| Previous Section | Home Page |
Operation Grapple
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give the amount allocated by his Department for Operation Grapple for 1992-93 and 1993-94 and the amount involved in setting up the initial deployment ; whether the overall budget for his Department has been increased for 1992-93 for this operation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : It is estimated that the additional cost of Operation Grapple for the first 12 months amounts to some £110 million, VAT exclusive, of which £17.5 million relates to the initial deployment. It is too early to provide an accurate breakdown of costs between financial years. Although costs initially fall to the defence budget they are subsequently refunded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which, under the normal rules, has vote responsibility for such operations.
Column 710
SCOTLAND
Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the projects relating to research into paralytic shellfish poisoning and associated problems to which his Department has contributed in the last three years or plans to support in the present financial year ; and if he will indicate the amount contributed or to be contributed in each case.
Sir Hector Monro : Two projects relating to research into paralytic shellfish poisoning--PSP for short--and associated problems are undertaken at my Department's marine laboratory, Aberdeen. They are :
1. Monitoring of algal blooms and microbiological factors in respect of fish and shellfish monitoring.
2. Nitrogen cycling in coastal ecosystems.
The full economic costs met, or to be met, by my Department between April 1989 and March 1993 amount to £132,000 for the PSP toxin monitoring component of the first project, and £1.321 million for the second project which deals with the basic processes which give rise to algal blooms.
Feus
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to change the law relating to the rights of feu superiors when a feu has been bought out.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The Scottish Law Commission is currently reviewing property law in Scotland. As part of this review, the commission published a discussion paper in July 1991 seeking comments on various proposals for reform of the feudal system. The commission is now analysing the responses to the discussion paper and will submit a report in due course. I will wish to have an opportunity to consider the report in detail before determining whether any change in the law may be required.
Hospitals
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the progress of plans to replace East Fortune hospital with a new unit for continuing care at Roodlands hospital in Haddington.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer of 27 October 1992] : The progress of plans for the replacement of East Fortune hospital is a matter for Lothian health board.
Roads
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the effects of the traffic calming measures at Gateside, Fife.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer of 27 October 1992] : Traffic speed surveys carried out prior to and following installation of the traffic calming measures at Gateside indicate a slight decrease in the speed of traffic. It is signifiant, however, that in the three-year period before the traffic calming measures were introduced there were two serious injury accidents and 12 non-injury accidents at this location whereas in the year since the
Column 711
traffic calming measures were completed there has been one slight injury accident and one non-injury accident. Early indications, therefore, are encouraging although the situation will continue to be monitored.Council Tax
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the expected annual costs of administering the council tax in each local authority in Scotland ; and what costs have been incurred to date.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 27 October 1992] : It is for local authorities themselves to determine the expenditure required to administer the council tax, although the Government expect the costs involved to be significantly less than those for administering the community charge. Overall authorities budgeted to spend £7.5 million in the current financial year preparing for the tax. Their budget estimates for 1993-94 will not be available until next spring.
Local Government Reorganisation
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the cost to date of the consultation exercise for local government reforms in Scotland.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 27 October 1992] : The costs incurred to date by the Scottish Office on the current consultation exercise on local government reform amount to approximately £170,000.
Competitive Tendering
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans there are to halt the loss of the jurisdiction of the Commissioners for Local
Column 712
Administration in Scotland following the introduction of compulsory competitive tendering and the provision of local government services by outside agencies.Mr. Stewart [holding answer 27 October 1992] : Although the commissioner has no jurisdiction over the activities of private companies undertaking local authority services, the ultimate statutory responsibility for the provision of such services rests with local authorities. In such circumstances the powers of the commissioner to investigate complaints by members of the public are not diminished. The Government keep the commissioner's powers under regular review.
Forth Valley Health Board
Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will dismiss the chairperson of the Forth Valley health board.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 26 October 1992] : No.
EMPLOYMENT
Employment and Training
Mr. Austin-Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will state the individual programme costs at constant prices, for each of the years 1987-88 to 1991-92 for employment training and its predecessor programmes youth training and the enterprise allowance scheme and the numbers out of work for each of the years during the same period ; and if she will make a statement on the Government's future intentions for Government employment and training measures.
