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Mr. Gwilym Jones : The dredging licence issued by the Crown Estate commenced ons taken place.
Junior Doctors
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what guidelines he has issued and will issue to Welsh health authorities and trusts in relation to the work and rest period within the 83-hour maximum for junior hospital doctors ;
(2) what provisions he will make regarding the work content and rest period content within the 83-hour maximum working time for junior hospital doctors.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The new limit on junior hospital doctors' hours came into effect and has been operated by all hospitals involved since 1 April 1993. Guidance agreed by all parties represented on the ministerial group on junior doctors hours on the new limits on total and continuous duty periods for junior doctors together with details of minimum periods of off duty had previously been distributed to all health authorities, NHS trusts and individual doctors. A copy is in the Library of the House.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what additional medical staff have been appointed by Welsh health authorities and trusts to facilitate adherence to the 83-hour maximum hours for junior hospital doctors.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Funds for a total of 78 posts have been provided to health authorities and trusts to facilitate the 83-hour target for junior hospital doctors. This is in addition to any staff that authorities and trusts may have appointed from their own resources.
Crime Prevention
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will incorporate the recommendations of the Morgan report relating to the local delivery of crime prevention in the functions of the new unitary local authorities in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to the hon. Member for Hampstead and Highgate (Ms Jackson) by the Minister of State, Home Department, on 16 December 1992, Official Report, column 220.
Welsh Coast
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what response he has made to Friends of the Earth, Cymru, in regard to their report, "The Threats to the Welsh Coasts", published in March, a copy of which was sent to him.
Sir Wyn Roberts : I have not as yet received a copy of the report.
Timeshare Dwellings
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many representations he has had concerning people in Wales and the orders relating to council tax and timeshare dwellings--S.I., 1993, Nos. 526 and 542 ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Gwilym Jones : I have received 16 letters.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will meet representatives of those people in Wales who are concerned about the impact of orders relating to council tax and timeshare dwellings--S.I., 1993, Nos. 526 and 542.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Before the order for England and Wales was made full consultation was undertaken with representatives of the timeshare industry.
South Glamorgan Health Authority
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the South Glamorgan health authority concerning the cost to the authority's 1993-94 budget of further proposed moves towards trust status ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : In the event of a formal invitation to prepare an application for NHS trust status, health authorities are aware that the Welsh Office is prepared to consider bids for a financial contribution towards the cost of the application process.
Orthopaedic Operations
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the total cost in Wales of (a) hip replacement and (b) knee replacement operations during the last 10 years for which records are available.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The information requested is not available centrally.
Health Service Costs
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has agreed with the directors of finance of the Welsh health authorities for the rise in health prices for 1993-94.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The allocations to health authorities for 1993-94 includes provision for pay increases of up to 1.5 per cent. and forecast price inflation of 2.75 per cent. It is for directors of finance to calculate the effects of inflation locally taking into account the composition of pay and non-pay costs within their respective authorities' expenditure on services.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received in relation to the level of cost adjustments required to compensate health authorities for the Towards 2000 proposals.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The introduction of the Towards 2000 arrangements for the central planning and funding of pre-registration education and training have been preceded by extensive research and detailed discussion with all health authorities.
This research and subsequent discussions have addressed changes in the methodology of funding education and training together with other matters of detail. All adjustments of funds have been undertaken based on data provided by health authorities.
Departmental Reports
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what were the total costs of the 10 most expensive reports published by his Department during the financial years (a) 1991-92 and (b) 1992-93.
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Sir Wyn Roberts : Comprehensive information about reports and similar documents produced by my Department could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Wind Power
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his calculation of the amount of electricity produced in Wales from wind power during each of the past five years and his projection of the output during the next five years.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Since 1990, figures on the amount of electricity produced in Wales from wind power have been collected by the Welsh Office, but cannot be released for reasons of commercial confidentiality. Prior to 1990, there was no centrally recorded generation of electricity from wind power in Wales.
Planning Inspectorate
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what performance targets he has set for the Planning Inspectorate agency's work in Wales for the financial year 1993-94.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The key objectives for the agency in Wales in 1993-94 will be to continue to preserve the impartiality and quality of the inspectorate's work while seeking further to improve efficiency. The agency's key performance targets in Wales will be : Timeliness
(a) Eighty per cent. of planning appeals by written representations to be decided within 18 weeks.
(b) To provide an inspector for local plan inquiries on request within 26 weeks of the end of the objection period.
Financial
(a) Unit costs of planning appeals decided by written representations not to exceed £690.
(b) Recover 90 per cent. of receipts due within eight weeks of invoice date.
Efficiency
Generate a 3 per cent. efficiency improvement in the use of running costs as compared with 1992-93.
