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Labour Statistics
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list the percentage unemployed for the United Kingdom, and for each standard region, on the broad and narrow definitions for April 1984, November 1984, April 1990, April 1992 and May 1992.
Mr. McLoughlin : The information requested can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the Library.
Economic Activity Statistics
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list the travel-to-work areas, or smallest area available, concerning the 35 per cent. of United Kingdom population with the lowest economic activity rates according to 1981 census data and for June 1984, June 1990 and the latest available date with the areas with the lowest economic activity rates listed first ; and if she will distinguish between the 15 per cent. of population in areas with the lowest economic activity rate and the 20 per cent. of population with the next lowest activity rates.
Mr. McLoughlin : The latest available data on economic activity rates for travel-to-work areas are from the 1981 census of population. These can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the Library.
Emergency Standby Vessels
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to the answer from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport of 30 June, Official Report, column 451, what contingency plans she has developed or is considering for the provision of adequate safeguards for offshore installations should be a substantial proportion of the emergency standby vessels currently under assessment be taken out of service by their owners ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Health and Safety Executive has made it clear to the industry that it is the responsibility of each individual operator to ensure that there is adequate standby vessel cover available at all times to provide the necessary safeguards. The code of practice on standby vessels which was published last July and the deadlines set out in it were prepared in full consultation with the owners and operators of standby vessels ; and the HSE considers that the final deadline for necessary improvements is achievable. The HSE is continuing to monitor the situation.
Employment Training
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment in each year since employment training started, what has been the cost of ET ; what contribution has been made by the European social fund ; and what would have been the cost of trainees' entitlement to social security benefits.
Mr. McLoughlin : The table shows the expenditure on ET since it began and estimated expenditure on that part of the trainee allowances equivalent to previous entitlement to social security benefit. The contribution made to employment training by the European social fund in 1989 was £72 million, in 1990 £126 million and in 1991 £157 million.
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Employment training
£ million
|Total expenditure |Estimated benefit
|equivalent element of
|trainee allowances
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1988-89<1> |425 |117
1989-90 |1,107 |425
1990-91 |1,076 |425
1991-92<2> |844 |337
1992-93<3> |807 |318
<1> ET began in September 1988. Transitional arrangements applied to participants
previously on wages on the community programme.
<2> Provisional outturn expenditure.
<3> Planned expenditure.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how European social fund money has been distributed in each year since employment training started to (a) ET, (b) youth training, (c) voluntary organisations, (d) local authorities and (e) other purposes.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Until the end of 1989, individual applications for European social fund support were submitted by a range of organisations which included Government, local authorities and voluntary organisations, for approval in Brussels.
Since 1990, when new regulations took effect, applications have been made to the Department of Employment for approval. The money is paid out to applicants in three tranches. Advance payments of 50 per cent. and a further 30 per cent. are normally available during the life of a project and a final claim of up to the last 20 per cent. is payable after accounts have been scrutinised.
Youth Training
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment by how much an employer would have to supplement the minimum youth training allowance to compensate for its loss of value through inflation ; and what evidence she has as to the proportion of employers who are paying supplements of these amounts.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 8 July 1992] : Supplements of £8.54 and £16.02 per week respectively would be needed to restore in real terms the value of the current YT minimum allowances of £29.50 for 16-year-olds and £35.00 for 17-year-olds and over to the levels when they were last changed.
The level of the YT allowance is a minimum level and employers, providers and training and enterprise councils are free to arrange higher levels.
TRANSPORT
Antares
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will outline the circumstances of the loss of the fishing vessel Antares ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. MacGregor : The marine accident investigation branch report on the loss of the fishing vessel Antares with the loss of four lives has been published today. The report deals with the collision between the trawler and the Trafalgar class submarine HMS Trenchant in Bute sound, north east of the Isle of Arran, in the early hours of 22
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November 1990. The report finds that Antares foundered as a direct result of its net being snagged by Trenchant and that that was caused by a partial breakdown in both the structure and standards of watch keeping on board Trenchant following the completion of a command course exercise. The Ministry of Defence has admitted full liability for the accident.The report makes eight recommendations which substantially reflect the findings of the Royal Navy's own board of inquiry, and the determination made by the sheriff principal following the fatal accident inquiry. The majority of the report recommendations have already, as a result of similar recommendations from the earlier inquiries, been accepted and implemented either in full or in part. Major changes have been made in submarine operating policy and procedures in order to improve the safety of fishing vessels, in particular the mandatory minimum separation between dived submarines and fishing vessels has been extended to 4,000 yards. Further changes are under consideration by MoD, in consultation with my Department and with the sub-group of its fishing industry safety group which was established specifically to consider submarine and fishing vessel safety issues. As part of this continuing work, the Government will consider any remaining actions which may need to be taken in the light of the MAIB report.
