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Mr. Gwilym Jones : This is a matter for local authorities to address when deciding their priorities within the framework provided by "Housing in Wales : An Agenda for Action".
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of Welsh households in 1991 (a) lacked or shared a bath or shower, (b) had no inside WC, (c) had no central heating or (d) lived in a density of more than one per room.
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Mr. Gwilym Jones : The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS) has to date published only a selection of 1991 census results in the county monitor series (CEN 91 CM). The Wales percentages given as follows for 1991 are provisional as they are derived directly from the rounded statistics in those monitors. National level results will be released by OPCS in November 1992 and more detailed results published in county reports later this year and in 1993. Percentages for 1981 are also given in the following table.
Þ
Percentage of households in Wales
Per cent.
|<1>1991 |1981
a. and b. |which lacked exclusive use of a bath|1.7 |6.7
or shower and/or an inside WC
c. |which lacked central heating |18.5 |(<2>)
d. |with more than 1 person per room |1.6 |2.8
<1> Provisional.
<2> This question was not asked in 1981.
Health Services, South Glamorgan
18. Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about the future of hospital services in Cardiff.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Our officials are in close touch with the authority about its strategic plan and my right hon. Friend expects to be in a position to consider it in the spring of next year.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what consultations he has had with the chairman of the South Glamorgan health authority concerning the recommendation to the health authority at its meeting of 16 July that (a) all accident and emergency services and (b) all paediatric hospital services should be moved to the University hospital of Wales, the Heath, Cardiff ; what assessment he has made of the need to review his acceptance of the authority's 10-year strategic plan ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what consultations he has had with the chairman of the South Glamorgan health authority concerning the withdrawal of the third district general hospital from the authority's 10-year strategy ; (3) what consultations he has had with the vice-chair of the South Glamorgan health authority concerning the date of review of the South Glamorgan health authority 10- year strategic plan.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The health authority was asked in 1989 to review its strategic plan. The outcome is likely to be submitted to my right hon. Friend before Christmas. Until then, the proposals in the plan are a matter for the authority ; and my right hon. Friend has not consulted the chairman or vice-chairman of the authority on any aspect of this issue, though naturally officials are in close touch.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to appoint a new chair of the South Glamorgan health authority ; if he will advertise the post ; and what proposals he has to ensure the appointing procedure achieves compliance with equal opportunities legislation and principles.
Mr. David Hunt : On 23 July I announced the appointment of Mr. Ian Grist as chairman of South
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Glamorgan district health authority for a four-year term commencing on 1 August 1992. Public appointments are not normally filled as a consequence of advertising. All public appointments are made irrespective of sex on the basis of aptitude and merit.Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his latest estimate of the date for decision on the application for waiting list initiative capital approval by South Glamorgan health authority for a third orthopaedic operating theatre at the Prince of Wales orthopaedic hospital, Rhydlafar at Cardiff.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : I announced on 6 October an allocation of £94, 350 to support the development by South Glamorgan health authority of a third operating theatre at the Prince of Wales hospital.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultation he has had with the chairman of the South Glamorgan health authority concerning the suspension on full pay of the unit general manager of the Cardiff royal group of hospitals.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : My right hon. Friend has had no consultations with the chairman of the South Glamorgan health authority on this matter. This is an internal management issue for the authority.
District Council Boundaries
19. Dr. Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when next he plans to meet the leaders of local authorities in mid Glamorgan to discuss the realignment of district council boundaries in that county.
Mr. David Hunt : My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has already met delegations from each of the Mid Glamorgan district councils during the present phase of consultation.
Family Expenditure
20. Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the average expenditure of a family consisting of two parents and two children in (a) Blaenau Gwent and (b) Wales ; and what is the current level of income support for such a family.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Estimated average expenditure for all types of Welsh households for the two year period 1989 to 1990 was £212 per week. The average weekly income support of recipients in Wales who have dependants was estimated to be £66 in May 1991. More detailed breakdowns of these estimates, either by area or type of household, are not available.
