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Angola

Mr. Wilshire : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the renewed fighting in Angola and on the steps he is able to take to help the international community to arrange a ceasefire.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We deplore the renewal of violence in Angola and fully support the efforts of the United Nations special representative there to consolidate the ceasefire arranged by the United Nations Secretary -General on the night of 1 November. We continue to work actively to this end in the United Nations and with EC partners and, in Angola, through our ambassador in Luanda.


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Somalia

Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 21 October, Official Report, column 320, what percentages of the United Kingdom and EC food for Somalia have come from EC food surpluses ; and what commodities have been sent.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 5 November 1992] : A list of the commodities provided under United Kingdom food aid to Somalia was given in my reply to the hon. Member for Clydebank and Milngavie (Mr. Worthington) on 29 October--columns 799-800. Information on commodities provided as EC food aid was contained in the letter sent to the hon. Member by my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development on 22 September, a copy of which has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Much of the food aid is provided through grants to NGO's, including the International Committee for the Red Cross, which are themselves responsible for the purchase from the most appropriate source, whether in the EC or elsewhere. The type of food provided for Somalia has not been determined by the availability of particular commodities in surplus in the EC, but rather by the requirements of those affected by the famine. The source of purchase is equally determined by timing, availability of food and transport, and price, rather than by the need to reduce EC surpluses.

No part of United Kingdom food aid for Somalia has come from EC intervention stocks. As to the percentage of EC food aid provided to Somalia from intervention, I shall write to the hon. Gentleman when we receive the information which we have requested from the European Commission, but I would not expect it to be a large proportion.

Zaire

Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations have been made to the Government of Zaire on the question of human rights ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding reply 5 November 1992] : The European Community and its member states made a joint statement on 10 September noting with satisfaction the election of Prime Minister Tshisekedi by the national conference and the acceptance of his Government by both the conference and the president. This represents a further step towards democracy in Zaire and we wish the Government success in working towards creating a climate which will allow peaceful progress towards free and fair elections and social and economic recovery.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Agencies

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list by grade the numbers of staff and their cost for 1991-92 and the estimated figures for 1992-93 for each executive agency for which he is responsible.

Miss Widdecombe : The information for each executive agency of the Department is shown in the tables.


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1991-92 Staff numbers and costs                             

------------------------------------------------------------

UG1-6<2>            |236    |7      |24     |1              

UG7                 |304    |17     |91     |4              

SEO                 |701    |78     |301    |7              

HEO                 |3,530  |356    |764    |30             

LO1/EO              |16,545 |2,356  |1,320  |68             

LO11/AO             |29,749 |3,408  |840    |104            

AA                  |8,803  |1,388  |302    |9              

Secretarial support |3,870  |60     |204    |212            

Professional        |19     |0      |0      |0              

Industrials/Others  |100    |0      |1      |84             

                    |-------|-------|-------|-------        

Total               |63,857 |7,670  |3,847  |519            

                    |-------|-------|-------|-------        

Costs £ million     |875.547|108.824|76.763 |10.388         


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1992-93 Estimated staff numbers and costs                                                                               

Grade               |Benefit agency     |Contribution agency|ITSA<1>            |Resettlement agency                    

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UG1-6<2>            |300                |10                 |30                 |1                                      

UG7                 |271                |21                 |107                |4                                      

SEO                 |655                |98                 |312                |9                                      

HEO                 |3,227              |420                |874                |26                                     

LO1/EO              |15,936             |2,438              |1,393              |60                                     

LO11/AO             |31,199             |3,846              |934                |83                                     

AA                  |8,738              |1,792              |230                |7                                      

Secretarial/Support |3,719              |102                |209                |183                                    

Professional        |19                 |0                  |0                  |0                                      

Industrials/Others  |147                |18                 |2                  |80                                     

                    |-------            |-------            |-------            |-------                                

Total               |64,211             |8,745              |4,091              |453                                    

                    |-------            |-------            |-------            |-------                                

Costs £ million     |1,009.505          |131.036            |84.597             |9.173                                  

<1> ITSA-denotes Information Technology Services Agency.                                                                

<2> Includes medical staff of equivalent grades.                                                                        

Notes:                                                                                                                  

1. Staff numbers quoted refer to full time equivalent permanent staff.                                                  

2. Staff numbers for 1991-92 have been calculated by averaging the quarterly staff in post figures.                     

3. The increase in the Benefits Agency staff numbers UG1-6, in 1992-93 is mainly due to:                                

(a) additional medical staff for the new disability benefits and an increased number of war pension claims: and         

(b) transfer of medical staff from the Department of Health (regional medical service).                                 

