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Great Britain: June 1990-not
seasonally adjusted
|Per cent
---------------------------------------
Manufacturing |20.7
Banking, finance and
insurance |12.2
Construction |6.9
Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people, whole-time equivalent, have been employed in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available in (a) the construction industry, (b) manufacturing industry and (c) banking, finance and insurance industry ; and what percentage of the total work force those figures represent in each of those years.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Department does not provide estimates of whole- time equivalents.
The available information is for Great Britain. Employees in employment data can be obtained from the
Column 655
NOMIS database which is accessible from the Library. Historical data for self-employed people is available in the Library on page 54 of Historical Supplement No. 3, issued with the June 1992 edition of Employment Gazette . Recent estimates for the self-employed are as follows :Self-employed people-Industrial Analysis: June 1992 Great Britain |Thousand ----------------------------------------------------------- Construction |585 Manufacturing industries |279 Banking, Finance and insurance |416
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current United Kingdom figure for unemployment on the International Labour Organisational International basis.
Mr. McLoughlin : Estimates of unemployment on the ILO definition are available from the Department's labour force survey (LFS) which is conducted quarterly for Great Britain and annually for Northern Ireland. In addition the OECD uses the quarterly LFS estimates as benchmarks to calculate a monthly seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the United Kingdom on the ILO definition. The latest available information is as follows :
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Labour Force Survey
Spring OECD November 1992
1992/Summer 1992
Level of |Great Britain |United Kingdom|Great Britain |United Kingdom
unemployment
(thousands)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unadjusted |2,649 |2,732 |2,797 |-
Seasonally adjusted |2,649 |<1>- |2,758 |-
Unemployment rate (percentage
of the labour force)
Unadjusted (per cent) |9.6 |9.6 |10.0 |-
Seasonally adjusted (per cent.) |9.5 |<1>- |9.9 |10.5
<1>LFS figures for United Kingdom compiled at spring of each year only, therefore not seasonally adjusted.
Industrial Employment
Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if she will make a statement outlining those steps which have been taken by her Department since 9 April 1992 specifically to encourage employment in the United Kingdom construction industry ; and what future action she intends to take to assist the construction industry ;
(2) if she will make a statement outlining those steps which have been taken by her Department since 9 April 1992 specifically to encourage employment in the United Kingdom manufacturing industry ; and what future action she intends to take to assist the manufacturing industry.
Mr. McLoughlin : The overall policy of the Department is to promote a free and flexible labour market that is designed to help encourage employment in all sectors. In addition, the Department provides a range of employment and training programmes and local initiatives, through the employment service and training and enterprise councils to help people increase their skills, and equip themselves for work in all sectors including manufacturing. From April 1993 this range of measures is being enhanced and expanded.
Employment Training
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of people graduating from employment training courses have gone on to full-time work in each year since the scheme was set up.
Mr. McLoughlin : The information required is given in the following table :
Column 656
Employment training: Great Britain
Full-time work-Three months after leaving
Trainees completing agreed training
Period of leaving |In full-time work<2>
|Per cent.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
July 1989<1> to March 1990 |35
April 1990 to March 1991 |29
April 1991 to March 1992 |26
Source: Employment Training National Follow-up Survey.
<1> First month follow-up results available.
<2> Including self-employment.
Disabled People
Sir John Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans she has to introduce an employment White Paper in respect of measures to revise and improve employment prospects for disabled people.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : A consultation paper will be issued as soon as possible following our review of the funding arrangements for the sheltered employment programme.
Unemployment Benefit Disqualification
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information is available regarding the lengths of periods of unemployment benefit disqualification imposed by adjudication officers in the area which includes Alyn and Deeside.
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. Fogden to Mr. Barry Jones, dated 26 January 1993 :
Column 657
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 length of periods of unemployment benefit disqualifications in the Alyn and Deeside area. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.All decisions on claims for unemployment benefit are made by the independent adjudicating authorities.