Quality
High Court appeals and/or other justified complaints allowed against Inspectors' decisions not to exceed 1 per cent. of intake. Volume
To determine 1,150 planning and enforcement appeals, subject to intake not declining.
Information and Guidance
To complete a second satisfaction survey by 31 December 1993. These and other performance targets for the agency's work in Wales will be included in its business plan for 1993-94 which will be published shortly.
Separate timeliness and volume targets for the agency's work in England are being announced today by my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing, Planning and Construction.
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EDUCATION
Students
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the numbers of undergraduate university students taking up employment during term time ; and if he will increase student grants and end student loans.
Mr. Boswell : The student income and expenditure survey currently under way on behalf of the education Departments seeks information about the income of full-time and sandwich students, including term-time earnings. My right hon. Friend has no plans to change the current student support arrangements which work well and which have provided substantially increased resources to students.
Pupil Costs
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects to have available details of the unit cost per pupil in each local education authority for 1991-92 for (a) nursery, (b) primary and (c) secondary pupils.
Mr. Forth : Figures for expenditure on nursery and primary pupils are not collected separately. The table gives the unit cost for nursery and primary combined, and secondary pupils by local education authority for 1991-92 for those English LEAs that have returned details of their expenditure to the Department of the Environment. The figures are subject to final checking by the Department of the Environment and the Department for Education.
Unit cost per pupil in each LEA in England 1991-92 (£) Local Education |Nursery/Primary|Secondary Authority ----------------------------------------------------------------------- City |2,595 |0 Camden |1,943 |2,432 Greenwich |1,830 |2,296 Hackney |n/a |n/a Hammersmith |2,047 |2,739 Islington |n/a |n/a Kensington and Chelsea |2,287 |3,200 Lambeth |2,083 |2,978 Lewisham |1,717 |2,376 Southwark |1,828 |2,460 Tower Hamlets |2,253 |2,946 Wandsworth |2,174 |3,215 Westminster |3,544 |2,579 Barking |1,528 |2,247 Barnet |1,654 |2,295 Bexley |1,372 |2,097 Brent |1,573 |2,477 Bromley |1,399 |2,437 Croydon |1,554 |2,356 Ealing |1,754 |2,621 Enfield |1,607 |2,287 Haringey |n/a |n/a Harrow |1,646 |2,376 Havering |1,375 |2,234 Hillingdon |1,597 |2,628 Hounslow |1,579 |2,168 Kingston upon Thames |1,496 |2,447 Merton |1,562 |2,676 Newham |1,603 |2,433 Redbridge |1,481 |2,281 Richmond upon Thames |1,655 |2,111 Sutton |1,448 |2,221 Waltham Forest |1,603 |2,609 Birmingham |1,370 |2,151 Coventry |1,380 |2,192 Dudley |1,416 |2,137 Sandwell |1,488 |2,284 Solihull |1,346 |2,109 Walsall |n/a |n/a Wolverhampton |1,515 |2,342 Knowsley |1,435 |2,271 Liverpool |1,410 |2,387 St. Helens |1,302 |2,073 Sefton |1,286 |2,021 Wirral |1,312 |2,140 Bolton |1,358 |2,119 Bury |1,269 |1,868 Manchester |1,399 |2,293 Oldham |1,535 |2,193 Rochdale |1,300 |2,137 Salford |1,293 |2,183 Stockport |1,334 |2,122 Tameside |1,409 |2,119 Trafford |1,271 |2,113 Wigan |1,242 |2,271 Barnsley |1,350 |2,047 Doncaster |1,286 |1,962 Rotherham |1,473 |2,161 Sheffield |1,484 |2,228 Bradford |1,628 |1,804 Calderdale |1,551 |2,001 Kirkless |1,384 |2,036 Leeds |1,631 |1,979 Wakefield |1,457 |2,076 Gateshead |1,573 |2,140 Newcastle upon Tyne |1,615 |2,028 North Tyneside |n/a |n/a South Tyneside |1,389 |2,088 Sunderland |1,412 |2,065 Isles of Scilly |n/a |n/a Avon |1,410 |2,063 Bedfordshire |1,475 |2,020 Berkshire |1,480 |2,165 Buckinghamshire |1,399 |2,160 Cambridgeshire |1,401 |2,007 Cheshire |1,329 |2,094 Cleveland |1,353 |2,221 Cornwall |1,380 |1,944 Cumbria |1,443 |2,173 Derbyshire |1,411 |2,165 Devon |1,376 |1,999 Dorset |1,371 |1,945 Durham |1,384 |2,051 East Sussex |1,388 |2,067 Essex |1,324 |2,111 Gloucestershire |1,379 |1,811 Hampshire |1,395 |2,108 Hereford and Worcester |1,446 |1,955 Hertfordshire |1,472 |2,175 Humberside |1,417 |2,082 Isle of Wight |1,447 |1,926 Kent |n/a |n/a Lancashire |1,477 |2,168 Leicestershire |1,444 |2,210 Lincolnshire |1,330 |2,096 Norfolk |1,427 |2,104 North Yorkshire |1,381 |2,153 Northamptonshire |1,332 |1,965 Northumberland |1,455 |1,942 Nottinghamshire |1,591 |2,482 Oxfordshire |1,574 |2,092 Shropshire |1,469 |2,332 Somerset |1,322 |1,927 Staffordshire |1,384 |2,043 Suffolk |1,561 |2,016 Surrey |1,486 |2,254 Warwickshire |1,277 |2,111 West Sussex |1,292 |2,156 Wiltshire |1,402 |2,017 Notes to tables 1. n/a indicates that returns of expenditure have not yet been received from the local education authority, or that returns are subject to follow-up inquiry. 