| Previous Section | Home Page |
Labour Statistics
17. Mr. Illsley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what initiatives she has to decrease unemployment in mining areas.
Mr. McLoughlin : We are making available £75 million to training and enterprise councils and the Employment Service to help redundant miners and other unemployed people in areas affected by a pit closure.
18. Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what measures she is introducing to assist the long-term unemployed in East Anglia.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : New measures recently announced will provide an extra 100,000 opportunities nationally. Learning for work, community action and an expanded business start-up scheme will be available to long- term unemployed people in East Anglia as elsewhere. Additionally, a pilot scheme, north Norfolk action, will provide 100 opportunities for long-term unemployed people in Norfolk to participate in full-time community work.
19. Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate she has for the number of part-time or casual workers in (a) 1979 and (b) 1992 ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : Estimates from the Labour Force Survey show that the number of part-time employees in spring 1979 was almost 4 million, and in autumn 1992 it was over 5 million ; 780,000 people were in casual, temporary and seasonal jobs in spring 1984, decreasing to 690,000 in autumn 1992.
26. Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the change in unemployment in the south-east since 1990.
Mr. McLoughlin : In the South East region, seasonally adjusted claimant unemployment rose by 604,100 between March 1990 and March 1993.
Mr. Elletson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what measures she is introducing to assist the long-term unemployed in the north of England.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : New measures announced in the Budget will provide an extra 100,000 opportunities nationally for long-term unemployed people. Learning for work, community action and an expanded business start- up scheme will be available to long-term unemployed people in the north of England, as elsewhere.
Disabled People
21. Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proposals she has for extending employment training opportunities for the disabled.
Column 386
Mr. Michael Forsyth : From 1 April people with disabilities have had priority for a place on a wide range of employment and training programmes including training for work.
In addition, people with disabilities will be given similar priority on learning for work and community action, where they are eligible.
Small Businesses
22. Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps she is taking to enable trade unionists and unemployed persons to receive training in the establishment and running of small businesses.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Training in the establishment and running of small businesses is available under the business start-up scheme, youth training, training for work and through our support of the Prince's Youth Business Trust.
Trade unionists who meet the appropriate eligibility conditions can participate in any of these programmes.
Back Pain
23. Mr. Jessel : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps are being taken by the Health and Safety Executive to reduce the number of working days lost due to back pain.
Mr. McLoughlin : I am informed that the Health and Safety Executive is working actively with industry and others to reduce the number of working days lost due to back pain. New regulations on manual handling of loads and the use of display screen equipment and the executive's current "Lighten the Load" campaign will all help to focus the attention of industry on the need to reduce the incidence of back pain and other musculo -skeletal disorders and promote their prevention.
Training
24. Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of under 21-year-olds move directly on to permanent employment from training schemes.
Mr. McLoughlin : In 1992, 35 per cent. of those leaving youth training moved directly into employment. In the same period, 19 per cent. of those aged under 21 leaving employment training found a job.
For both programmes, regular follow-up surveys show that much greater proportions are in a job three months after leaving their training.
New horizons for Women"
25. Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will make a statement on progress on the "new horizons for women" initiative.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : "New Horizons" events have so far been held in Manchester and Newcastle and I am very encouraged by the interest which they have generated. The next event will be held in Bristol on 10 May and further events are planned elsewhere in the country during the coming months.
Column 387
Youth Training Guarantee
27. Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment she has made of how effectively the youth training guarantee is working.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Department's contracts with TECs calls for regular monitoring and review, at a local leveld other interested parties such as the careers service. In addition, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced to the House on 7 July last year, Official Report , cols 171-72, measures establishing a national system for monitoring the numbers of young people seeking training.
We are confident that the TECs and careers services are working well together to ensure that sufficient places are available to meet demand.
TEC Challenge Fund
28. Mr. Waller : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will make a statement on the TEC challenge fund.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : I am delighted to announce that a prospectus inviting TECS to bid for TEC challenge funds was issued on 13 April. A copy has been placed in the Library.
Departmental Working Conditions
Mr. Adley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations she has received about working conditions in her office block in Tothill street, from staff working in the building.
Mr. McLoughlin : My right hon. Friend has received no direct representations from staff about working conditions in her office block in Tothill street. Such matters are usually addressed at regular meetings between officials and staff representatives.
Coal Industry
Mr. Tipping : To ask the Secretaryn of State for Employment on what date she estimates that funds from the package of additonal assistance for redundant miners announced in October 1992 will begin to be released in the Nottinghamshire coalfield.