Information about the length of disqualification periods imposed is not collated or published as each is decided in the light of the circumstances surrounding the individual case. Without knowledge of these circumstances no meaningful interpretation of the information could be made.
I hope this is helpful.
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.
Careers Service
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans she has to increase the profile and the role of the careers service ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : New legislation which opens up a range of options for management of careers services is proposed in clause 33 of the Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Bill. These options are intended to make careers services more responsive to local needs and conditions.
The Government intend to set and ensure the meeting of challenging standards of service. Careful attention is being paid to the issue of quality in the context of the arrangements resulting from the new legislation.
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 ;
(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 [pursuant to his answer, 28 October 1992, column 716] : The chief executive of the Employment Service has written further to the hon. Member.
Letter from M. Fogden to Mr. Donald Dewar, dated 26 February 1993 :
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 Questions about
(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.
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Unfortunately our reply of 28 October contained a factual error about the cost of the fraud operation. The original reply quoted the half yearly cost which was £13.24 million, however, the total yearly cost of the operations was £21.54 million. The following reply now contains the correct information. Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience this has caused.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 £21.54 million. The net savings from our investigations into benefit fraud amounted to £34.34 million. 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.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Community Care
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provisions are made for residential care and treatment for drug and alcohol misuse under the new community care arrangements to be introduced in Northern Ireland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : From April 1993 the needs of drug and alcohol misusers in Northern Ireland will be met through revised community care arrangements. Health and social services boards will be responsible for assessing individual needs and for arranging appropriate care, including residential care, to meet that need. All care costs will be met from a board managed budget which will include the social security resources which would have been used to support people entering residential accommodation under existing arrangements. Services available to alcohol and drug misusers will not therefore be diminished as a result of the new arrangements for community care.
Child Care
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many day nurseries, playgroups or childminders have registered with each of the health and social services boards in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Hanley : At 31 March 1991, the latest date for which figures are available, the information requested is as follows :
Type of Facility |Number of Premises
------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern Board
Day nursery |21
Pre-school play group |244
Child minding |2,231
Northern Board
Day nursery |11
Pre-school play group |148
Childminding |874
Southern Board
Day nursery |14
Pre-school play group |90
Child minding |373
Western Board
Day nursery |9
Pre-school play group |102
Child minding |381
|---
Total |4,498
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how the new grant to support the start-up costs of new day care services for school age children will apply in Northern Ireland ; who will be responsible for the administration of the grants ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : The recently announced arrangements for Great Britain are presently being examined in the light of Northern Ireland's needs.
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list by area the number of day nurseries, play groups or childminders who have been refused registration by the health and social services boards in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Hanley : Information in the form requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Column 660
Electricity Interconnector
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what actions have been taken by his Department in relation to the proposed electricity interconnector with Scotland.
Mr. Atkins : The decision to sign heads of agreement for an electricity interconnector to Scotland was taken by the board of Northern Ireland Electricity and being a major project the approval of the Department of Economic Development was obtained. NIE and the Department jointly submitted an application to the EC for funding under the structural funds programme.
Royal Ulster Constabulary
Mr. McNamara : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications from (a) male and (b) female Roman Catholics were made for posts in the RUC and RUC Reserve in each year since1974 ; what was the percentage figure of all applications ; what numbers were recruited ; and what percentage this represents of the total recruited.
Mr. Mates : Comprehensive statistics about the religious composition of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the Royal Ulster Constabulary reserve, full time and part time, have been collected only since January 1990 when religious monitoring was introduced by the force.
The information available is set out in the following tables and is derived from information provided by applicants as to which schools they attended. This means that the figures provided are to some extent still based on perceptions. This form of monitoring is consistent with the requirements of the fair employment legislation.