2. Figures are derived from local education authorities' returns of their net institutional expenditure to the Department of the Environment and of their pupil numbers to the Department for Education. 3. Net institutional expenditure covers the direct costs in schools of salaries and wages, premises and certain supplies and services. It does not include the costs of school meals, home to school transport, local education authority central administration, and financing costs of capital expenditure. Figures include unspent balances held by schools at the year end under local management of schools schemes.
Universities (Research)
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will bring forward proposals to alter the criteria used in the universities research assessment exercise to ensure that those universities whose work is geared towards the needs of the industry and the economy are favoured ; and if he will take steps to alter the membership of assessment panels to increase representation from industry.
Mr. Boswell : Arrangements for research assessment are a matter for the higher education funding councils. They will be consulting institutions and others on arrangements for future assessment exercises. Universities and colleges were free to submit evidence of the full range of their research in the research assessment exercise undertaken last year by the Universities Funding Council, including that related to the needs of industry.
Fuel (VAT)
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will uprate students' mandatory grants from April 1994 to take account of the imposition of value-added tax on fuel ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Boswell : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Deptford (Ms Ruddock) on 24 March, Official Report, column 603 .
PRIME MINISTER
Council of Ministers
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Prime Minister what were the details of the last formal vote that was taken in a meeting of a Council of Ministers in the European Community ; and if he will list the date of each subsequent meeting at which no formal votes were taken.
The Prime Minister : The last formal vote in the Council of Ministers was that taken on the proposed arrangements for bananas in the single market during the Agriculture Council on 13 February. Details were given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, on 3 March at column 192. No formal votes were taken at the following Councils : ECOFIN on 15 February, Consumer Affairs on 2 March, Foreign Affairs on 8 and 9 March, ECOFIN on 15 March, Transport on 15 March, Agriculture on 16 and 17 March, Fisheries on 18 March, Environment on 22 and 23 March, Foreign Affairs on 5 April, Employment and Social Affairs on 6 April, and ECOFIN on 19 April.
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49 Whitehall
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list those Government Departments having offices at No. 49 Whitehall, London SW1.
The Prime Minister : There is no Government occupation of 49 Whitehall. I assume that the hon. Member refers to 49/53 Parliament street, SW1 which is occupied by the Office of Public Service and Science--major occupier--the Inland Revenue and the Department of Social Security.
Derbyshire
Q10. Mr. Hendry : To ask the Prime Minister if he plans to pay an official visit to Derbyshire.
The Prime Minister : I am making plans for a series of visits to all parts of the country and hope to include Derbyshire among them.
NATIONAL HERITAGE
Tourist Boards
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to his answer of 8 March, Official Report, column 390 , when the hon. Member for Don Valley can expect a letter from the chief executives of the English Tourist Board and the British Tourist Board in respect of their future.
Mr. Key : I will write to the hon. Member.
Tourism
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many visits of four nights' duration or longer were undertaken by British tourists in (a) Britain and (b) abroad on each year since 1985.
Mr. Key : The available information is contained in the table. (a) Domestic tourists in the Great Britain /United Kingdom : The number of visits of four nights' duration or longer is as follows :
|Trips
|millions
---------------------------
1985<1> |47
1986<1> |51
1987<1> |49
1988<1> |49
-------
1989<2> |43
1990<2> |39
1991<2> |40
Sources:
1985-1988 figures-British
Tourism Survey Monthly.
1989-1991 figures-United
Kingdom Tourism Survey.
<1> The British Tourism
Survey Monthly (covering
the period 1985-1988)
refers to tourist trips in
Great Britain.