Traffic Accidents
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many children under school-leaving age had been injured in road traffic accidents in Wales (a) prior to the launch of his Department's target to reduce road casualties by one third by the year 2000 and (b) for the latest year for which figures are available.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The information requested is as follows :
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Child Road Casualties<1>
|Number
---------------------------------
1981-85 average<2> |2,326
1986<3> |2,181
1991<4> |2,344
<1> Children under 16 years of
age.
<2> Baseline for reduction
target.
<3> Year preceding target
launch.
<4> Provisional.
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total number of road traffic accidents in Wales in the latest year for which figures are available; and how many such accidents resulted in head injuries, according to each standard age cohort.
Sir Wyn Roberts : In 1991, the total number of road traffic accidents in Wales was 10,824. Information relating to head injuries resulting from road accidents is not collected centrally.
Welsh Development Agency
Mr. Denzil Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what has been the total expenditure over the last three available years by the Welsh Development Agency on projects involving the redevelopment of town centres ;
(2) what was the total sum spent by the Welsh Development Agency in the latest available year on the acquisition of properties ; (3) what has been the total expenditure so far paid by way of the Welsh Development Agency to outside consultants in respect of the agency's involvement in the southern area project in Llanelli ; (4) what was the total expenditure of the Welsh Development Agency in the latest available year on outside consultancy services ; (5) what has been the total expenditure so far by the Welsh Development Agency on the southern area project at Llanelli ; (6) who are the representatives of the Welsh Development Agency on the joint committee set up by the agency and Llanelli borough council to oversee the management of the redevelopment of Llanelli town centre ;
(7) What is the estimated likely total expenditure at current prices of the southern area project at Llanelli carried out by the Welsh Development Agency ;
(8) what has been the total amount spent so far by the Welsh Development Agency on the acquisition of properties in connection with (a) the south Llanelli project and (b) the redevelopment of Llanelli town centre ;
(9) whether he will list the names of all the outside consultants who have so far been engaged jointly by the Welsh Development Agency and Llanelli borough council in connection with the redevelopment of the Llanelli town centre ;
(10) whether he will list the names of the three outside consultancies which received most remuneration by way of fees from the Welsh Development Agency in the latest available year ; (11) what is the limited contribution of the Welsh Development Agency to the joint venture between the agency and Llanelli borough council for the redevelopment of the Llanelli town centre.
Mr. David Hunt : Operational issues are a matter for the Welsh Development Agency. I have therefore arranged for
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the chief executive of the agency to write to the right hon. Gentleman and for a copy of his response to be placed in the Library of the House.Mr. Denzil Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will list the outside directorships of each member of the board of the Welsh Development Agency.
Mr. David Hunt : This information is not kept centrally. However, it is a condition of board membership that no outside interests are maintained which would be likely to conflict with such membership.
Mr. Denzil Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total sum spent by the Welsh Development Agency in the latest available year on the clearance of derelict land.
Mr. David Hunt : In 1990-91 the WDA spent £24 million on the reclamation of derelict land. Accounts for the year 1991-92 will be published shortly.
Youth Training
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many young people currently awaiting places on youth training schemes in Wales are currently in receipt of bridging allowance ; and what is the total value of the allowance.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The number of young people in receipt of bridging allowances at August 1992 in Wales was 515.
The value of the allowance is £15 per week per person.
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many trainees are currently on youth training schemes in Wales ; and how many were deemed to need assistance with (a) numeracy and (b) literacy.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The most recent information available (estimates at 13 September 1992) indicates that there were approximately 14,300 trainees on youth training schemes in Wales.
Training and enterprise councils have an obligation to provide for young people with a numeracy or literacy need, but are not required to collect statistics indicating the numbers involved. The figures requested are, therefore, not available.
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the percentage level for unemployment amongst youth training leavers in Wales in each year since 1989-90.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Information relating to the percentage level of unemployment amongst youth training leavers in Wales is provided in the table.
Unemployment amongst youth training leavers (
Wales)
|per cent.
---------------------------------------------------
April 1989 to March 1990 |15.9
April 1990 to March 1991 |22.5
April 1991 to December 1991<1> |26.2
<1> Latest period for which information is
currently available.
