launch
Preparing Body
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Open University
"Putting it into Practice" |23 January 1991
Deals with the overall philosophy of |Launched by
the Children Act prepared jointly |Minister of Health
Department of Health with LCD |29 January 1991
principally for social workers, local |Launched by
authority lawyers and magistrates |Lord Chancellor
Leicester University
Children in Need and their Families:
A New Approach. A guide to Part III
of the Act for local authority
Councillors |November 1990
Manual for Senior Managers of SSDs.
Deals with the philosophy of the Act
and major changes it brings about |3 May 1991
The Children Act-An Advisors Guide
(video) |July 1991
List of Publications on the Children Act aimed at local authorities IV Children Act Publicity-Leaflets etc To date six booklets and a leaflet have been issued on the Children Act: The Children Act and the Courts-A Guide for Parents The Children Act and Local Authorities-A Guide for Parents The Children Act and You-A Guide for Young People (leaflet) The Children Act and the Courts-A Guide for Children and Young People Getting Help from the Social Services-A Guide for Children and Young People Living Away from Home Your Rights-A Guide for Children and Young People Children Act and Day Care-A Guide to the Law #999
Diabetes
Mr. Hutton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are registered as diabetic within the parliamentary constituency of Barrow and Furness ; and how many of those are under the age of 16 years.
Mr. Sackville : This information is not available centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mrs. A. Graham, chairman of South Cumbria health authority.
Health Authority Funding
Ms. Coffey : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will consider the possibility of allowing virement between the cash-limited district health authority budget and the open-ended general medical services budget if there was local agreement.
Mr. Sackville : The cash limited health authority budget and the demand led general medical services budget are met from different votes. Transfer of provision between votes can only be effected by submitting a supplementary estimate.
Children's Teeth
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish in tabular form details of the average number of decayed, missing or filled permanent teeth in 12-year-old children in England based on the latest available information in each district health authority together with the comparable figures for 1982 ; and in which authorities the fluoride content of the water supply has been artificially increased.
Dr. Mawhinney : I refer my hon. Friend to the replies my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State gave him on 14 June 1991, at columns 684-86 and the hon. Member for Livingston (Mr. Cook) on 9 July 1991 at columns 335-36.
The information requested for 1982 is not available.
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