Mr. McLoughlin : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox) on 31 March 1993, Official Report, column 254.
We cannot make an estimate of when individual pit areas might be eligible for help. That will depend on decisions made by individuals employed at the pits concerned.
Employment Legislation
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proposals she has for further legislation on terms and conditions of employment.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Bill currently before Parliament
Column 388
further strengthens the framework of statutory employment protection in relation to maternity, written particulars of employment and unfair dismissal. In general, however, terms and conditions of employment are a matter for agreement between employers and employees without Government intervention.Gas Safety
Mrs. Jane Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proposals emerged from the review initiated by the Health and Safety Executive of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1984 ; and when she will publish these proposals.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Health and Safety Commission will consider proposals emerging from the review shortly.
DEFENCE
Dockyard Redundancies
Mr. Jamieson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if it is his intention to continue funding redundancies in the royal dockyard.
Mr. Aitken : Under the term contracts for the operation of the Royal dockyards, my Department has an obligation to reimburse the dockyard operators for the cost of redundancies among their employees arising from reductions in the naval refit programme (subject to their having achieved specified targets for commercial (non-MOD) work). Arrangements for the period after the present term contracts expire have yet to be determined.
RAF Menwith Hill
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a lost property system is operated at Menwith Hill RAF base near Harrogate with recorded acknowledgement of all items handed in ; and if he will make a statement.
Bosnia
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British service personnel have been killed or injured on active service with UNPROFOR II ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There has been one death, that of Lance Corporal Edwards, and five injuries to British soldiers sustained in the course of their duties while serving with UNPROFOR
Bosnia-Herzegovina command.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assessment his Department has made of the possibility of extending the policy of safe havens from northern Iraq to Bosnia ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what consideration he has given to the military implications of the establishment of safe havens in Bosnia ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) what discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts regarding the military implications of the establishment of safe havens in Bosnia ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 389
Mr. Archie Hamilton : We welcome the UNHCR's proposal to establish safe areas in Bosnia by agreement with the parties ; the United Kingdom supported similar ideas last July. The position in Bosnia is however different to that in northern Iraq ; the ethnic map, topography and triangular war make it impossible in the absence of an effective peace agreement to envisage the establishment of genuine safe areas without the deployment of huge numbers of heavily armed United Nations ground troops assisted by air power.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions British service personnel deployed with UNPROFOR II have sought to negotiate local ceasefires and other methods of preventing conflicts with local militia commanders ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Participating in negotiations to arrange local ceasefires to allow the passage of humanitarian aid and refugees, the evacuation of the sick and wounded and other tasks within the mandate of the UNPROFOR troops operating in
Bosnia-Herzegovina is part of the British battalion group's day-to-day business. It is not possible to provide a precise figure.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts concerning an increase in the size of the British contribution to UNPROFOR II ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts concerning a general increase in the size of UNPROFOR II ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Participation in United Nations peacekeeping deployments in the former Yugoslavia is kept under constant review in concert with our NATO allies. These discussions naturally include the possible size and scope of future United Nations deployments in the former Yugoslavia.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what consideration he has given to the military consequences of implementing the Vance-Owen peace proposals in Bosnia ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts relating to the military consequences of implementing the Vance-Owen peace proposals in Bosnia ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Both within the United Nations and NATO, the possible size and scope of an operation to assist the parties to implement the Vance-Owen peace proposals is being kept under close review.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times British service personnel deployed with UNPROFOR II have been mentioned in dispatches.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Mentions in dispatches are awarded in operational theatres only. The former Yugoslavia has not been declared an operational theatre, although this is under review.
Column 390
Airwork Ltd.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current value and type of contracts that his Department have with Airwork Ltd. ; and what conditions relating to operations in the event of a conflict have been included in these contracts.
Mr. Aitken : Figures for the end of the 1992-93 financial year are still being finalised, but at the end of February my Department had 49 contracts with Airwork Ltd. The original value of these was some £91 million, but the value of the work still to be carried out is some £28.5 million.
Airwork Ltd. provides my Department with a wide range of aircraft-related maintenance, repair and other support activities, as well as providing services such as catering and cleaning. Terms and conditions of individual contracts are regarded as commercially confidential, but I can confirm that our policy for contracting out support services takes account of the need for continued support in time of conflict.
Meggitt Aerospace and Defence plc
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many contracts currently exist between his Department and Meggitt Aerospace and Defence plc.