Aeroplane Crashes
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the number of aeroplane crashes in Wales last year ; what were the comparable figures for the previous two years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris : The safety data and analysis unit of the Civil Aviation Authority advises me that there were 15 reportable aircarft accidents in Wales in 1991. The comparable figures for 1990 and 1989 were nine and eight respectively.
Low Flying
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to require low-flying aircraft in rural areas to be equipped with silencers ; and if he will make a statement.
Speed Traps
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of whether speed measuring cameras would have a greater effect on reducing driving speeds (a) if they are covertly placed or (b) if they are preceded by warning signs.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Studies are currently being carried out to assess whether the use of area-wide signs to indicate the use of enforcement cameras increases driver compliance with speed limits.
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will place warning signs in the areas where new speed measuring cameras are to be placed.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : This is a matter which my right hon. Friend will consider in the light of the current studies to assess the effectiveness of such signs in increasing driver compliance with speed limits.
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Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what increase in fine income he expects as a result of the new speed measuring cameras.Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The income from fines and fixed penalties will depend on factors such as the number of cameras deployed, their effectiveness in reducing speed, the number of suspected offenders and the proportion of them who are tried before a court rather than paying the fixed penalty. It is therefore not possible to give an estimate with any degree of accuracy.
Waterway Safety
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date he published the report by the Maritime Accident Investigation Branch into the Marchioness disaster ; on what date he appointed the Hayes inquiry into safety on inland waterways ; and on what date he expects to publish the report of the Hayes inquiry.
Mr. Norris : The marine accident investigation branch's final report into the collision between the passenger launch Marchioness and MV Bowbelle was published on 15 August 1991. The report's safety recommendations had previously been published separately on 24 July 1990.
On 20 December 1991, the Secretary of State for Transport appointed Mr. John W. Hayes, LLB, to head an inquiry into river safety. Mr. Hayes' report was published on 7 July 1992.
Road Accidents, Chelmsford
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many motor vehicle accidents there were in the Chelmsford local authority area in each of the last three available years ; and how many deaths and how many personal injuries occurred.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The figures for the years 1989 to 1991 are as follows :
|1989|1990|1991
-----------------------------------------
(1) Total accidents |832 |716 |615
(2) Casualties
(i) Fatal |16 |16 |18
(ii) Serious |208 |166 |106
(iii) Slight |947 |829 |726
#TCW92070928A
F
County |<1>1978 |1989
Clwyd |127,767 |139,458
Dyfed |105,438 |102,867
Gwent |166,990 |155,979
Gwynedd |69,789 |76,955
Mid Glamorgan |186,192 |164,989
Powys |29,708 |40,638
South Glamorgan |168,689 |179,009
West Glamorgan |160,762 |126,778
Source : NOMIS, Employment Department.
<1>Using approximations to county areas defined as the best-fit of
jobcentre areas to each county.
#TWA92070928B
1984 Job Centre |1978 |1989
TTW As<1>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Cardiff |176,317 |180,312
Swansea |103,327 |90,814
Carmarthen |16,959 |17,364
Llanelli |34,767 |27,309
Newport |78,591 |76,397
Bangor and Caernarvon |24,195 |24,545
Wrexham |44,637 |48,646
Source:NOMIS, Employment Department.
<1> These areas are used for both years and are defined as the best
fit of jobcentre areas into 1984 travel-to-work areas.
M11
Mr. John Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to reject the proposed private sector plans for an extension of the M11 motorway ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. MacGregor : I have decided after careful consideration that the Government cannot support the project by providing the very large sums of public money, of the order of £750 million, which the promoters are seeking.
I am determined to improve the road system on the eastern side of the country to promote the economic prosperity of all the areas which it serves. But I believe that our policy of upgrading the A1 to motorway standard and improving the roads linked to it will achieve this objective more effectively, give better value for money and will be more environmentally acceptable.
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The roads programme now includes schemes for upgrading all those sections of A1 which are not already motorway at a cost of almost £1.5 billion. This programme also includes a number of other schemes to improve road links in the east, at a cost of almost a further £1 billion. The northern section of M11 is to be widened and the A604, which connects it to the A1, will also be upgraded to motorway. A45 and A47 are also due to be improved. We have given 100 per cent. grant towards the cost of building the A15 in Humberside, much of it as dual carriageway, most of the A15 between Lincoln and the Humber bridge has been trunked and we are dualling the A46, in recognition of the importance of this regional route. The programme also includes 12 schemes for improving A16 and A17, important routes through Lincolnshire. Hull and the Humber ports are already well served by M62/A63 and M180/M18 respectively : a new route from the Humber bridge to the A1079 trunk road has been built with Government grant aid, and six other improvements are planned for the existing A1079, A1237 and A19 trunk roads north from the Humber Bridge towards the north east.I recognise the very considerable efforts which the promoters have devoted to this project. They are of course still free to pursue it if they wish as a privately financed one.