Mr. McLoughlin : The information requested is contained in the tables :
Column 711
Great Britain training expenditure (cash prices)<1>
£ million
|1987-88|1988-89|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
YT<2> |1,008 |1,020 |1,002 |844 |846
ET<3> |380 |615 |1,107 |1,076 |842
Enterprise allowance scheme/business and enterprise support<4> |193 |250 |212 |184 |184
<1> The figures quoted are cash prices. The data necessary to adjust these figures for inflation (ie retail
prices index-all items) can be found in table 6.4 of the Employment Gazette for April 1992 and in table 26 of
the annual supplement to Economic Trends for April of earlier years. These publications are available in the
Library.
<2> Youth training includes expenditure on training credits from April 1991.
<3> ET was introduced from September 1988. Figures for the period prior to that date include expenditure on
training measures which were replaced by ET, but do not include employment measures such as the community
programme.
<4> It is not possible to distinguish expenditure on EAS from other enterprise and business support programmes
delivered since 1987-88.
Average seasonally
adjusted unemployment
figures
Great Britain
Thousands
|Number
------------------------
1987-88 |2,554.9
1988-89 |2,030.4
1989-90 |1,599.4
1990-91 |1,660.3
1991-92 |2,346.8
The Department's
employment and training
programmes are aimed at
supporting economic
growth by promoting a
competitive, efficient
and flexible labour
market. Our commitment
to helping unemployed
people through the
opportunities provided
will continue to be met
through the employment
service and through the
training and enterprise
councils.
Column 712
Labour Statistics
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of constituencies in Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England has lower percentage unemployment than in June 1987 ; and what proportion of constituencies that have had coal mines closed in the past six years has lower percentage unemployment now than in June 1987 compared with other constituencies.
Mr. McLoughlin : Unemployment rates are not available below the level of travel-to-work area (TTWA). In September 1992, the latest date for which claimant unemployment figures are available, the proportions of travel-to-work areas that had lower percentage rates of
Column 713
unemployment than in June 1987 were as follows : 100 per cent. in Northern Ireland, 97 per cent. in Wales, 97 per cent. in Scotland and 51 per cent. in England.Information categorising coal mine closures by their TTWA is currently available only for the past four years ; 95 per cent. of TTWAs which have had coal mines closed over the past four years had lower unemployment rates in September 1992 than in June 1987. The corresponding proportion for other TTWAs was 62 per cent.
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if she will publish the average percentage rate of unemployment for 1991-92 for each travel-to-work area in the United Kingdom ; (2) if she will publish the average percentage rate of unemployment during the five- year period commencing August 1987 to August 1992 for each travel-to-work area in the United Kingdom.
Mr. McLoughlin : The information requested can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the Library.
Disability (Training)
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will take steps to make disability equality training a compulsory component of training undertaken by careers advisers, careers officers and teachers responsible for careers information.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Local education authorities are required by statutory guidance given under the Employment and Training Act 1973 to make arrangements to identify the training needs of their careers service staff and make arrangements to meet those needs.
This guidance requires careers officers to obtain the diploma in careers guidance. The diploma covers equal opportunities training, including provision for people with disabilities.
The training of careers teachers is a matter for my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Education and for Wales as appropriate.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what efforts are currently undertaken by her Department to ensure that all publicity material produced by her Department concerning training programmes relating to disabled people promotes positive images of disabled people.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Employment Department no longer produces national publicity material on training programmes. This is now the responsibility of individual training and enterprise councils (TECs). TECs are responsible for the planning and delivery of training programmes and are contractually bound to ensure equality of opportunity for all trainees.
The Employment Department, however, produces advisory material on a range of issues for TECs, and others. Material concerning people with disabilities is quality checked by a specialist team in the Department.
Fraud
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many people were prosecuted for fraud by her Department in the latest year for which figures are available ;
Column 714
(2) what is the number of whole-time equivalent staff employed by her Department and its agencies to detect and prosecute suspected fraud ; and what is the cost of their employment ;(3) how much her Department has saved from the investigation of fraud in the latest year for which figures are available ; and what are the targeted savings for the next financial year.
Mr. McLoughlin : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from A. G. Johnson to Mr. Donald Dewar, dated 28 October 1992 :
As the Employment service is an Executive Agency, it is the responsibility of Mike Fogden the Agency's Chief Executive to answer Parliamentary Questions about relevant operational matters. In his absence, I am replying to your questions to the Secretary of State for Employment :
i. how many people were prosecuted for fraud by the Department in the latest year for which figures are available,
ii. what is the number of whole time equivalent staff employed to detect and prosecute suspected fraud, and what is the cost of their employment,
iii. how much the Department has saved from the investigation of fraud in the latest year for which figures are available, and what are the targeted savings for the next financial year.