<2> The United Kingdom
Tourism Survey (covering
the period 1989-1991)
refers to tourist trips in
the United Kingdom.
(b) Visits by United Kingdom residents Abroad : The number of visits of five nights' duration or longer are shown below :
Column 62
|Trips (millions)
---------------------------------------------------
1985 |15
1986 |18
<3>1987 |-
1988 |21
1989 |22
1990 |17
1991 |21
Source:
International Passenger Survey.
<1> The figures exclude visits to the Irish
Republic.
<2> It is not possible to provide figures for
trips of four nights' duration or longer from 1985
to 1991. The International Passenger Survey does,
however, supply data on trips of five nights'
duration or longer for the period.
<3> The 1987 figure for the number of visits of
five nights' duration or longer is not available.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Sex Trade, Thailand
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Thailand about the sex trade in women and children in that country ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad : Her Majesty's ambassador in Bangkok has raised on several occasions with the Thai authorities our concern about the problem of the sex trade in Thailand, particularly the forced prostitution of children. We have been assured that the Thai Government are looking seriously at ways of tackling the problem. We will continue to encourage them to take effective measures.
Abu Dhabi
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he has taken since 1 March to secure the release of the British citizens detained in Abu Dhabi.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have made two further representations to the Abu Dhabi authorities about the British citizens detained in Abut Dhabi pending conclusions of the investigation into the affairs of BCCI. On 21 March, Her Majesty's ambassador in Abu Dhabi called on the United Arab Emirates' Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. On 6 April the Minister of State, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Grantham (Mr. Hogg) called the UAE ambassador in London to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. We were told by the UAE ambassador on 16 April that the prosecution case should be ready by mid-July. We will continue to press the UAE authorities either to charge or release the men.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to visit Abu Dhabi.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has at present no plans to do so.
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East Timor
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had on the issue of East Timor at his recent meeting with the Foreign Minister of Indonesia ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad : In my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs' discussions with the Indonesian Foreign Minister in Jakarta earlier this month, he reiterated our concern about human rights in East Timor. He encouraged the Indonesians--as we similarly encourage the Portuguese--to continue to seek an acceptable solution to the East Timor issue through their dialogue under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General.
Inhumane Weapons
Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans exist for the British Government to ratify the United Nations inhumane weapons convention 1981.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The situation remains as set out in my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's reply to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) on 9 March, Official Report, column 517.
Bosnia
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings he has had with hon. Members about the situation in Bosnia ; and how many requests have been made for such meetings.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Since the London conference in August 1992, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, has held 11 meetings involving hon. Members specifically to discuss the situation in the former Yugoslavia. The conflict in Bosnia was discussed at all of these meetings and many others. Records are not kept of the number of requests for meetings.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Manchester Prison
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many mobile and non-mobile staff at Manchester prison have thus far opted not to be redeployed within the Prison Service in the event of contracting out.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the director general of the Prison Service who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 19 April 1993 :
The Home Secretary has asked me to write to you directly in reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many mobile and non-mobile staff at Manchester prison have thus far opted not to be redeployed within the Prison Service in the event of contracting out.
Staff have not yet been asked to state their preference for redeployment in the prison service or transfer to the contractor should a private operator win the market test of Her Majesty's Prison Manchester.
Column 64
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice on the application of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 has been given to companies tendering for Manchester prison ; and what additional costs will be involved.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the director general of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 19 April 1993 :
The Home Secretary has asked me to write to you in response to your recent Parliamentary Question about the advice on the application of the Transfer of Undertakings Regulations 1981 given to companies tendering for Manchester Prison.
Tenderers have been informed that the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 (TUPE) will apply to the market testing of HM Prison Manchester. They have been informed that should a private operator win the contract the Prison Service intends to give staff at Manchester the option of redeployment and have been asked to provide information on the effect the application of TUPE will have on their bids.
Any effect on costs will not be known until the tendering exercise has concluded and the number of staff transferring, in the event of a private operator winning the contract, is known.
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which staff and union agreements will now be taken into account by companies tendering for Manchester prison.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the director general of the Prison Service who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 19 April 1993 :
The Home Secretary has asked me to write to you directly in reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking which staff and union agreements will now be taken into account by companies tendering for Manchester Prison.
Companies tendering for the operation contract for HM Prison Manchester have been supplied with information about numbers of staff in-post, pay and the main agreements with the trades unions so that they can adjust their bids in the light of the application of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981. Full details of the terms and conditions of staff and agreements with the trades unions will be made available to the preferred bidder before any contract is awarded.
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance was offered by the prison department to staff preparing the in-house bid at Manchester prison.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the director general of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 19 April 1993 :
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