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Initial evaluation of Workstart has found no evidence of displacement.Ministerial Powers
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the powers he has under public legislation to give directions to local authorities or otherwise require them to act in a way which he prescribes, giving in each case the legislative authority under which he may exercise these powers.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The following relevant powers have been identified in the main legislation governing the Department's activities :
Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1958, section 3(1) : power to direct local authorities to provide sheltered employment pursuant to section 15 of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944. Employment and Training Act 1973, section 10(2)--as amended by section 45 of the Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Act 1993 : power to direct local education authorities-- in Scotland, education authorities--to provide, or arrange for the provision of, a careers service.
Employment and Training Act 1973, section 10(7)--as amended by section 45 of the Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Act 1993 : power to direct LEAs to transfer relevant records to providers of the services.
Employment and Training Act 1973, section 12(2) : duty of LEAs to provide specified information in such form and at such times as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State may direct.
Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974, section 18(2) : power, by regulations, to make local authorities responsible for the enforcement of the relevant statutory provisions.
Quangos
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the names of all individuals who are or were members of the House of Lords who since 1979 have been appointed to any quasi-autonomous non- governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.
Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 11 January 1994] : The following noble Lords hold or held positions to which they were appointed by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment :
The Baroness Turner of Camden
Member : Central Arbitration Committee
Fee : £141 per day when sitting
Duration : Not exceeding five years, but can be reappointed Also--
Part-time commissioner : Equal Opportunities Commission
--EOC--from 1983 to 1988
Fee : Daily rate of £85 in 1988
Duration : Four years plus reappointment for a further year. The Lord Wedderburn
Member : Civil Service Arbitration Tribunal--CSAT
Fee : £141 per day when sitting
Duration : Three years ; can be renewed.
The Lord McCarthy
Member : CSAT
Fee : £141 per day when sitting
Duration : Three years ; can be renewed.
The Baroness Dean of Thornton le Fylde
Member : Employment Appeal Tribunal--EAT
Fee : £177 when sitting
Duration : Three years ; eligible for reappointment up to age 70.
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The Baroness Gardner of ParkesLay Member : Industrial Tribunal
Fee : £113 per day when sitting
Duration : Three years ; eligible for reappointment up to age 69. The Baroness Platt of Writtle
Chairman : EOC
Salary : £35,066 in 1988
Duration : Three years, plus a further two years from 1983 to 1988.
The Baroness Lockwood of Dewsbury
Chairman : EOC
Salary : £25,455 in 1980
Duration : Three years, plus a further two years from 1975 to 1980.
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the names of all former British representative members in the European Parliament who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non- governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.
Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 11 January 1994] : I regret that it is not possible on the grounds of disproportionate cost to identify any former members of the European Parliament who may have been or who are members of the quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations sponsored by the Employment Department.
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the names of all former hon. Members who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.
Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 11 January 1994] : The following two appointments have been made :
Christopher Chope --Health and Safety Commissioner. Annual fee of £1,060 plus an attendance allowance of £105 for each fortnightly meeting attended. Appointed for three years from 1 April 1993. Former Conservative MP.
William S. Hilton --Employer member to the Construction Industry Training Board--CITB ; also a member of the CITB administration committee. Eligible for allowance for loss of remunerative time. Appointment for the period November 1984 to April 1990--re-appointed in July 1988. Former Labour MP. It is not possible on the grounds of disproportionate cost to include details of any appointments to the committees for the employment with people with disabilities, the industrial tribunals, and the employment appeals tribunal, with a total of over 2,250 appointees.
Electricity Generation
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will calculate the appropriate daily volume of natural gas consumption for generation of electricity which is equivalent to the employment of each person employed above or underground in a coal mine of comparable performance to those recently closed as being uneconomic.
Mr. Eggar : I have been asked to reply.
Estimated daily production per person, based on the overall average output per manshift in British Coal's mines for the period January to October 1993, was 7.85 tonnes of coal. Assuming an energy content of 237 therms per tonne,
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and average efficiencies of coal and gas fired power stations of 34 per cent. and 45 per cent. respectively, the equivalent quantity of gas for use in electricity generation would be 1,400 therms or 41 MWh.Data on output specifically relating to recently closed mines are not held centrally.