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the overall budget allocated for youth training in Wales during 1991-2 and 1992-3; if he will publish the
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estimated budget level for 1993-94 ; and how much has been allocated per youth training place on average in each instance.Sir Wyn Roberts : The youth training budget for 1991-92 was £52.152 million and for 1992-93 is £48.441 million ; information relating to budgets for 1993-94 is not yet available.
The average price per filled place was £53.80 per week for 1991-92 and is £49.40 per week for 1992-93.
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of trainees on youth training placements achieved qualifications as part of their placement in each training and enterprise council area in Wales during each of the last three years ; and what percentage of placements were brought to an end within three months in each training and enterprise council area.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Information relating to the achievement of qualifications on youth traning and numbers of youth training leavers within three months is provided in the tables.
Table 1
Qualifications obtained during 1990-91
|Full qualification|Part qualification
|Per cent. |Per cent.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gwent |26 |17
Swansea |35 |21
Cardiff |29 |19
Wrexham |40 |23
The figures relate to the four areas of Wales which existed prior to the setting up of training and enterprise councils (TECs). Reliable figures on qualifications obtained are not available for TECs for 1990-91, since TECs in Wales were mostly operational for only a small part of the year.
L
Table 2
Qualifications obtained April-November 1991
|Full qualification|Part qualification
|Per cent. |Per cent.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gwent |26 |15
West Wales |36 |22
Mid Glamorgan |27 |19
South Glamorgan |26 |15
North West Wales |46 |24
These are the latest available figures for TECs, since follow-up of YT leavers is undertaken six months after leaving.
Figures for north east Wales and Powys are not available owing to the low number of respondents to the follow up survey in those areas.
Table 3
Leavers staying less than three months with a
training provider
|Per cent.
------------------------------------------------
1990-91
Gwent |34
Swansea |28
Cardiff |32
Wrexham |26
April 1991 to November 1991
Gwent |30
West Wales |30
Mid Glamorgan |29
South Glamorgan |34
Powys |23
North East Wales |7
North West Wales |15
The figures show the percentages of all leavers who spent less than three months with a training provider. They include those who transferred from one provider to another during the period. Information is not available on the number of placements brought to an end within three months.
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if his Department will publish an estimated figure for the number of 16 and 17- year-olds in Wales who are without a job or a place on a training scheme and who are not in full-time education.
Sir Wyn Roberts : We have recently introduced new measures which will enable this information to be collected on a monthly basis. The first monthly count has only just been completed and we intend to publish this information as soon as we are satisfied that it is both comprehensive and accurate.
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many 16 and 17-year-olds have been (a) killed and (b) seriously injured in work-related training placement accidents on youth training and youth training schemes in Wales in each year since 1983.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The number of individuals who have been killed or injured on youth training schemes in Wales in each year since 1983 is given in the following table. Separate figures, by age, are not available.
Wales YT(S) Accident statistics Year |Fatal|Major|Minor -------------------------------- <1>1983 |0 |2 |40 1984 |0 |20 |162 1985 |0 |17 |161 1986 |2 |26 |173 1987 |1 |27 |224 1988 |1 |46 |265 1989 |0 |43 |214 1990 |0 |36 |189 1991 |1 |37 |140 <2>1992 |0 |8 |61 <1> The data for 1983 covers only the period 1 April to 31 December 1983. <2> The data for 1992 covers only the period 1 January to 30 June 1992. Notes (a) Employment Department figures for trainees have been compiled on a similar basis to those prepared by the Health and Safety Executive for employed persons. However, the Employment Department's figures include a number of accidents to trainees in educational establishments, and road traffic accidents, which would not have been reportable to the Health and Safety Executive had the individuals been employed. (b) Major injuries are classified according to the severity criteria laid down in the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985. These regulations, which came into force on 1 April 1986, re-classified fractured wrists and ankles as major injuries. These were not classed as major injuries in the previous regulations, the Notifications of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1980 ( NADOR).