Column 659
Table 1
Applications and recruits to the Royal Ulster Constabulary from individuals perceived to be Roman Catholic
Year |Male |Female |Total |Percentage of total|Total applications
|applications
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Applications
1990 |85 |31 |116 |10.42 |1,113
1991 |128 |63 |191 |11.21 |1,704
1992 |168 |63 |231 |9.97 |2,316
Recruits
1990 |10 |3 |13 |7.14 |182
1991 |12 |5 |17 |9.44 |180
1992 |30 |9 |39 |9.26 |421
Column 659
Table 2
Applications and recruits to the Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve (full-time) from individuals perceived to be Roman Catholic
Year |Male |Female |Total |Percentage of total|Total applications
|applications
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Applications
1990 |60 |7 |67 |9.01 |744
1991 |97 |18 |115 |9.58 |1,200
1992 |140 |35 |175 |9.27 |1,888
|Percentage of
Recruits |overall intake |Total intake
1990 |12 |1 |13 |11.40 |114
1991 |21 |2 |23 |12.30 |187
1992 |18 |2 |20 |6.7 |296
Column 661
Table 3
Applications and recruits to the Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve (part-time) from individuals perceived to be Roman Catholic
Year |Male |Female |Total |Percentage of total|Total applications
|applications
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Applications
1990 |16 |18 |34 |6.30 |540
1991 |15 |8 |23 |5.57 |413
1992 |23 |7 |30 |5.02 |598
|Percentage of
Recruits |overall intake |Total intake
1990 |7 |2 |9 |7.96 |113
1991 |7 |2 |9 |9.57 |94
1992 |1 |1 |2 |2.78 |72
Mr. McNamara : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table of all ranks in the RUC and the RUC reserve for each year since 1974 indicating the total number and numbers of males and females in each rank, and the number of Roman Catholics, male and female, in each rank as a percentage and as an absolute figure.
Column 662
Mr. Mates : Comprehensive statistics about the religious composition of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the Royal Ulster reserve, full time and part time, have been collected only since January 1990 when religious monitoring was introduced by the force. The information available is as follows :
Column 661
Table 1-Royal Ulster Constabulary
Roman Catholics
Year and rank |Male |Female |Total |Number |Percentage
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1974
ACPO |9 |0 |9 |- |-
Chief superintendent |34 |0 |34 |- |-
Superintendent |57 |1 |58 |- |-
Chief inspector |89 |3 |92 |- |-
Inspector |248 |5 |253 |- |-
Sergeant |762 |21 |783 |- |-
Constable |3,082 |252 |3,334 |- |-
|---- |---- |----
Totals |4,281 |282 |4,563 |- |-
1975
ACPO |10 |0 |10 |- |-
Chief superintendent |35 |0 |35 |- |-
Superintendent |64 |1 |65 |- |-
Chief inspector |103 |4 |107 |- |-
Inspector |275 |4 |279 |- |-
Sergeant |799 |22 |821 |- |-
Constable |3,263 |322 |3,585 |- |-
|---- |---- |----
Totals |4,549 |353 |4,902 |- |-
1976
ACPO |9 |0 |9 |- |-