4. Costs relating to overtime, casuals and ERNIC are included.                                                          

Furniture Regulations

Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will amend the rules for the social fund to take account of the pending regulations relating to second hand foam furniture in order that those entitled to social funds can meet in full the cost of second hand goods compliant with safety standards.

Mr. Scott : No change is required. The amount of awards under the discretionary part of the social fund are not specified in the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992, or in the Secretary of State's directions or in his guidance to social fund officers. The guidance advises social fund officers to accept an amount requested by an applicant if it is within the broad range of prices that would be considered reasonable for an item of serviceable quality.

Income Support

Mr. Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what plans he has to make income support payable by direct credit transfer ;


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(2) under what circumstances income support can currently be paid direct into a claimant's bank or building society account ; and what guidance is available on such direct payments for (a) Benefits Agency staff and (b) individual claimants.

Miss Widdecombe : The administration of Income Support is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Letter from M. Bichard to Mr. Andrew Bowden, dated 5 November 1992 :

As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking what plans he has to make Income Support payable by direct credit transfer ; under what circumstances Income Support can currently be paid to a bank or building society account ; and what guidance is available to both staff and customers.

The Citizen's Charter committed us to making the facility to have benefit paid by Automated Credit Transfer (ACT) as soon as possible. The Benefits Agency also sees the ACT facility as a means of improving service to its customers. ACT is already available for a range of benefits, including


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Retirement Pensions and Child Benefit. As far as Income Support is concerned the introduction of ACT requires the adaptation of our computer systems, of our claim forms and of our literature. This will take some time, and the introduction of ACT for Income Support is planned for October 1993.

Currently, payment to a bank or building society can be considered where a customer has real difficulties in getting to a Post Office and has no one to act as an agent or appointee. An appointee is someone who is appointed to act on behalf of a customer who is unable to manage his or her own affairs.

All Districts have comprehensive written guidance covering arrangements for customers who may have difficulties, for example someone with health or mobility problems who has no carer' or regular visitor ; these include direct payments where a bank or building society agree to the arrangement. The customer is, however, advised that the bank or building society may charge for the service.

In such cases, guidance to customers is provided via detailed correspondence. In addition (and generally) notifications and leaflets issued to customers advise them to contact their local Benefits Agency Office if they require further advice, disagree with a decision or have anything else they wish to raise.

I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.

Cold Weather Payments

Mr. Geoffrey Robinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many households in each parliamentary constituency in Coventry qualify for payments under the cold weather payments scheme.

Mr. Scott : The administration of social fund is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Letter from M. Bichard to Mr. Geoffrey Robinson, dated 5 November 1992 :

As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many households in each Parliamentary constituency in Coventry qualify for payments under the cold weather payments scheme. The four constituencies in Coventry are all covered by the Agency's Coventry District, which consists of two offices, Coventry East and Coventry West. The boundaries of the constituencies do not correspond with those of the Agency's offices and it is not possible to give a figure for each constituency except at disproportionate cost. However, based on figures for those claiming Income Support in August 1992, it is estimated that 19,700 customers in the Coventry District may qualify for a cold weather payment should the area be triggered. I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.


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Disability Living Allowance

Mr. Austin-Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the delay in processing the disability living allowance claim of the Woolwich constituent, national insurance No. LW 263446C about whom the hon. Member for Woolwich wrote to him on 4 September.

Mr. Scott : The administration of disability living allowance is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief execitive of the Benfits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Letter from M. Bichard to Mr. J. Austin-Walker dated 5 November 1992 :

As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the nine months delay in processing the Disability Living Allowance claim of the Woolwich constituent, National Insurance No. LW 263446C. I should explain that the claim to which you refer has now been considered by an adjudication officer and the decision notified direct to your constituent on 29 October.

I offer my sincere apologies for the delay in dealing with your constituent's claim. My reply to your letter of 4 September to the Minister of State for Social Security and Disabled People explains the position in greater detail.

I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.