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which training and enterprise councils in Wales are currently not fulfilling the Government's guarantee of a training place on youth training schemes for all 16 and 17-year-olds in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : We have recently introduced new measures which will enable information to be collected regularly to help identify localised difficulties, and which will encourage closer liaison between training and enterprise councils and careers services. The first monthly count under the new arrangement has only just been completed and it is therefore too early for the full picture to emerge. However, we have made it abundantly clear that we regard meeting the YT guarantee by TECs as of paramount importance and have said that no TEC will be prevented by lack of resource from meeting the guarantee.
Health Education
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what work is currently undertaken by his Department into the teaching of the dangers of alcohol abuse within the school curriculum in Wales ; (2) what research work is currently undertaken by his Department to evaluate the teaching of sex education in schools in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Teaching about the dangers of alcohol abuse and sex education are part of the cross curricular theme of health education within the national curriculum. It is subject to inspection by Her Majesty's inspectors of schools who have undertaken several surveys of provision in counties in Wales. Our new arrangements for inspections by registered inspectors will ensure more published reports on all aspects of the life of a school.
The Welsh Office provides funding for the appointment of local education authority health education co-ordinators who are closely involved in teaching in schools and make regular reports on provision and practice.
Weight Statistics
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of young people between the ages of 16 and 19 years are (a) normal weight, (b) 8 per cent. overweight, (c) 1 per cent. obese and (d) under normal weight in each health authority in Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The information requested is not available centrally. However, a survey carried out in 1990 by the Health Promotion Authority for Wales found that in the 18 to 24 year age group, 24 per cent. of men and 27 per cent. of women in Wales were overweight.
For the purpose of the study a person was considered to be overweight if that person's weight (measured in kilograms) divided by the square of their height (measured in metres ) is greater than 24 in the case of men or 23 in the case of women.
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Deregulation
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what financial provisions, and how much, he has made within his Department in order to look at the potential for deregulation of each of the regulatory measures for which he has responsibility.
Mr. David Hunt : I have made all my staff aware of the need to consider the potential for deregulation of existing regulatory measures and of the need to assess compliance costs of any new regulations in Wales. I have provided £54,000 for my departmental deregulation unit to co- ordinate this work in my Department and with Departments in England since the Government introduced their deregulation initiative in 1985.
Job Creation Schemes
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to conclude his attempts to produce a comparable methodology for the evaluation of job creation schemes undertaken by the Welsh Development Agency, the Development Board for Rural Wales and the Welsh Office Industry Department ; what consultancy assistance he is using for this exercise ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : The development of evaluation techniques is a continuing process which the Department and other bodies will take forward in the light of the recent report by the Public Accounts Committee (HCP 76), calling on external consultancy advice as necessary.
Smoking
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the percentage of (a) males and (b) females between the ages of 16 and 19 years in Wales who are regular smokers.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The latest available estimates are given in the table :
|Daily smokers |Smoking at least
|weekly
|per cent. |per cent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Male |16 |21
Female |19 |29
Tourism
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish figures showing the total earnings from tourism in Wales in each year since 1981 ; and if he will break the figures down according to (a) earnings from United Kingdom staying visitors, (b) overseas visitors and (c) day visitors.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Estimates of expenditure by overnight visitors to Wales are given in the table. Estimates of expenditure by day visitors are available only for the financial year ending on 31 March 1989 when an estimated £22 million was spent in Wales.
( Source : The leisure day visits survey 1988-89, conducted by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys on behalf of the Department of Employment and the British Tourist Authority.)
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Expenditure by overnight visitors to Wales<1>
Year |United Kingdom |Overseas visitors
|visitors<2>
|£ million |£ million
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1981 |n/a |50
1982 |n/a |55
1983 |n/a |85
1984 |n/a |90
1985 |n/a |95
1986 |n/a |100
1987 |n/a |120
1988 |n/a |100
1989 |985 |120
1990 |900 |130
1991 |900 |130
Sources: United Kingdom Travel Survey, International Passenger Survey.
<1> These estimates, derived from sample surveys and thus subject to
potential random sampling errors, have been rounded to the nearest £5
million.
<2> Since 1989 information has been obtained from the United Kingdom
Tourism Survey (UKTS), sponsored jointly by the statutory tourist
boards from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. It is not
possible to make a direct comparison between the results of this latter
survey and those of earlier surveys.
