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Surplus Food
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what amount of EC surplus food was distributed in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.
Mr. Hanley : The quantities of EEC surplus food distributed in Northern Ireland were as follows :
|Butter (tonnes)|Beef (tonnes)
----------------------------------------------------------------
1989-90 |678 |439
1990-91 |680 |536
1991-92 |517 |367
Chief Electoral Officer (Report)
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the report of the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland for 1991-92 will be published.
Sir Patrick Mayhew : I have today laid the Chief Electoral Officer's report before Parliament--House of Commons No. 344. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Inward Investment
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information he has on the number of visits made to Northern Ireland by potential inward investors in the years ended on 31 March 1990, 1991 and
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1992 ; and how many of the potential investors were brought by the Industrial Development Board to South Down in each of the three years.Mr. Atkins [holding answer 16 December 1992] : The number of visits made to Northern Ireland by potential inward investors in the years ended 31 March 1990, 1991 and 1992 was 175, 231 and 240 respectively. Of these, a total of 15 included visits to South Down--four in 1989-90, five in 1990-91 and six in 1991-92.
EMPLOYMENT
Ozone Depletion
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how the departmental green Minister has promoted protection of the ozone layer with specific policy measures ; which possible measures have been considered and rejected ; and on what grounds.
Mr. McLoughlin : In the Department's environmental policy statements we have made a specific commitment to reducing or limiting the procurement of substances which are pollutants. The Employment Department is not a major user of ozone-depleting substances. No specific policy measures have been rejected.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the quantity of ozone-depleting substances recycled within the Department and returned to the manufacturer.
Mr. McLoughlin : The use by the Department of ozone-depleting chemicals is minimal, but we pay due regard to proper disposal methods and are taking steps to ensure that all staff are aware of them. No records of quantities are held centrally and this information would be available only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how much funding has been allocated or spent to specifically deal with measures to reduce her Department's consumption of ozone-depleting substances.
Mr. McLoughlin : No specific funding has been allocated. The reduction in the use of ozone-depleting substances is being achieved by replacing equipment which uses such substances with alternatives which do not contain ozone-depleting chemicals, as and when they are due for replacement.
The Employer Department is not a major user of ozone-depleting substances.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment which current uses of ozone-depleting chemicals by her Department are considered essential.
Mr. McLoughlin : Some fire extinguishers which use halons as a propellant are in place in departmental buildings. Fire-fighting equipment is essential for the protection of staff ; however, these extinguishers are being phased out.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment by what date her Department's use of ozone-depleting chemicals will conform to EC regulations on limits on these chemicals.
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Mr. McLoughlin : It is the Department's policy to comply with the United Kingdom health and safety legislation. This policy will be applied to any legislation arising out of EC regulations on ozone-depleting chemicals.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will give an undertaking to purchase only ozone-friendly fridges that do not contain chlorofluorocarbons or hydrochlorofluorocarbons for her Department.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Department's purchasing policy includes a commitment to the buying of environmentally friendly goods wherever practical.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if she will provide details from the maintenance servicing record of the quantity and type of ozone-destroying chemicals used annually in her Department's refrigeration and air conditioning equipment for servicing and in leakages ; and what proportion is removed for recycling ;
(2) how many CFC and HCFC installations are contained within her Department's buildings ;
(3) how many refrigeration and air conditioning systems in her Department are equipped with automatic leak detection systems ; (4) how many CFC domestic fridges are contained within her Department's buildings.
Mr. McLoughlin : No records are held centrally and this information would be available only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what guidance has been sought and received on alternatives to the ozone- destroying chemicals in use by her Department.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Department is not a major user of ozone- depleting chemicals. Where guidance is needed in specific circumstances, it is obtained in the first instance from the Department of the Environment.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many portable halon fire extinguishers are contained within departmental buildings ; and what measures are being taken to ensure their recycling and replacement.
Mr. McLoughlin : No records of the number of halon fire extinguishers are held centrally. Halon fire extinguishers are being phased out as and when they are due for replacement.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many catastrophic leaks of ozone-depleting substances have occurred within her Department's buildings in the last five years.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Department has no information to suggest that there have been any catastrophic leaks of ozone-depleting substances from Employment Department buildings in the last five years.