TRANSPORT
Lorry Ban, London
Mr. Raynsford : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what representations he has received about the operation of the London night- time lorry ban ;
(2) what consultation his Department has undertaken with representatives of the public about the future of the London lorry ban ;
(3) if he will make a statement on the Government's intentions in respect of the London lorry ban.
Mr. Norris : I have received a number of representations from hon. Members, from London borough councils and from the Freight Transport Association. Many of these related to the cost of administering the ban and the problems created by the operation of the system of exemption permits. I am considering proposals aimed at reducing the bureaucracy associated with the administration of the ban while maintaining the environmental protection it offers. These will be published shortly. I am arranging to meet the London Boroughs Transport Committee, the Freight Transport Association and the Association of London Authorities shortly.
Road Maintenance
Mr. Dunn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are his plans for the future procurement of trunk road and motorway maintenance work.
Mr. Key : We have no plans to change the current arrangements in the run-up to the establishment of the Highways Agency in April 1994. From then on, it will be one of the tasks of the chief executive to keep the arrangements under review, with a presumption in favour of increasing the opportunities for the private sector to participate in this work.
Ministerial Powers
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the powers he has under public legislation to give directions to local authorities or otherwise require them to act in a way which he prescribes, giving in each case the legislative authority under which he may exercise these powers.
Mr. MacGregor : This information can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Motorway Charges
Mr. Clapham : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimates his Department has made of the impact of motorway charges on serious injuries and fatalities to vehicle occupants, cyclists and pedestrians.
Mr. Key : Motorways are among our safest roads. A key objective of motorway charging is to provide another
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source of finance to expand the network more quickly. This will reduce the diversion to other roads which would otherwise occur as the motorway network became more congested.The Green Paper "Paying For Better Motorways"--Cm. 2200--considered in some detail the extent to which charging might of itself cause diversion to other roads. The research summarised in the document suggested that charging at levels well below those used in other countries--as was suggested in the Green Paper--would cause only modest diversion.
The overall effects of charging on road safety would depend on a number of factors. These include the timing of introduction ; the overall charge levels and any variations in charging between different roads and at different times of day ; and the practical effects of charging in terms of facilitating quicker expansion of the motorway network. Such issues require further exploration. In the meantime, there is no basis for assessing in detail the likely effects of charging on road safety.
London Underground (Power Failure)
Mr. Raynsford : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to ensure that there is no repetition of the power failure affecting the London Underground on 24 November.
Mr. Norris : I have asked London Transport for an urgent, full report on the circumstances of the power failure, to include what actions it proposes to ensure that there is no recurrence.
SCOTLAND
Health Board Staff
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff who had been sacked but who were threatening legal action were re- employed on the same salary in each of the last 10 years in each health board in Scotland.
Mr. Stewart : This information is not held centrally.
NHS Trusts
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many non- executive members of each NHS trust, which has such members, have a background in health care.
Mr. Stewart : The number of non-executive members, including chairmen, of each NHS trust, who have a background in health care, is as shown in the table :
|number
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Aberdeen Royal Hospitals NHS Trust |3
Ayrshire and Arran Community Healthcare NHS Trust |2
Caithness and Sutherland Hospitals NHS Trust |4
Dundee Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust |3
Grampian Healthcare NHS Trust |2
Monklands and Bellshill Hospitals NHS Trust |3
Moray Health Services NHS Trust |2
North Ayrshire and Arran NHS Trust |2
Raigmore Hospital NHS Trust |4
Royal Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust |4
Royal Scottish National Hospital and Community NHS Trust |2
South Ayrshire Hospitals NHS Trust |3
Southern General Hospital NHS Trust |3
Stirling Royal Infirmary NHS Trust |2
Victoria Infirmary NHS Trust |4
West Lothian NHS Trust |1
Yorkhill NHS Trust |3
Prisons
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many disciplinary offences were committed in each Scottish prison in each of the last five years.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : I have asked Mr. E. W. Frizzell, the chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to arrange for a reply to be given to the hon. Member.
Letter from E. W. Frizzell to Mr. John McFall, dated 12January 1994 :
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton has asked me to reply to your Question about the number of disciplinary offences committed in each Scottish prison in each of the last five years.
Data on the number of disciplinary offences were first collated on a financial year basis in 1989-90 and information for the four years since then is given in the table.