M25
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will state the estimated cost of his plans to widen the M25 Motorway at 1992 prices in respect of (a) the new six lanes between the M3 and M4 intersections and (b) an additional lane on the rest of its surface sections.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The proposals announced on 25 June for link roads between Junctions 12 and 15 are estimated to cost £144 million. Those announced last September for rapid widening to duel four lanes between junctions 5 and 28 will cost an estimated £625 million.
Rail Infrastructure Projects
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to ensure the use of cost-benefit analysis assessment in the evaluation of rail infrastructure projects.
Mr. Freeman : I refer the hon. Member to an answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Finchley (Mr. Booth) on 3 July 1992, Official Report, columns 733-34.
Green Minister
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will outline the priorities for future action of the green Minister in his Department (a) over the next year and (b) over this Parliament ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. MacGregor : Over the next year and beyond, I have many environmental priorities. For a start, I am devoting part of the Informal Transport Council on 16 and 17 July to a discussion on the Commission's Green Paper on Transport and the Environment. I shall continue the policy of giving strong emphasis to environmental aspects in the road programme. I shall work towards more
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environmentally acceptable standards for road vehicles. This I intend to do in collaboration with the European Community. I also want to see more traffic--both passengers and freight-- transferred from road to rail. Our policy for involving the private sector in providing railway services will encourage this. And I shall support action to deal with traffic congestion and pollution in urban areas such as parking controls and other traffic restraint measures as well as encouraging the use of buses and safer cycling.Air-sea Rescue
Mr. Viggers : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he proposes any changes to the current arrangements for air-sea rescue in Kent, Sussex and Hampshire.
Mr. Norris : There are no current plans for the movement of the Coastguard helicopter from the Solent area. The MoD is responsible for the positioning of military aircraft having regard to agreed DTp/MoD criteria for helicopter civil search and rescue cover around the United Kingdom.
To date, my Department has not been informed by MOD of any proposed changes which would affect such criteria.
British Rail
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what firms are advising him on the privatisation of British Rail.
Mr. Freeman : Samuel Montagu provides merchant bank advice ; Coopers and Lybrand advises on the liberalisation of access to the railway network ; and Debenham Tewson Chinnocks advises on stations.
Radioactive Substances
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representation the United Kingdom has on the special permanent working party for the transport of radioactive substances set up by the European Commission this year ; and what plans he has to review the arrangements for the transport of radioactive materials within, into and from the European Community during his presidency of the European Transport Council.
Mr. Norris : The United Kingdom is represented on the special working group on the safe transport of radioactive material, which has been meeting since 1982, by officials from the Department's radioactive materials transport division.
During the United Kingdom Presidency the main work of my Department on the transport of radioactive material worldwide will be continued participation in the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency, with which the Community has close links.
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WALES
Countryside Stewardship Scheme
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on his proposals for Tir Cymen.
Sir Wyn Roberts : A countryside stewardship scheme in Wales, to be called Tir Cymen, has been developed by the Countryside Council for Wales and an announcement regarding its introduction will be made shortly.
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many applications he has received for participation in the countryside stewardship programme from farmers in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The countryside stewardship scheme run by the Countryside Commission in England is a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment. A countryside stewardship scheme in Wales, to be called Tir Cymen, has been developed by the Countryside Council for Wales and an announcement regarding its introduction will be made shortly.
Labour Statistics
Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people were in employment in each county in (a) 1978 and (b) 1989 ; and how many were in employment in Cardiff, Swansea, Camarthen, Llanelli, Newport, Bangor and Wrexham (i) in 1978 and (ii) in 1989.
Mr. David Hunt : Numbers of employees in employment are shown in the following tables :
#TCW92070928A
#TCW92070928B
Household Waste
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of household waste is currently recycled by each district council in Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : This information is not held centrally although work is in hand nationally to establish
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better data. Data on recycling will also be available from the plans district councils are preparing under section 49 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.Road Accident Victims
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish an estimated figure for the total number of working years lost in Wales as a result of road accident fatalities in each of last five years.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Information allowing such an estimate to be made is not collected centrally.
Toxic Shock Syndrome
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy concerning toxic shock syndrome ; and what initiatives he proposes concerning toxic shock syndrome.