Industrial Tribunals
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many cases were dealt with by industrial tribunals in each of the past five years.
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Mr. McLoughlin : The number of cases dealt with by industrial tribunals--at a hearing, by a settlement or by withdrawal--in the period 1 April 1987 to 31 March 1992 was as follows.
|Number
----------------------
1987-88 |34,233
1988-89 |29,317
1989-90 |31,913
1990-91 |35,826
1991-92 |41,977
Health and Safety
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the average fine for health and safety offences involving serious injury during 1991-92.
Mr. McLoughlin : The average fine for all health and safety offences in 1991-92 was £1,134. The average fine for those convictions arising out of a serious injury is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will deposit in the Library the names of those attending and minutes of the recent meeting between insurance companies, other interested parties and the Health and Safety Executive regarding the possible tendering out of some of HSE's work.
Mr. McLoughlin : During the market-testing feasibility study referred to in my reply to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr. Bennett) 25 November 1992, Official Report, columns 633-34, the team under the direction of the director general of the Health and Safety Executive met representatives from a wide range of industry, the trade unions and other interested parties. the Association of British Insurers was one of those parties and its advice is reflected in the report my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently received. That report is still being considered and it would be inappropriate to release further details.
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of factories and other workplaces for which the Health and Safety Executive is responsible for enforcing the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 ; how many of these have been inspected by the factory inspectorate ; and how many have received no inspection in the last five, seven, nine and 11 years.
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Mr. McLoughlin : There are 650,999 workplaces registered with the Health and Safety Executive's agricultural, factory, quarries, mines, explosives and nuclear installations inspectorates and offshore safety division for which HSE is the enforcing authority for health and safety legislation.
It is not possible, without incurring disproportionate cost, to identify how many of these premises have been inspected by HSE's factory inspectorate--FI--of how many have received no inspection in the last five, seven, nine and 11 years.
However, on 31 March 1992, the latest date for which information is centrally available, 417,316 fixed premises were registered with FI.
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many employees have been gaoled for offences under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 since 1974.
Mr. McLoughlin : To date, no employees have been jailed for offences under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974.
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will make a statement about the privatisation of the Health and Safety Executive.
Mr. McLoughlin : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has recently received a report on the feasibility of market-testing those areas of the Health and Safety Executive's activities not covered by their existing programme. My right hon. Friend is considering the report and will issue a statement in due course.
Sickness
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of a standard enforceable procedure for notifying an employer of sickness ; (2) what plans she has to develop the use of a standard enforceable procedure for notifying an employer of sickness.
Mr. McLoughlin : None. Like most other terms and conditions of employment, this is a matter for discussion and agreement between employer and employee without Government intervention, subject to the requirements of the Statutory Sick Pay (General) Regulations.
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Training
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will give, in constant 1992-93 prices and cash terms, the total amount spent by her Department of the budget for training in each year since 1989- 90, the expected outturn for 1992-93 and plans for 1993-94.
Mr. McLoughlin : The latest available figures are provided in the table.
Employment Department Expenditure
|Constant 1992-93|Cash terms
|prices
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1989-90 Outturn |3,077 |2,557
1990-91 Outturn |2,667 |2,393
1991-92 Outturn |2,053 |1,969
1992-93 Estimated Outturn |1,794 |1,794
1993-94 Plans |1,654 |1,701
The figures in the table include :
The Department's training and vocational education programmes ;
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for 1989-90 and 1990-91 Great Britain figures ;for 1991-92 England and Wales figures ;
for 1992-93 and 1993-94 England only figures :
The figures in the table exclude :
the Department's enterprise programmes ;
administration and running costs associated with the programmes ; Employment action.
1992-93 figures exclude provision transferred to the Department of Trade and Industry with effect from 1 May 1992.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will give for each of her Department's schemes for the unemployed, for each year since 1989-90 the expected outturn for 1992-93, and plans for 1993-94 of (a) the number of participants, (b) the average duration of the scheme and (c) the cost per participant in cash terms and in constant 1992-93.