The latest year for which figures are available is that of the financial year ending 31 March 1992 during which a total of 2,265 people were prosecuted for fraud. We currently have 1,300 people, of whom 780 are Inspectors, employed in the detection and prosecution of benefit fraud. The total cost of our fraud operations amounted to £13.34 million. The net savings from our investigations into benefit fraud amounted to £34.34m. We do not set targets for benefit savings accrued from benefit fraud investigation. Our performance is measured by the number of claims withdrawn following investigation by Inspectors and our target is for 58,000 such claims to be withdrawn by the end of the present financial year.
As decided by the Administration Committee of the House of Commons, Chief Executive replies to written Parliamentary Questions will now be published in the Official Report. I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.
Engineering Construction Industry Training Board
Mr. Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many appeals by firms against paying the industrial training levy demanded by the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board were heard by an industrial tribunal in (a) 1988, (b) 1989, (c) 1990 and (d) 1991, respectively ; and how many were (i) successful and (ii) unsuccessful.
Mr. McLoughlin : Prior to July 1991, engineering construction was covered by the Engineering Industry Training Board (EITB). That board was re-named the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) on 23 July 1991 when the engineering manufacturing sector moved its training arrangements to a non-statutory basis. In 1988 one appeal against the EITB was heard and was successful. No further appeals have been heard against either the EITB or the ECITB.
Mr. Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will place in the Library a list of all the
Column 715
companies who paid the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board levy in (a) 1989, (b) 1990 and (c) 1991.Mr. McLoughlin : This information is not available to me. It is held only by Engineering Construction Industry Training Board and I have no power to require the board to supply me with such information.
Mr. Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what future plans she has for the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board.
Mr. McLoughlin : My right hon. and learned Friend, the previous Secretary of State, appointed the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board in July 1991 for a three-year period up to 22 July 1994. As with all non-Departmental public bodies, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State shall review the need for its continuance before any decision is made on its reconstitution.
Financial Services
Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will make a statement on trends in employment in the financial services sector between now and the end of 1993.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Department does not publish predictions of employment in particular sectors.
Disabled People (Careers Guidance)
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what monitoring is currently undertaken by her Department on the quality of careers guidance given to disabled people.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The careers service inspectorate of the Department undertakes inspections of LEA careers services and pays particular attention to the quality of careers guidance given to people with special needs.
Hard Labour"
Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what consideration her Department has given to implementing the recommendations of the 1990 report of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, entitled "Hard Labour".
Mr. McLoughlin : The Government have considered the recommendations of this report. We have already announced our intention to introduce legislation to confer additional rights on individual employees, including extending the right to receive written particulars of employment terms to all employees working at least eight hours a week, which is in line with the report's recommendations.
Wages Councils
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will estimate the range of employment effects of abolishing wages councils.
Mr. McLoughlin : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave him on 14 July 1992, Official Report, column 626.
Column 716
Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many respondents to the 1988 consultation document on the future of wages councils then supported the retention of wages councils, either wholly or in some form ; whether the Government have recently contacted these respondents to inquire whether their views have altered ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : In the 1988 consultation 320 respondents favoured the retention of a wages councils system. Over 60 per cent. of employers and employers' organisations, who responded, supported abolition of the councils. There has been no exercise to contact those who responded in 1988, but employers have continued to make clear the damage done by the councils.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to the oral answer of the Minister of State on 7 July, Offical Report, column 169, if she will publish evidence to show that two-thirds of the people covered by wages councils are paid more than the minimum wage set by the councils.
Mr. McLoughlin : The estimate is based on an analysis of employers' wage records checked by the wages inspectorate.
Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list those individuals or organisations who have written to her concerning the proposed abolition of wages councils indicating which are for the proposal and which against.
Mr. McLoughlin : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State received 71 written representations about the future of the wages councils from April to September 1992. Of these, 17 favoured abolition, 50 supported retention and four did not come down clearly on one side or the other. It would not be appropriate for me to publish the names of those who have written to the Department.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is her estimate of the number of people with disabilities whose employment is covered by a wages council order.
Mr. McLoughlin : I regret that the information is not available.
Appointments
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list all the names of public appointments that she has made, giving the period for which the appointment was made, relevant qualifications of the appointees, and what remuneration each currently receives.
Mr. McLoughlin : This information is not held centrally within the Department. We will, however, collect the information and my noble Friend Viscount Ullswater will write to the hon. Member.