Chief superintendent |33 |1 |34 |- |-
Superintendent |70 |1 |71 |- |-
Chief inspector |107 |4 |111 |- |-
Inspector |295 |3 |298 |- |-
Sergeant |857 |27 |884 |- |-
Constable |3,442 |406 |3,846 |- |-
|--- |--- |---
Totals |4,813 |442 |5,253 |- |-
1977
ACPO |10 |0 |10 |- |-
Chief superintendent |33 |1 |34 |- |-
Superintendent |75 |2 |77 |- |-
Chief inspector |121 |4 |125 |- |-
Inspector |319 |4 |323 |- |-
Sergeant |921 |32 |953 |- |-
Constable |3,661 |509 |4,170
|--- |--- |---
Totals |5,140 |552 |5,692
1978
ACPO |10 |0 |10 |- |-
Chief superintendent |34 |1 |35 |- |-
Superintendent |93 |2 |95 |- |-
Chief inspector |129 |4 |133 |- |-
Inspector |347 |5 |352 |- |-
Sergeant |989 |35 |1,024 |- |-
Constable |3,893 |568 |4,461 |- |-
|--- |--- |---
Totals |5,495 |615 |6,110 |- |-
1979
ACPO |11 |0 |11 |- |-
Chief superintendent |36 |1 |37 |- |-
Superintendent |97 |2 |99 |- |-
Chief inspector |138 |4 |142 |- |-
Inspector |377 |4 |381 |- |-
Sergeant |1,038 |38 |1,076 |- |-
Constable |4,241 |627 |4,868 |- |-
|--- |--- |---
Totals |5,938 |676 |6,614 |- |-
1980
ACPO |12 |0 |12 |- |-
Chief superintendent |36 |1 |37 |- |-
Superintendent |113 |2 |115 |- |-
Chief inspector |142 |4 |146 |- |-
Inspector |401 |5 |406 |- |-
Sergeant |1,112 |46 |1,158 |- |-
Constable |4,408 |653 |5,061 |- |-
|--- |--- |---
Totals |6,224 |711 |6,935 |- |-
1981
ACPO |12 |0 |12 |- |-
Chief superintendent |34 |1 |35 |- |-
Superintendent |112 |2 |114 |- |-
Chief inspector |140 |3 |143 |- |-
Inspector |421 |5 |426 |- |-
Sergeant |1,165 |52 |1,217 |- |-
Constable |4,738 |649 |5,387 |- |-
|--- |--- |---
Totals |6,622 |712 |7,334
1982
ACPO |12 |0 |12 |- |-
Chief superintendent |39 |1 |40 |- |-
Superintendent |113 |2 |115 |- |-
Chief inspector |150 |3 |153 |- |-
Inspector |440 |2 |442 |- |-
Sergeant |1,202 |58 |1,260 |- |-
Constable |5,061 |634 |5,695 |- |-
|--- |--- |---
Totals |7,017 |700 |7,717 |- |-
1983
ACPO |12 |0 |12 |- |-
Chief superintendent |38 |1 |39 |- |-
Superintendent |114 |2 |116 |- |-
Chief inspector |160 |2 |162 |- |-
Inspector |450 |2 |452 |- |-
Sergeant |1,237 |60 |1,297 |- |-
Constable |5,317 |608 |5,925 |- |-
|--- |--- |---
Totals |7,328 |675 |8,003 |- |-
1984
ACPO |14 |0 |14 |- |-
Chief superintendent |40 |1 |41 |- |-
Superintendent |114 |2 |116 |- |-
Chief superintendent |159 |2 |161 |- |-
Inspector |459 |2 |461 |- |-
Sergeant |1,226 |61 |1,287 |- |-
Constable |5,475 |572 |6,047 |- |-
|--- |--- |---
Totals |7,487 |640 |8,127 |- |-
1985
ACPO |13 |0 |13 |- |-
Chief superintendent |40 |1 |41 |- |-
Superintendent |114 |2 |116 |- |-
Chief inspector |161 |1 |162 |- |-
Inspector |479 |2 |481 |- |-
Sergeant |1,235 |69 |1,304 |- |-
Constable |5,568 |574 |6,142 |- |-
|---- |---- |----
Totals |7,610 |649 |8,259 |- |-
1986
ACPO |13 |0 |13 |- |-
Chief superintendent |41 |1 |42 |- |-
Superintendent |118 |2 |120 |- |-
Chief inspector |160 |1 |161 |- |-
Inspector |472 |4 |476 |- |-
Sergeant |1,237 |74 |1,311 |- |-
Constable |5,540 |571 |6,111 |- |-