Mr. McLoughlin : The table shows the outturn in Great Britain for each year since 1989-90, the expected outturn for 1992-93 and the plans for 1993-94 of (a) the number of participants, (b) the average length of stay and (c) the cost per participant in cash and constant prices.
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|1989-90 |1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93
|<4>Outturn |<4>Outturn |<4>Outturn |<4>Forecast outturn
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Employment Training (ET)
Number of participants (000s) |210 |198 |149 |124
Average length of stay (weeks) |26 |23 |<1>- |<1>-
Cost per participant
Cash (£) |5,404 |5,384 |6,014 |6,234
Constant (£) |6,504 |6,001 |6,270 |6,234
Employment Action (EA)
Number of participants (000s) |<2>- |<2>- |14 |24
Average length of stay (weeks) |<2>- |<2>- |<1>- |<1>-
Cost per participant
Cash (£) |<2>- |<2>- |<3>2,833 |6,167
Constant (£) |<2>- |<2>- |<3>2,953 |6,167
Training for Work 1993-94 plans
Number of participants (000s) |150 |- |- |-
Average length of stay (weeks) |24 |- |- |-
Cost per participant
Cash (£) |6,241 |- |- |-
Constant (£) |6,074 |- |- |-
<1> Actual information later than 1990-91 is not available because average length of stay calculations are based on entrants to
Employment Training and Employment Action in a given period and it is necessary to wait until all entrants in a period have left the
programme.
<2> Employment Action began on 1 October 1991.
<3> The 1992-93 unit cost is for Employment Action in the programmes first six months of operation when the programme was building
up.
<4> All figures are for Great Britain. These programmes are delivered in Scotland and Wales by Scottish Office and Welsh Office
respectively.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate she makes of the number of 16 and 17-year-olds eligible for the youth training quarantee who were not on a youth training scheme for each month since January ; how many of these received no financial assistance ; and how many she expects will be in this position for each month in 1993.
Mr. McLoughlin : The information is not available in the form requested. The Government continue to be
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committed to the youth training guarantee and a range of financial support is available to young people while they are seeking suitable training.Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many and what percentage of youth trainees have achieved national vocational qualifications, and how many at level 2, for each year since the qualification was available for youth training schemes ; and what estimate she makes of the number and percentage for this year and the next.
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Mr. McLoughlin : The information requested is not yet available. While there is some data on achievement of national vocational qualifications and their equivalents, further work is needed to assess their reliability.
Labour Statistics
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what were the average figures and percentage rates in each year since and including 1987 of those who have been out of work for more than a year for (a) Dundee, (b) Scotland and (c) the United Kingdom for (i) all unemployed and (ii) 18 to 25-year-olds ;
(2) what were the monthly unemployment figures and percentage rates in each month of 1992 for (a) Dundee, (b) Scotland and (c) the United Kingdom for (i) all unemployed and (ii) for 18 to 25-year-olds ;
(3) what were the average unemployment figures and percentage rates in each year since and including 1987 for (a) Dundee, (b) Scotland and (c) the United Kingdom for (i) all unemployed and (ii) 18 to 25-year-olds.
Mr. McLoughlin : The information requested for total claimant unemployment for Dundee travel-to-work area, Scotland and the United Kingdom is available from the NOMIS database in the Library. Claimant unemployment rates by both age and duration are not available. However, United Kingdom unemployment rates by age, expressed as a percentage of the work force in that age band, are available on a quarterly basis, but for standard age bands only. Although these data are not available from NOMIS, they are published in Employment Gazette, table 2.15.
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list the numbers of men and women in employment, both full time and part time in each quarter since January 1973.
Mr. McLoughlin : The available information can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the Library.
Mr. Milligan : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the change in unemployment in (a) Eastleigh and (b) the average in other Hampshire districts in (i) the past 12 months and (ii) the past five years.
Mr. McLoughlin : The information requested can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the Library.
Mr. Milligan : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest percentage rate of unemployment for (a) the borough of Eastleigh and (b) the constituency of Eastleigh.