Alcohol Consumption
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the percentage of young people between the age of 16 to 19 years who drink alcohol at least once a week in each health authority area in Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The latest available best estimates from the Health Promotion Authority for Wales are as follows :
Estimated percentage drinking
alcohol at least weekly by District
Health Authority, Wales 16 to 19
year olds, 1990
|Male |Female
-------------------------------------
Clwyd |58.0 |51.5
Dyfed |57.6 |53.7
Gwent |61.0 |47.7
Gwynedd |66.3 |49.7
Mid Glamorgan |66.1 |49.2
Powys |58.5 |47.7
South Glamorgan |59.8 |47.7
West Glamorgan |61.9 |57.1
Wales |61.1 |50.6
Pregnant girls
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many girls under 16 years became pregnant in each health authority area in Wales in each year since 1981.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Data on conceptions are not available at district health authority level. However, the number of conceptions to girls aged under 16 usually resident in Wales, which led to a maternity or were terminated by abortion under the Abortion Act 1967, are presented in the table. Conceptions which led to an illegal or spontaneous abortion are excluded.
|Conceptions (aged
|under 16)
------------------------------------------------------
1981 |455
1982 |547
1983 |558
1984 |553
1985 |577
1986 |510
1987 |545
1988 |536
1989 |460
1990 |523
Source: Office of Population Censuses and Surveys
Road Safety
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last met representatives of local councils in Wales to discuss levels of provision for road safety measures ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : Local government finance issues are discussed at the Welsh Consultative Council on Local Government Finance, a meeting of which I chaired on 6 July.
Ecstasy
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to undertake detailed research on the use of MDMA (ecstasy) in Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Data are currently collected on the incidence of drug misusers presenting for treatment in Wales. A specialist sub-committee of the Welsh Committee for Drug Misuse is already looking at methodologies for undertaking prevalence studies.
Children's Hospital
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairmen of Welsh health authorities concerning the provision of a specialist children's hospital for Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : None. I am aware, however, that South Glamorgan health authority has commissioned the King's Fund to assess the feasibility and viability of a proposal to establish a comprehensive child health service providing specialist services to children across Wales.
Bruce Report
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the Bruce report on careers guidance and education.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The review of careers guidance was an internal review carried out by the Employment Department. It is not customary to publish and release internal reviews. The review was taken into account in the consultation exercise which led to proposals for developing careers advice and guidance published in the White Paper "Education and Training for the 21st Century" (Cm. 156, Volume 1, Chapter 7).
Disability
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the latest available figures for the number of disabled people in Wales between the ages of 16 years
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and 64 years indicating the total number currently in work/training and the total number registered as unemployed.Sir Wyn Roberts : At 31 March 1991 there were 147,918 people on the register of handicapped people in Wales. No information is held centrally on the numbers of disabled people between the ages of 16 and 64, nor the numbers in work/training or registered unemployed.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been allocated by his Department to each local authority in Wales, in the latest year for which figures are available, to provide portable ramps to assist physical access into buildings ; if he will list the buildings which have been granted funds in each local authority area ; and if he will indicate which of these buildings were utilised as polling stations during the last general election.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Expenditure on portable access ramps is a matter for individual local authorities in the light of the overall resources available to them and their service priorities.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what statistics he has concerning increased waiting lists for the fitting of adaptions and aids for the physically disabled under the disabled facilities grant scheme since 1 April ; and what were the numbers on Welsh local authority waiting lists on (a) 1 January 1991, (b) 1 July 1991, (c) 1January 1992 and (d) 1 July 1992, respectively.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Information on such waiting lists is not held centrally.
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people with disabilities are registered with the Employment Service and therefore qualify for a green card in Blaenau Gwent ; what percentage of these people is registered unemployed ; and what are the comparable figures for Wales as a whole.
Mr. David Hunt : The number of people registered as disabled under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 and who are therefore eligible to receive a certificate of registration (green card) in the Blaenau Gwent constituency is 504. The comparable figure for Wales is 21,998. These are the latest figures, based on a count conducted in April 1992.
Information is not available about the percentage of registered disabled people in Blaenau Gwent and Wales who are registered unemployed.
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