|---- |---- |----
Totals |7,581 |653 |8,234 |- |-
1987
ACPO |13 |0 |13 |- |-
Chief superintendent |38 |2 |40 |- |-
Superintendent |120 |0 |120 |- |-
Chief inspector |160 |2 |162 |- |-
Inspector |465 |9 |474 |- |-
Sergeant |1,250 |73 |1,323 |- |-
Constable |5,545 |559 |6,104 |- |-
|---- |---- |----
Totals |7,591 |645 |8,236 |- |-
1988
ACPO |14 |0 |14 |- |-
Chief superintendent |39 |2 |41 |- |-
Superintendent |119 |0 |119 |- |-
Chief inspector |160 |2 |162 |- |-
Inspector |473 |11 |484 |- |-
Sergeant |1,251 |72 |1,323 |- |-
Constable |5,516 |572 |6,088 |- |-
|---- |---- |----
Totals |7,572 |659 |8,231 |- |-
1989
ACPO |13 |0 |13 |- |-
Chief superintendent |39 |2 |41 |- |-
Superintendent |119 |0 |119 |- |-
Chief inspector |159 |2 |161 |- |-
Inspector |468 |14 |482 |- |-
Sergeant |1,299 |72 |1,371 |- |-
Constable |5,474 |598 |6,072 |- |-
|---- |---- |----
Totals |7,571 |688 |8,259 |- |-
1990
ACPO |14 |0 |14 |3 |21.43
Chief superintendent |42 |2 |44 |8 |18.88
Superintendent |123 |0 |123 |17 |13.82
Chief inspector |159 |2 |161 |22 |13.66
Inspector |464 |17 |481 |43 |8.94
Sergeant |1,292 |70 |1,362 |119 |8.74
Constable |5,441 |617 |6,058 |427 |7.05
|---- |---- |---- |----
Totals |7,535 |708 |8,243 |639 |7.75
1991
ACPO |14 |0 |14 |3 |21.43
Chief superintendent |43 |1 |44 |7 |15.91
Superintendent |119 |0 |119 |16 |13.45
Chief inspector |161 |2 |163 |20 |12.27
Inspector |461 |21 |482 |42 |8.71
Sergeant |1,311 |69 |1,380 |124 |8.99
Constable |5,405 |615 |6,020 |423 |7.03
|---- |---- |---- |---
Totals |7,514 |708 |8,222 |635 |7.72
1992
ACPO |14 |0 |14 |2 |14.29
Chief superintendent |41 |1 |42 |6 |14.29
Superintendent |121 |1 |122 |17 |13.93
Chief inspector |161 |2 |163 |20 |12.27
Inspector |467 |22 |489 |45 |9.20
Sergeant |1,324 |75 |1,399 |125 |8.93
Constable |5,500 |661 |6,161 |438 |7.11
|---- |---- |---- |---
Totals |7,628 |762 |8,390 |653 |7.78
Note: ACPO denotes all ranks of Assistant Chief Constable and above.
Column 667
Table 2
Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve (Full-time)
Roman Catholics
Year and rank |Male |Female |Total |Number |Percentage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1974 Constable |496 |14 |510 |- |-
1975 Constable |612 |49 |661 |- |-
1976 Constable |816 |54 |870 |- |-
1977 Constable |956 |46 |1,002 |- |-
1978 Constable |1,148 |40 |1,188 |- |-
1979 Constable |1,262 |43 |1,305 |- |-
1980 Constable |1,649 |36 |1,685 |- |-
1981 Constable |2,045 |15 |2,060 |- |-
1982 Constable |2,167 |6 |2,173 |- |-
1983 Constable |2,295 |0 |2,295 |- |-
1984 Constable |2,533 |0 |2,533 |- |-
1985 Constable |2,755 |0 |2,755 |- |-
1986 Constable |2,753 |0 |2,753 |- |-
1987 Constable |2,983 |4 |2,987 |- |-
1988 Constable |2,963 |30 |2,993 |- |-
1989 Constable |2,980 |30 |3,018 |- |-
1990 Constable |2,945 |45 |2,990 |163 |5.45
1991 Constable |2,980 |62 |3,042 |177 |5.82
1992 Constable<1> |3,070 |114 |3,184 |189 |5.94
<1> To 27 November 1992.