Social Fund

Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications for social fund payments have been made in the Euston district office in each month of the past year ; and how many were (a) granted money, (b) offered a loan and (c) refused.

Mr. Scott : The administration of the social fund is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Letter from Mr. Bichard to Mr. Jeremy Corbyn, dated 5 November 1992 :

As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about Social Fund payments in Euston District.

Details of applications to the discretionary part of the Fund, grant awards, loan offers and refusals for discretionary payments at Euston District in each month of the past year are in the Annex attached.

I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.


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Social fund information-Euston District-October 1991 to September 1992          

               |Applications|Grant awards|Loan offers |Refusals                 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

October 1991   |3,177       |183         |1,652       |984                      

November 1991  |2,681       |204         |1,346       |1,191                    

December 1991  |2,967       |239         |1,393       |1,177                    

January 1992   |3,105       |238         |1,343       |1,274                    

February 1992  |2,677       |208         |1,177       |1,197                    

March 1992     |2,963       |240         |1,138       |1,399                    

April 1992     |2,696       |255         |1,035       |1,368                    

May 1992       |2,605       |224         |1,029       |1,242                    

June 1992      |1,656       |140         |709         |636                      

July 1992      |2,786       |152         |1,207       |1,038                    

August 1992    |2,890       |241         |1,326       |1,184                    

September 1992 |2,923       |174         |1,074       |1,125                    

September 1992 data is the latest available.                                    

Local Offices

Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when his Department's new Finsbury Park local office will be opened ; and if he will make a statement on the future of the Highgate DSS local office.

Mr. Burt : The provision of new, and the future of existing, local DSS offices is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Letter from M. Bichard to Mr. Jeremy Corbyn, dated5 November 1992 :

As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the new Finsbury Park local office and the future of the Highgate office. Finsbury Park

The main work on the new Finsbury Park local office was completed on 23 October 1992. Full completion, following the installation of computer cabling, is expected to be achieved by


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17 November and the intention is to open to the public on 30 November 1992. Until then customers will continue to be served from the existing premises.

Highgate

The search for a new building to rehouse the Highgate office continues and our service will, therefore, remain at Archway Tower for the time being.

I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.

Pensioners

Mr. Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the proportion of (a) all pensioners, (b) single male pensioners, (c) single female pensioners, (d) pensioner couples, (e) single women aged 75 years or over and (f) single men aged 75 years or over, who are in receipt of an occupational pension on the basis of the most recent family expenditure survey data available ; and for each group, what is the mean and median amount received.

Miss Widdecombe : The most recent year for which information is available is 1988. The table sets out the information requested.


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Proportion of pensioner units in receipt of an occupational pension 1988                                      

Group                             |Percentage with an|Mean amount of    |Median amount of                     

                                  |occupational      |occupational      |occupational                         

                                  |pension           |pension for those |pension for those                    

                                                     |in receipt        |in receipt                           

                                  |(per cent.)       |(£ per week)      |(£ per week)                         

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Single men aged 65-74             |66                |42.70             |24.90                                

Single men aged 75 and over       |<1>60             |<1>47.30          |<1>29.60                             

All single men aged 65 and over   |63                |44.80             |26.40                                

Single women aged 60-74           |53                |41.90             |25.80                                

Single women aged 75 and over     |39                |32.70             |18.40                                

All single women aged 60 and over |46                |38.00             |21.00                                

Pensioner couples                 |70                |68.00             |33.90                                

All pensioner units               |57                |54.10             |27.20                                

<1> Based upon a sample of less than 100 cases.                                                               

Notes:                                                                                                        

1. Estimates are based upon data from "Occupational Pension Schemes 1987", a survey by the Government Actuary 

(HMSO) and the 1988 Family Expenditure Survey. Pension amounts are at 1988 levels.                            

2. Pensioner couples are defined as couples in which the husband is over state pension age; pensioner units   

are defined as pensioner couples or single people over state pension age.                                     

3. Figures in square brackets are based upon a sample of less than 100 cases.                                 

Mr. Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what number and proportion of all pensioners had no income from any source other than from state benefits for each of the last 10 years.

Miss Widdecombe : The table sets out information for the 10 years ending in 1988, the latest year for which information is available.