Differences between establishments and over time should be treated with caution, as there may be variations in the way in which some establishments record disciplinary offences, and in the prisoner mix at certain establishments during the period concerned. It should be noted also that in 1992-93 the average daily prisoner population was 5,395 compared with 4,886 in 1989-90.
Number of Disciplinary Offences Recorded in Scottish Penal
Establishments
|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92|1992-93
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Prisons
Aberdeen |876 |775 |826 |1,370
Barlinnie (inc. Special Unit) |1,846 |1,830 |1,184 |957
Cornton Vale |334 |352 |368 |333
Dungavel |47 |58 |67 |108
Edinburgh |1,041 |965 |1,152 |1,270
Friarton |147 |93 |181 |80
Glenochil |1,041 |935 |715 |905
Greenock |602 |361 |543 |479
Inverness |136 |159 |157 |261
Low Moss |865 |765 |786 |803
Noranside |67 |64 |71 |68
Penninghame |92 |93 |90 |104
Peterhead |671 |436 |546 |286
Perth |1,043 |1,219 |859 |1,079
Shotts (inc. Special Unit) |915 |1,020 |1,374 |1,246
Young Offenders Institutions
Castle Huntly |691 |821 |729 |733
Cornton Vale |228 |132 |106 |48
Dumfries<1> |1,504 |1,732 |1,679 |1,693
Glenochil |2,157 |2,905 |2,767 |2,509
Polmont |1,828 |1,367 |1,545 |1,954
Remand Institution
Longriggend |1,457 |1,223 |895 |884
|--- |--- |--- |---
Total |17,588 |17,305 |16,640 |17,170
<1> Includes disciplinary offences in respect of adult remand
prisoners.
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Cancer
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the trend of death from cancer ; what assessment he has made as to its causes ; and if he will increase funding for cancer research programmes.
Mr. Stewart : The table shows the number of deaths from cancer for the zero to 64 age group and for persons of all ages in the period 1975 to 1992.
Age 0-64 All ages
Year |Males |Females|Males |Females
------------------------------------------------
1975 |2,572 |2,249 |7,056 |6,011
1976 |2,579 |2,305 |7,165 |6,250
1977 |2,546 |2,272 |6,902 |6,286
1978 |2,573 |2,385 |7,158 |6,566
1979 |2,450 |2,350 |7,357 |6,550
1980 |2,374 |2,248 |7,194 |6,501
1981 |2,324 |2,213 |7,298 |6,639
1982 |2,455 |2,249 |7,315 |6,762
1983 |2,476 |2,274 |7,325 |6,885
1984 |2,386 |2,398 |7,376 |6,923
1985 |2,417 |2,247 |7,420 |7,035
1986 |2,345 |2,199 |7,443 |7,091
1987 |2,349 |2,158 |7,563 |7,087
1988 |2,332 |2,156 |7,518 |7,202
1989 |2,179 |2,220 |7,593 |7,324
1990 |2,219 |2,163 |7,608 |7,349
1991 |2,205 |2,040 |7,589 |7,287
1992 |2,133 |2,115 |7,796 |7,336
Although there has been an increase in the number of deaths of both men and women of all ages, the trend in relation to the under-65s is downwards. This is encouraging in view of the target of a 15 per cent. reduction in cancer mortality in that age group between 1986 and the year 2000.
Mortality rates associated with some childhood and young adult cancers have declined substantially as a result of advances in chemotherapy. There has also been a modest decline in mortality associated with those cancers which are amenable to treatment. Mortality rates for cancers which become symptomatic only at an advanced stage have remained constant. The main increase in cancer-related mortality in women is lung cancer. In men, the most significant increase has been in the incidence of cancer of the prostate. The causes of all types of cancer are however constantly monitored, primarily through the Scottish cancer registration system.
Funding of cancer research remains high on our list of priorities, and has been increased significantly by the establishment of the Scottish cancer therapy network, which aims to ensure that all patients suffering from cancer in Scotland receive the best and most up-to-date treatment available.
Hospital Waiting Lists
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland by what date he estimates hospital waiting lists will be (a) one year or less and (b) six months or less.
Mr. Stewart : At 30 September 1993 less than 9 per cent. of those on in-patient and day case waiting lists had waited more than 12 months--down from 15 per cent. in 1991. All health boards are working to ensure that no one waits longer than 12 months by April 1997, and some are on course to achieve this significantly sooner.