Youth Training
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many youth training places are currently available in the Doncaster area ; and what was the figure (a) six months and (b) 12 months ago.
Column 717
Mr. McLoughlin : The information is not available in the form requested.
At 13 September 1992 there were 3,865 young people on youth training in the Barnsley and Doncaster area. Six months and 12 months previously, the figure was 3,676 and 4,403 respectively. These figures reflect seasonal fluctuations and the demographic downturn in school leavers.
Barnsley/Doncaster TEC is confident that the Government's guarantee of a training place to eligible young people will be met.
Crown Immunity
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether she will now introduce legislation to remove Crown immunity in respect of infringements of the Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act 1974.
Mr. McLoughlin : No decisions will be made about introducing legislation until the Health and Safety Commission has considered the review of current procedures and put any proposals to Ministers.
Wages Inspectorate
Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans she has to increase the enforcement powers of the wages inspectorate.
Mr. McLoughlin : None. The wages inspectorate has adequate powers to enforce wages council orders effectively.
Job Interview Guarantee Scheme
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment for each region and for Great Britain as a whole how many agreements have been made with employers to operate the job interview guarantee scheme since it was extended nationally in April 1991 ; how many unemployed people have taken part in the scheme in each area ; and how many participants have secured full-time employment with their sponsoring employer.
Mr. McLoughlin : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its Chief Executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Ms. Clare Short, dated 28 October 1992 ;
As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to write to you direct to respond to your Parliamentary Question to her about the Job Interview Guarantee (JIG) initiative. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
You asked for each Region and for Great Britain as a whole how many agreements have been made with employers to operate the job interview guarantee scheme since it was extended nationally in April 1991, how many unemployed people have taken part in the scheme in each area, and how many participants have secured full-time employment with their sponsoring employer.
We no longer ask regions for information on the number of agreements made with employers as we do not require it to monitor the success of the programme.
Information on people taking part in the scheme, and those securing full- time employment is shown at Annex A. The information is broken down by region. At a national level we do not collect information by area.
Column 718
As decided by the Administration Committee of the House of Commons, Chief Executive replies to written Parliamentary Questions will now be published in the Official Report. I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.
Annex A
From April 1991 to 2 October 1992
Region |Unemployed people|Unemployed people
|assisted |placed
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |10,484 |3,170
Yorkshire & Humberside |11,762 |4,027
East Midlands & Eastern |12,704 |4,178
London & South East |87,435 |27,159
South West |18,910 |6,408
Wales |15,121 |4,875
West Midlands |24,542 |7,379
North West |18,555 |7,747
Scotland |25,839 |10,665
|---- |----
Total |225,352 |75,608
Job Clubs
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment for each region and for Great Britain as a whole since April 1991 how many people have joined job clubs, and how many have left ; how many leavers got jobs, and how many entered another positive outcome ; and if she will give the information broken down by the ethnic origin and gender of participants.
Mr. McLoughlin : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from A. G. Johnson to Ms. Clare Short, dated28 October 1992 :
As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, it is the responsibility of Mike Fogden, the Agency's Chief Executive to answer Parliamentary Questions about relevant operational matters. In his absence, I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Employment about how many people have attended a Restart Interview since 1 April 1991 ; and what were the results of those interviews. Mike Fogden last wrote to you on this subject on25 February 1992. However we have changed the way we collect some of our statistics which means that although the information on the number of people joining and leaving Jobclubs is available up to September 1992, the breakdown by ethnic origin and gender of participants is only available up to March 1992. The figures for 1992-93 will be collected at the end of the operational year.
Table A' attached shows for each region and nationally the numbers who have joined Jobclubs between 1 April 1991 and 27 March 1992 together with the same period of those members leaving. Leavers who are shown as going into other positive outcomes have gone on either to training, full-time education or self-employment.
Table B' attached shows the estimated performance between 1 April 1991 and 27 March 1992 for male and female Jobclub members and by ethnic origin separated on a regional basis and for Great Britain as a whole. This has been derived from the quarterly surveys which were carried out during the period.
Table C' shows similar statistics to A', but covers the period 30 March 1992 to 25 September 1992. On the ethnic background and male/female characteristics of Jobclub leavers is now collected on an annual sample survey basis. As a result of this change, Service programmes and which should improve accuracy, the breakdown of male and female membership and ethnic origin is not yet available for the 1992-93 period.
I hope this is helpful.
| Next Section
| Home Page |