Year                 |Percentage of       |Number of pensioners                     

                     |pensioners with no  |with no income                           

                     |income other than   |other than state                         

                     |state benefits      |benefits                                 

                                          |(Thousands)                              

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1979                 |22                  |1,500                                    

1980                 |22                  |n/a                                      

1981                 |21                  |1,400                                    

1982                 |20                  |n/a                                      

1983                 |18                  |1,250                                    

1984                 |21                  |1,450                                    

1985                 |17                  |1,200                                    

1986                 |19                  |1,300                                    

1987                 |16                  |1,150                                    

1988                 |16                  |1,150                                    

Notes:                                                                              

1. Estimates are based upon data from the 1979-1988 Family Expenditure Surveys.     

2. Estimates relate to pensioner units. They are defined as single people over      

state pension age or couples in which the husband is over state pension age.        

3. Accurate estimates of the number of pensioner units in 1980 and 1982 with no     

income from sources other than state benefits could be obtained only at             

disproportionate cost.                                                              

Mr. Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the actual weekly amount received by all pensioners as (a) total social security benefits, (b) occupational pensions and (c) savings income for each of


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the last 10 years ; what were the gross and net weekly total figures ; and what was the real terms increase over the last 10 years.

Miss Widdecombe : The table sets out information for the 10 years ending in 1988, the latest year for which information is available. Information about average income from earnings is also included as net income must be derived from total gross income.


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The average income of pensioner units by source                                                                                                                                              

(£ per week, 1988 prices)                                                                                                                                                                    

Year                 |State               |Occupational Pension|Savings income      |Earnings            |Total gross income  |Tax/NI              |Total net income                         

                     |Pension/Benefit                                                                                                                                                        

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1979                 |53.00               |13.90               |9.50                |10.40               |86.80               |7.20                |79.70                                    

1980                 |53.80               |13.80               |10.00               |9.90                |87.50               |6.20                |81.30                                    

1981                 |56.50               |15.10               |12.10               |9.20                |92.90               |7.70                |85.20                                    

1982                 |58.20               |15.50               |10.60               |7.30                |91.50               |7.10                |84.50                                    

1983                 |61.20               |19.00               |14.00               |8.30                |102.50              |9.10                |93.30                                    

1984                 |61.20               |18.20               |12.70               |8.20                |100.40              |8.10                |92.30                                    

1985                 |60.90               |21.00               |14.50               |6.50                |102.90              |9.10                |93.80                                    

1986                 |63.10               |21.70               |15.50               |7.50                |107.80              |9.80                |98.00                                    

1987                 |62.10               |24.40               |21.90               |8.30                |116.70              |11.90               |104.80                                   

1988                 |60.70               |27.70               |20.00               |9.70                |118.10              |11.70               |106.30                                   

                                                                                                                                                                                             

Real increase        |14 per cent.        |99 per cent.        |110 per cent.       |-6 per cent.        |36 per cent.        |-                   |34 per cent.                             

Notes:                                                                                                                                                                                       

1. Source: Family Expenditure Survey.                                                                                                                                                        

2. Component incomes by source are rounded to the nearest 10p.                                                                                                                               

3. Components may not sum to totals owing to rounding.                                                                                                                                       

4. Percentage increases are calculated using unrounded figures.                                                                                                                              

5. A pensioner unit is defined as a single person over state pension age or a couple in which the husband is over stage pension age.                                                         

Mr. Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many and what proportion of all pensioners, single pensioners and pensioner couples have total incomes (a) £1, (b) £2, (c) £3, (d) £4 and (e) £5 above income support levels.

Miss Widdecombe : The information requested is in the tables. As this question seeks to establish pensioners' incomes in relation to income support levels the criteria for assessing pensioner entitlement to income support have been used, i.e. "pensioners" are taken to be those aged 60 or over, and the average income bands exclude income derived from sources which would not be taken into account for income support--eg. housing benefit or attendance allowance.


Number of pensioners whose income for   

IS purposes is within a                 

banded range of their IS levels         

Range   |Singles|Couples|Total          

----------------------------------------

£0-£1   |75,000 |20,000 |95,000         

£1-£2   |65,000 |25,000 |90,000         

£2-£3   |65,000 |20,000 |85,000         

£3-£4   |60,000 |25,000 |85,000         

£4-£5   |80,000 |20,000 |100,000        

Note: Figures have been rounded to the  

nearest 5,000.                          