Mr. Aitken : My Department holds no contracts directly with this company, but does hold a large number with its various subsidiaries. A total of 1,363 such contracts were active during the 1992-93 financial year.
RAF St. Athan
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made as to the adequacy of the maintenance of aircraft at RAF St. Athan ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : RAF St. Athan is accredited by my Department's directorate of quality assurance to an international quality standard and there is no cause to doubt the quality of the aircraft maintenance carried out there. Some problems have, however, been identified during a recent modification programme on Tornado aircraft, the cause of which is currently being examined.
Army Recruitment
Mrs. Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide a breakdown by individual Army recruiting offices of the recruitment by regiments or corps for 1991-92 and 1992-93.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I have placed the available information for main Army careers information offices up to 6 March 1993 in the Library of the House.
RAF Leeming (Aircraft Noise)
Mr. Hague : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total amount of noise compensation paid out by his Department to property owners in the vicinity of RAF Leeming since the stationing of Tornado aircraft at the base.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : As at the end of March 1993 my Department has paid out £8,903,000 in noise compensation to entitled claimants.
Column 391
RAF Wyton
Mr. Brazier : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further consideration he has given to the future of RAF Wyton and the proposed location of the RAF logistics command headquarters ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The Royal Air Force's electronic warfare and reconnaissance assets and a number of other major and minor units are currently stationed at RAF Wyton. In order to exploit the benefits of estate rationalisation and because certain units are being market-tested, flying operations at RAF Wyton are planned to reduce to the point at which it would be uneconomic to retain the airfield, with its associated station support services, as a flying station. Subject to consultation with the trade unions I have concluded that the electronic warfare and reconnaissance assets should be relocated to RAF Waddington, and other units to RAF Marham and RAF Finningley. These relocations would be completed by mid 1996.
I announced on 14 August that RAF Wyton, along with RAF Brampton, would form the centre for RAF logistics management, and that this would involve the concentration there of support activities situated now at several sites, including MOD Harrogate. It subsequently emerged from revised Army plans that Uniacke barracks at Pennypot, near Harrogate, might become available for other defence purposes, and I therefore commissioned a detailed study into its possible use for RAF logistics activities. This re- examination is now complete. The result is to confirm that the Brampton/Wyton option provides the best solution to RAF needs. RAF Logistic Command will therefore form on 1 April 1994 at Brampton and, on current plans, most of the logistic support services will move to Wyton in 1995 and 1996. MOD Harrogate, RAF Swanton Morley, and eventually RAF Stanbridge, will close as originally announced.
I am happy to say that the Army apprentice college at Uniacke barracks at Pennypot will, however, remain open for longer than previously anticipated. Apprentice training for the Royal Signals will continue there for the time being and will move direct to Blandford where new facilities should be ready for occupation during 1995. Alternative long-term defence uses for the Pennypot site are under consideration.
Column 392
Food Distribution
Mr. Brazier : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future arrangements for the purchase and distribution of food for the armed services.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Responsibility for the purchase and distribution of food to the armed services is currently split between the Director General of Supplies and Transport (Naval), the Royal Logistic Corps and the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI). Following a detailed study, I have concluded in principle that the task should be rationalised and that, subject to satisfactory terms being negotiated, a fixed-term contract should be awarded in the first instance to NAAFI. Once consolidation has been achieved, as much of the work as possible will be subjected to market testing. The responsibility for the policy and management of food supply will remain within the Ministry of Defence.
We shall be consulting interested parties, in particular the Ministry of Defence trade unions, about the proposal in the normal way. I am placing a copy of the consultative document in the Library of the House.
Maintenance Group Defence Agency
Mr. Brazier : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish key management targets for the Maintenance Group Defence Agency.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The Maintenance Group Defence Agency's key management targets for 1993-94 are as follows :
(a) To achieve at least 98 per cent. of the specified maintenance and communications-electronics tasks to standard and on time. (
(b) To achieve the Joint Service Publication 336 Defence Supply Manual speed of issue and pipeline targets for at least 95 per cent. of the depot supply task.
(c) To keep within the group's allocated budget.
(d) To reduce the cost per unit of output by 2.5 per cent. (
(e) To achieve the quality systems targets set in the group's management plan.
(f) To install the new financial and management accounting system at all the group's major units by 31 March 1994.
(g) To complete the warehouse and transportation management system full study by 12 October 1993, and to commence implementation by 1 November 1993.
|
| Home Page |