Column 667
Table 3-Royal Ulster Constabulary reserve (part-time)
Roman Catholics
Year and rank |Male |Female |Total |Numbers |Percentage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1974 Constable |2,896 |454 |3,350 |- |-
1975 Constable |3,477 |681 |4,158 |- |-
1976 Constable |3,148 |679 |3,827 |- |-
1977 Constable |3,009 |675 |3,684 |- |-
1978 Constable |2,753 |664 |3,417 |- |-
1979 Constable |2,562 |647 |3,209 |- |-
1980 Constable |2,474 |593 |3,067 |- |-
1981 Constable |2,304 |506 |2,810 |- |-
1982 Constable |2,217 |449 |2,666 |- |-
1983 Constable |1,810 |388 |2,198 |- |-
1984 Constable |1,5709 |337 |1,907 |- |-
1985 Constable |1,444 |309 |1,753 |- |-
1986 Constable |1,373 |287 |1,660 |- |-
1987 Constable |1,338 |31 |1,659 |- |-
1988 Constable |1,305 |356 |1,661 |- |-
1989 Constable |1,219 |387 |1,606 |- |-
1990 Constable |1,152 |404 |1,556 |60 |3.86
1991 Constable |1,088 |429 |1,517 |62 |4.09
1992 Constable<1> |1,021 |419 |1,440 |56 |3.89
<1> To 27 November 1992.
WALES
Trauma Treatment Centres
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the hospitals in Wales designated as major trauma treatment centres indicating which of them have (a) intensive care units and (b) resuscitation units.
Column 668
Mr. Gwilym Jones : At present there are no designated major trauma treatment centres in Wales, within the definition of the Royal College of Surgeons report on the management of patients with major injuries in November 1988.
A decision on whether to designate such a Welsh centre will be made once the results of the pilot project in England are evaluated.
Column 669
Disability
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action is currently undertaken by his Department to monitor the application by social services departments of the sections within the Children Act 1989 and the subsequent guidance notes relating to disability issues in Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The social services inspectorate, Wales, published in October 1992 the report of a survey conducted in August 1991 "Organisation of Social Services for Children with a Disability", a copy of which is in the Library of the House. The inspectorate proposes to hold a follow-up workshop for local authority staff in the early part of this year. Social services departments' reports on inter-agency collaboration under the Children Act, including services to children in need who are disabled, have begun to arrive in the Welsh Office in response to the request for such returns in the Department's circular 26/91. A summary of the information provided by authorities will appear in a future report to Parliament under section 83(6) of the Act.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what level of additional resources have been granted to social services departments in Wales to enable them to carry out obligations relating to disability issues laid out in the Children Act 1989.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Local authorities' responsibilities under the Children Act are taken into account in setting standard spending assessments as part of the annual local government revenue settlement. These resources are not hypothecated to individual services. In addition, a specific grant was introduced to support the training of staff to implement the Act's provisions. Grant available for that purpose was £200,000 in 1990-91 and £240,000 in 1991-92 and is included within the child care staff training grant of £635,000 for 1992-93.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been allocated by his Department to publicise the Children Act 1989 and the relevant guidance notes to organisations of and for disabled people in Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Some £70,000 has been spent on guidance about the Children Act--including volume 6 on children with
disabilities--which was distributed free of charge to local authorities and relevant voluntary organisations in Wales.
Oral Hygiene
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures are being taken to make children aware of the importance of oral hygiene.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The protocol for investment in health gain covering oral health issued in November 1992 contained many challenging targets to secure health gain in this area. One of the targets specifically aimed at children is that :
"Family Health Service authorities and health authorities will by 1997 be able to report that at least 50 per cent. of children by the age of 5 have an understanding of basic oral health principles and at least 75 per cent. by 2002."
This advice is being taken forward in the local strategies for health prepared jointly by those authorities in collaboration with others.
Column 670
The Health Promotion Authority for Wales is presently developing a health promotion resource entitled "Cledwyn's Castle" aimed at pre-school children. The package is currently being produced following extensive testing. One module of the programme covers dental health which includes oral hygiene. The authority has also held a symposium on dental health education in the national curriculum. A further symposium is expected to be held in the forthcoming financial year. These aim to ensure that consistent advice is given within the curriculum. A range of dental health promotion literature is available from the authority.The Department is also providing financial support for Pembrokeshire NHS trust community dental service to carry out two pilot projects aimed at improving the oral health of children. The first aims to produce cross- curriculum health promotion materials in both English and Welsh for each attainment target group in primary education. The second project aims to produce materials which can be used in each season of the year in playgroups.