Proportion of pensioners whose income for IS purposes is within a                                        

banded range of their IS levels.                                                                         

Range                |Singles (percentage)|Couples (percentage)|Total                                    

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

£0-£1                |2                   |1                   |1                                        

£1-£2                |1                   |1                   |1                                        

£2-£3                |1                   |1                   |1                                        

£3-£4                |1                   |1                   |1                                        

£4-£5                |2                   |1                   |1                                        

Note: Each percentage gives the proportion of the total pensioner caseload for the column. Percentages   

have been rounded to the nearest percentage point.                                                       

Source: Family Expenditure Surveys 1987-88-89 modelled at 1992-93 prices and benefit levels.             

Mr. Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many and what proportion of pensioners receive income support.

Mr. Burt : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 3 November at column 152.

Mr. Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the latest estimate of the number of pensioners entitled to claim income support and housing benefit who do not do so.

Mr. Burt : We will publish the latest available estimates for take- up of income-related benefits shortly.

Mr. Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of pensioner households have been dependent on state benefits for at least 75 per cent. of their income in each of the last 10 years.

Miss Widdecombe : The table sets out information for the 10 years ending in 1988, the latest year for which information is available. Data on pensioners' income is not available in household form so it is provided on the basis of pensioner "units".


Percentage of pensioners         

dependent on state benefits for  

75 per cent.                     

of their income                  

Year       |Percentage           

---------------------------------

1979       |62                   

1980       |61                   

1981       |61                   

1982       |59                   

1983       |60                   

1984       |58                   

1985       |58                   

1986       |54                   

1987       |53                   

1988       |53                   

Notes:                           

1. Estimates are based upon data 

from the 1979-1988 Family        

Expenditure Surveys.             

2. Estimates relate to pensioner 

units. They are defined as       

single people over state pension 

age or couples in which the      

husband is over state pension    

age.                             

European Community

Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the number of civil servants in his Department whose main task is work related wholly or mainly to the European Community.

Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 3 November 1992] : All staff are expected to be able to deal from time to time with the domestic implications of EC legislation or activities. Other than that there are currently 20.5 staff in the Department whose sole or main task is dealing with work directly generated by the European Community or the United Kingdom's current presidency of the Council of Ministers. In addition a number of staff in the Benefits Agency and Contributions Agency are engaged in the payment of benefits to, and collection of national insurance contributions from, people living abroad, including in the European Community.

WALES

Regional Selective Assistance

Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to paragraphs 67-8 of Cm 2074, if he will publish figures of the percentage of regional selective assistance projects which did not start in each of the years 1989, 1990, 1991 and the first half of 1992 ; and what was the percentage undershoot on the jobs actually achieved compared with the forecast made at the time of regional selective offer for each of the years 1989, 1990, 1991 and the first half of 1992.

Mr. David Hunt : Aggregate information on project start dates is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. As noted in paragraph 66 of Cm 2074, the Welsh Office departmental report contains information on employment actually achieved by projects which are largely completed.

Welsh Language

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, (1) how many staff posts there are within his Department at the present time ; and how many of these posts (a) require the speaking of Welsh to be a prerequisite, (b) consider the speaking of Welsh to be desirable and (c) consider linguistic capacity in neutral terms ; (2) how many staff are employed in each section of his Department ; and how many staff members in each section speak Welsh ;


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(3) how many members of staff are currently employed by the Welsh Office on a part-time and full-time basis ; how many staff members do not speak the Welsh language ; and how many are currently attending Welsh learner courses ;

(4) if he will make it his policy to offer paid time-off work to employees wishing to attend courses to learn Welsh.

Mr. David Hunt : There are currently 2,318 permanent staff employed in my Department, of whom 220 are part time. All staff who would like to learn Welsh are strongly encouraged to do so. Training is through courses and the use of distance learning packages. Paid time off and departmental sponsorship are available. The numbers involved are not held centrally. The general staffing requirement is for there to be adequate numbers of Welsh- speaking staff in all areas to meet the needs of clients. There are currently nine specific posts which require a good working knowledge of Welsh.

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total publicity budget of his Department for the latest year for which figures are available ; how much of the budget has been designated for publicity literature ; and, of that proportion, how much has specifically been spent on Welsh language publicity materials.

Mr. David Hunt : Publicity expenditure in 1992-93 is planned to be about £2,500,000. No designation for publicity literature is possible as the allocation of funds to different media often takes place only as projects develop.