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Pain Relief Clinics
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many pain relief clinics there are in each health board area ; (2) what is the greatest travelling distance that a patient could have in order to attend a pain relief clinic ;
(3) what is the current average waiting time for a first appointment at each pain relief clinic ;
(4) what is his policy on the provision of pain relief clinics ; (5) what plans he has to reduce waiting times for first appointment at pain relief clinics ;
(6) how many specialists are employed in pain relief clinics in 1988 and at the latest available date.
Mr. Stewart : The table identifies, within health board areas, those hospitals which hold pain relief clinics--which are recorded as anaesthetic clinics. The table also lists the average waiting times experienced by those patients who had a first appointment at these clinics during the six months to 30 September 1993.
It is for health boards as purchasers of care to secure from provider units or trusts an appropriate level of pain relief services based on assessment of local need. It is for health boards too to take suitable action on waiting times in light of their own targets. Information on the number of specialists employed in pain relief clinics, and on distances travelled by patients to these clinics, is not held centrally.
Hospitals with pain relief clinics<1>
Mean wait where first out-patient appointment recorded
during period 1 April 1993 to 30 September 1993
Health board |Mean
area/hospital
|wait
|(days)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Argyll and Clyde
Inverclyde royal hospital |63
Ayrshire and Arran
Crosshouse hospital |47
Ayr hospital |52
Borders
Borders general |-
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway royal infirmary |95
Fife
Victoria hospital, Kirkcaldy |109
West Fife DGM (Queen Margaret hospital)<2> |139
Dunfermline and West Fife hospital<3> |75
Forth Valley
Falkirk and District royal infirmary |67
Stirling royal infirmary |29
Grampian
Aberdeen royal infirmary |31
Greater Glasgow
Royal infirmary |75
Stobhill hospital |92
Victoria infirmary, Glasgow |102
Southern general hospital |97
Gartnavel general hospital |148
Highland
Belford hospital, Fort William |-
Caithness general hospital |39
Raigmore hospital, Inverness |-
Lanarkshire
Monklands district general hospital |82
Law hospital |35
Lothian
Edinburgh royal infirmary |72
Western general hospital |-
Tayside
Dundee royal infirmary |160
Perth royal infirmary |53
Ninewells hospital, Dundee |-
Western Isles
Western Isles hospital |-
|--
All clinics |84
<1> Pain relief clinics are recorded as "Anaesthetics".
<2> Hospital opened in period.
<3> Hospital closed in period.
Prescriptions
Mrs. Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many prescription items in Scotland have been prescribed per person since February 1993.
Mr. Stewart : The available information from February to October 1993 is set out in the table :
Month |Number of |Number of items
|prescriptions |prescribed per
|person on
|general prac-
|titioner list as at
|1 April 1993
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
February |3,882,295 |0.72
March |4,505,745 |0.84
April |4,027,044 |0.75
May |4,032,892 |0.75
June |4,310,893 |0.80
July |4,125,123 |0.77
August |4,017,407 |0.75
September |4,096,030 |0.76
October |4,266,755 |0.80
Ministerial Powers
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the powers he has under public legislation to give directions to local authorities or otherwise require them to act in a way which he prescribes, giving in each case the legislative authority under which he may exercise these powers.
Mr. Stewart : The information requested could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Laurence Peterken
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 16 December, Official Report, column 888, on the dismissal of Laurence Peterken ; whether officials of the Scottish Office were consulted by Greater Glasgow health board, or its chairman, at any stage before 2 November.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 11 January 1994] : Officials held discussions with representatives of the health
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board on a number of occasions about the board's proposals for a severance package for Mr. Peterken but were not consulted by the board about the proposal to dismiss him.Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the reason for the time taken between his views being sought on 5 November 1993, on the appointment of Mr. Peterken to the post of special project director and his being offered the post on 12 November 1993.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 11 January 1994] : There were a number of exchanges between the Department's lawyers and lawyers acting for Mr. Peterken as to the form and content of the contract of employment.
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions officers of the central legal office of the Scottish Office had discussions with Mr. W. S. Fyfe concering the proposed removal of Mr. Laurence Peterken from his post.
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