Housing
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the number of houses built by local authorities, housing associations and the private sector in 1979, 1990, 1991 and 1992 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The available information is published in "Welsh Housing Statistics Volume 12", a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
Graduate Engineers
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy for funding for postgraduate study for graduate engineers ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The funding that we are making available to the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales includes provision for postgraduate study within higher education in Wales. In addition, the Science and Engineering Research Council makes discretionary awards availble to postgraduate students in the engineering field.
Used Motor Oil
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the waste disposal authorities in Wales which currently provide no facilities for the collection of used motor oil from the public.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : This information is not maintained centrally.
Valleys Initiative
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when the design and printing contract for the valleys initiative leaflets was put out to tender ; if the tender was advertised as an open competition ; how many firms made bids ; and if the winning bid was the lowest tender.
Mr. David Hunt : Time available for the production of the original publicity material in 1988 for the valleys initiative was very limited. The companies which carried
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out the printing and design work, and which also did subsequent revisions of the publicity material, were not selected by competitive tender.Publicity
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was his total expenditure on each of (a) exhibitions, (b) leaflet design, production and distribution, (c) stationery supplies and general publicity for each of the last 10 years.
Mr. David Hunt : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson) on 2 June 1992. Records do not enable expenditure on leaflet design, production and distribution to be separately identified.
Figures for expenditure on stationery are not available for the years 1981- 82 to 1985-86. Figures for expenditure on exhibitions cannot be disaggregated for the years 1981-82 to 1989-90. Expenditure for succeeding years is set out in the following table.
£000
|Stationery |Exhibitions
------------------------------------------------
1986-87 |205.6 |n/a
1987-88 |260.9 |n/a
1988-89 |301.9 |n/a
1989-90 |340.1 |n/a
1990-91 |353.0 |193.4
1991-92 |446.0 |96.2
Mr. Roy Bichen
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 19 January, Official Report, column 198, if he was aware of the legal action being taken against Mr. Roy Bichen in the United States of America when he appointed him deputy chairman of the Welsh Development Agency ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : I have nothing to add to the answer which I gave to the hon. Gentleman on 19 January at column 198.
Contracts
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the 10 largest design, printing, publicity or stationery supply contracts awarded by his Department since 1 April 1988 and the names and business addresses of the suppliers.
Mr. David Hunt : Records are kept in a form which would not enable this information to be extracted except at disproportionate cost.
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Charter Contracts
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what dates contracts for designing and printing the leaflets for the patients charter and parents charter were put out to tender ; on what dates and in which publications the tender was advertised ; how many design and printing companies were invited to tender ; and if the winning bid was the lowest tender.
Mr. David Hunt : The information is as follows :
Design work
Tenders were invited for the parents charter on23 August 1991 and the specification was revised on6 September 1991. Three companies submitted prices and work was commissioned from the firm which offered the lowest hourly price. Work for the similarly designed patients charter was undertaken within one month by the same company on the basis of the hourly charge quoted for the parents charter. Printing work
Printing contracts were managed by the Central Office of Information. Quotations were invited for the patients charter on 1 October 1991 and the specification was revised on 2 October 1991 and 21 October 1991. Eleven printing firms were invited to quote and the work was awarded to the company offering the lowest price. Quotations were invited for the parents charter on 12 September 1991. The specification was revised on 19 September 1991 and a revised tender issued on 30 September 1991. Eight printing firms were invited to quote. The company offering the lowest price proposed a printing process which required a "web" or roll of paper which was not immediately available ; the tender was awarded to the company offering the lowest price for printing on normal paper sheets. It is not normal practice to advertise tenders for work of this type and value.
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