Of the £726,890 spent on publicity materials this year, £153,180 was on Welsh only and £404,382 on bilingual material.

Coal

Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if, pursuant to his oral reference to the plan for German coal of 21 October, Official Report, columns 526-27, he will place in the Library a copy of the German plan 2005.

Mr. David Hunt : A copy of Kohlekonzept 2005 has been placed in the Library of the House today.

River Dee

Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will institute a review of the River Dee fishing byelaws as they impinge upon those River Dee fishermen who fish for fluke, mullet, cockles and shrimps ; and if he will make a statement ;

(2) if he will institute an investigation into the connection between the safety of River Dee fishermen in 14 ft boats and the implementation of the fishing byelaws ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. David Hunt : I will write to the hon. Gentleman.

Manufacturing

Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of the work force in Wales was engaged in manufacturing in (a) 1979 and (b) at the latest date.

Mr. David Hunt : In June 1979, 30.5 per cent. of employees were employed in manufacturing. In June 1992 the figure was 23.1 per cent.


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The table gives a breakdown of manufacturing employment for these two years with, for comparison, employment figures for energy and water supply industries.


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Employment figures for Wales by industrial division                                                                                                        

                                                        June 1979                               June 1992                                                  

                                   |<1>SIC(80) Division|Employees          |Percentage of total|Employees          |Percentage of total                    

                                                       |(thousands)        |employees          |(thousands)        |employees                              

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Metal manufacture and chemicals    |(2)                |105                |10.2               |44                 |4.6                                    

Metal goods, engineering and                                                                                                                               

  vehicles                         |(3)                |121                |11.7               |98                 |10.3                                   

Other manufacturing (including                                                                                                                             

  Foods)                           |(4)                |89                 |8.6                |79                 |8.3                                    

Total manufacturing                |(2-4)              |315                |30.5               |220                |23.1                                   

Energy and water supply (including                                                                                                                         

  coal, coke and oil)              |(1)                |62                 |6.0                |22                 |2.3                                    

<1>Standard Industrial Classification (Revised) 1980.                                                                                                      

Source: Employment Department.                                                                                                                             

Maneot Community Hospital

Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the future use of the former Maneot community hospital.

Mr. Gwilym Jones : The future use of this former hospital will be a matter for the prospective Gofal Cymuned Clwydian community care NHS trust. The trust application included the hospital site as part of the estate which will form the NHS trust. The trust intends to use the former hospital as its administrative headquarters. This proposal was welcomed by the health authority and it is expected that the NHS trust staff will occupy the site by the end of the year.

Pit Closures

Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the impact of pit closures in east Clwyd upon communities ; and if he will make a statement.


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Mr. David Hunt : As the hon. Gentleman will know, a review of the proposed closure of 21 pits is under way and a moratorium has been announced on these proposals whilst the review takes place. My Department is in discussions with the North East Wales training and enterprise council, the Welsh Development Agency and local authorities on measures to promote economic diversification and employment opportunities in the area.

Service Industries

Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of the work force in Wales is engaged in the service industries for 1979 and at the latest date.

Mr. David Hunt : In June 1979, 55.4 per cent. of employees were employed in the service industries. In June 1992 the figure was 68.6 per cent.

The table gives a breakdown of employment in the service sector for these two years.


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Employment figures for Wales by industrial division                                                                                                     

                                                     June 1979                               June 1992                                                  

                                |SIC(80)<1> Division|Employees          |Percentage of total|Employees          |Percentage of total                    

                                                    |(thousands)        |employees          |(thousands)        |employees                              

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wholesale distribution, hotels,                                                                                                                         

  catering, repairs and retail                                                                                                                          

  distribution                  |(6)                |170                |16.5               |183                |19.2                                   

Transport and communication     |(7)                |58                 |5.6                |49                 |5.2                                    

Banking, insurance and finance  |(8)                |44                 |4.3                |89                 |9.4                                    

Other services                  |(9)                |299                |28.9               |332                |34.9                                   

Total Services                  |(6-9)              |572                |55.4               |653                |68.6                                   

Source: Employment Department.                                                                                                                          

<1> Standard Industrial Classification (Revised) 1980.                                                                                                  

Traumatic Brain Injury

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what provision there is in each county of Wales for patients suffering traumatic brain injury.


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