Mr. McLoughlin : Information on unemployment rates is not available below the level of travel-to-work areas. In October 1992, the latest date for which figures are available, the unadjusted claimant unemployment rate for Winchester and Eastleigh travel-to-work area was 4.8 per cent.
Nuclear Installations Inspectorate
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the annual budget for the Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate.
Mr. McLoughlin : Estimates provide for gross expenditure of £18,541,000 for 1992-93.
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Private Finance
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment in what areas of her Department's responsibilities she has introduced, or may introduce, private finance ; and if she will describe in each case the procedures by which private finance is sought.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Important elements of the private finance initiative include capital projects or the provision of services where the greater part of the cost involves capital expenditure. Although the majority of the Department's spending is not in this area, we are considering how to apply the initiative on the basis of the guidance which has been published by the Treasury.
National Training Task Force
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many members of the national training task force are (a) women, (b) from an ethnic minority and (c) people with disabilities, in numbers and as a percentage of the group.
Mr. McLoughlin : There are two--10.9 per cent.--women members of the national training task force and one--5.3 per cent.--member from an ethnic minority group. There are no members who have registered or non-registered disabilities.
Betting Shops
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if she will introduce safeguards and protection for betting shop employees who do not wish to change contracts in the event of a relaxation of betting shop hours ;
(2) if she will introduce regulations to prevent exploitation of betting shop employees by employers who refuse to allow a choice between new contracts of employment and existing ones.
Mr. McLoughlin : Terms and conditions of employment are in general a matter for employers and employees, and it is always open to either party to a contract of employment to seek to renegotiate its terms. All employees have protection against unilateral changes being made to their contracts of employment.
Chlorine Storage
Mr. Bill Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what account is taken by the emergency off-site plan of each site, designated under the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1984 because of the quality of chlorine which they store, of the possibility of catastrophic failure of the site's chlorine storage facilities.
Mr. McLoughlin : In preparing off-site emergency plans for all those sites subject to regulation 11 of the Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1984, as amended, the emergency planners have to take account of the full range of possible events, in accordance with the official guidance published by the Health and Safety Executive--HS(G) 25-- "The Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Regulations : Further Guidance on Emergency Plans" and HS(R) 21--revised--"A guide to the Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1984".
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Remploy
Mr. Austin-Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if the Government's 1.5 per cent. pay norm will apply to low-paid and disabled employees of Remploy ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 16 December 1992] : Remploy, like other public sector employers, will need to ensure that the overall level of settlements for each of its negotiating groups is kept within the current zero to 1.5 per cent. pay limit.
Sellafield
Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate she has made of the effect on the number of people employed at the thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield of the delayed start-up ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : I have been asked to reply.
I am advised by British Nuclear Fuels plc that nearly 2,900 contracted and agency staff currently work at the thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield. Delays to the start-up of the plant will result in premature reductions in this number, the timing of which will depend on the extent of such delays. BNFL has already announced that 100 jobs will be lost at the beginning of January 1993 and has written to contractor companies to remind them of their terms of employment and advise that further redundancies may be necessary. BNFL has estimated that some 3,000 permanent jobs in the company and its suppliers will be sustained by THORP.
WALES
Ambulance Services, Clwyd
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the status of the planned merger between Gwynedd and Clwyd health authorities' ambulance services ; and what estimate he has made of the effect of the merger on services for the region.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Arrangements for the statutory provision of ambulance services is a matter for health authorities locally, which have decided that, as from 1 April 1993, the existing ambulance services of Gwynedd and Clwyd will combine to form a north Wales ambulance service.
The health authorities' decision followed a detailed examination by the NHS Wales value for money unit of the costs and benefits of amalgamating the two services which suggested that significant benefits could result.
Welsh Office guidance to health authorities issued on 17 June 1992 gave the view that provision of ambulance services in Wales is likely to be made more efficient and cost effective and, therefore, the standard of patient care is likely to be improved through service amalgamations on a multi- district basis. I would expect the effect of the merger in Gwynedd and Clwyd to accord with this.
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