Mr. David Hunt : Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a rare but very unpleasant condition which is believed to be caused by
toxin-producing strains of the bacterium Staphylococcus Aureus. About 50 per cent. of all cases occur in women during menstruation, but non- menstrual cases occur in association with abscesses, osteomyelitis, wound infections and pneumonia--i.e. any severe infections. It can therefore also affect men, children and non-menstruating women. Management of the condition is a matter for clinical judgment.
Information received from the public health laboratory service suggests that in recent years there have been, on average, one or two deaths a year from TSS associated with tampon use in the United Kingdom. Government action has been focused on cases relating to tampon usage as the prime identifiable cause of TSS.
In 1984 the Department of Trade and Industry and the sanitary protection industry set up a voluntary prior notification scheme for menstrual tampons. This scheme applies to the entire manufactured product, including the instructions for use. Under the scheme, manufacturers submit to the Government any new tampon to which there have been significant changes in the design or materials, and toxicologists from the Department of Health scrutinise them to decide whether they pose a health hazard. The manufacturers' own code of practice also covers manufacturing standard quality assurance. For the past decade, the instruction leaflet--included in every pack by tampon manufacturers--has contained information on TSS, advice on using the lowest level of absorbency required and on changing tampons frequently. It is likely that these simple precautions minimise the risk of TSS.
At the end of 1990 the industry, in agreement with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Health, made some improvements to the labelling of tampon packages and the instruction leaflets. The principal modifications to pack statements were to add instructions to users to read and retain the leaflet, and clearer advice on absorbency selection. Fuller information on TSS, including what to do if symptoms occur, was also put into the leaflet.
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Local Government Reorganisation
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if it is his intention to choose a boundary for the new unitary authority based on Cardiff which to the west and north west follows or falls within the current South Glamorgan boundary.
Mr. David Hunt : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave him on 6 July 1992.
Flood Damage
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give an estimate of the total cost of damage to agriculture in Wales due to flooding since 1 March ; if he has any plans to improve facilities to prevent similar flooding in future ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : The information requested is not held centrally. Measures to improve flood protection in Wales are continually being undertaken where it is economic and technically appropriate to do so.
Environmentally Sensitive Areas
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many hectares in Wales are designated as environmentally sensitive areas ; what is the number of farmers under this scheme and the total expenditure in 1991 under the scheme ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : The information is as follows :
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Lleyn peninsula |39,700 |411 |351,907
Cambrian mountains |153,000 |422 |1,106,936
| (including
| extension)
Total |192,700 |833 |1,458,843
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans to extend further the environmentally sensitive areas scheme in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the statement I made on 22 June 1992 and decisions about any further expansion of the ESA scheme in Wales will be taken in the light of available resources.
Sites of Special Scientific Interest
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the number of sites in Wales designated as sites of special scientific interest currently and for the previous two years ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The information requested is as follows : Number of sites of special scientific interest
1990--769 (as at 31 March)
1991--816 (as at 31 March)
1992--841 (as at 31 May)
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many hectares in Wales are designated as sites
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of special scientific interest ; what is that figure as a percentage of (a) farm land in Wales and (b) Wales as a whole ; what is the percentage change in the number of sites of special scientific interest in hectares from 1982 ; and if he will make a statement.Sir Wyn Roberts : The information requested is as follows :
(
----------------------------------------
Area of Wales covered by SSSI's
(hectares)
Area of Wales coverd by SSSI's
Area of Wales coverd by SSSI's
as a percentage of total area
The increase in the number of hectares of Wales notified as sites of special scientific interest from 1982 to 1992 is therefore 19.9 per cent.
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans to increase the number of sites in Wales designated as sites of special scientific interest.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The responsibility for notifying sites of special scientific interest in the Principality rests with the Countryside Council for Wales. However, I understand that it has plans to designate more sites.
Miscarriages
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many miscarriages occurred in 1991 in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Wales attributable to smoking during pregnancies ; what were the comparable figures for the previous two years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The information requested is not held centrally.
Power Failures
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what contingency plans exist to deal with the provision of electricity in Wales following power failures during violent storms ; what plans he has to revise these ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The National Grid Company has contingency plans to restore supplies as quickly as practicable in the event of their loss during violent storms. these plans are regularly tested and reviewed.
In addition, both South Wales Electricity and Manweb are party to a national code of practice which providesfor mutual assistance from other regional electricity companies during network problems caused by storms and other emergencies. The code is reviewed on an ongoing basis.
Hospital Treatment
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the estimated impact of the separate classification of tertiary referrals in hospitals as episodes of treatment on the total number of hospital in- patient treatments enumerated in national health service statistics in Wales ;
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