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Column 254
NottinghamshireMansfield (part)
Nottingham (part )
Worksop (part)
Powys
Aberdare (part)
Swansea (part)
Shropshire
Telford and Bridgnorth (part )
Wolverhampton (part)
South Glamorgan
Cardiff (part )
South Yorkshire
whole county
Staffordshire
Birmingham (part )
Burton-on-Trent (part )
Stafford (part )
Stoke (part )
Walsall (part )
Wolverhampton (part )
Strathclyde
Ayr
Cumnock and Sanquhar (part)
Dumbarton
Girvan
Glasgow (part)
Greenock
Irvine (part )
Kilmarnock
Lanarkshire
Tayside
Arbroath
Dundee (part)
Dunfermline (part)
Tyne and Wear
whole county
Warwickshire
Birmingham (part )
Coventry and Hinckley (part )
West Glamorgan
whole county
West Midlands
Birmingham (part )
Coventry and Hinckley (part)
Dudley and Sandwell (part)
Walsall (part)
Wolverhampton (part)
West Yorkshire
Bradford (part )
Castleford and Pontefract (part)
Wakefield and Dewsbury
Denotes those areas where only part of the TTWA within the county-region is designated. Elsewhere the designation of part of a TTWA refers to the whole of the part of the TTWA falling within that county-region. Note that many TTWAs straddle county-region boundaries.
PRIME MINISTER
GCHQ
Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the outcome of his meeting with trade union leaders on 20 December 1993 regarding trade union recognition of GCHQ
The Prime Minister : I met representatives of the civil service unions to discuss trade union membership at GCHQ at their request, following a series of discussions they had held with officials. I explained that the Government's overriding objective remained to ensure the maintenance of continuous operations at GCHQ necessary for the protection of national security. In that context it was necessary also to ensure that the staff were not subject to potential conflicts of loyalty.
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Against that background, however, I indicated that the Government were prepared to enable the Government Communications Staff Federation, the registered trade union for GCHQ staff, to affiliate to the Council of Civil Service Unions, subject to conditions to guarantee its continuing independence. This would have allowed the staff of GCHQ to be represented in discussions between the Government and the unions on matters affecting the civil service generally in a way in which they are not at present. The national trade unions have indicated that they do not regard this as acceptable. There are no plans for further meetings, but the Government remain willing to discuss any further proposals that the unions may wish to put forward.Engagements
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Prime Minister what were his official engagements for Wednesday 12 January.
The Prime Minister : I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others, in addition to my duties in this House.
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 13 January.
The Prime Minister : This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall be having further meetings later today.
Petitions
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Prime Minister what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government in respect of responses to parliamentary petitions ; and if he will review current practice.
The Prime Minister : Individual Departments respond as they see fit to parliamentary petitions. I have no plans to review current practice.
TRANSPORT
Worcester Parkway Station
Mr. Luff : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with British Rail or Railtrack about the possibility of establishing a Worcester Parkway station in the light of the decision to run additional Birmingham to Cardiff trains without stopping at Worcester, Shrub Hill.
Mr. Freeman : I am aware of the idea of a Parkway station for Worcester but I have had no direct discussions with British Rail or Railtrack on the subject. This is a matter for those organisations to consider and any detailed proposals should be sent direct to them.
THORP
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library the information provided to the Secretary of State for the Environment assessing the criticisms made of the safety of nuclear transport, indicated at paragraph 135 of the decision document on the thermal oxide reprocessing plant, published on 15 December.
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Mr. Key : It is not Government practice to publish such inter- departmental correspondence.
Channel Tunnel
Mr. Cash : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how he proposes that British Rail's accumulated debt due to the construction of Waterloo international station and the other infrastructure works carried out to provide for the operation of international rail services through the channel tunnel should be paid off.
Mr. Freeman : We are at present considering how British Rail's existing debt liabilities should be allocated to the successor bodies which are to be created in the restructuring of the railway.
MOT Test
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish in the Official Report the date on which he intends to re- introduce the smoke emission test as part of the annual MOT test for motor vehicles ; and if he will make a statement on the ways in which the new test differs from the previous one.
Mr. Key : The metered check of smoke is to be reintroduced into the MOT test on 1 February 1994. The procedure has been revised slightly to reduce the number of test cycles to which each engine is subject, and to reduce the amount of time that an engine spends at maximum revolutions.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Exhibitions
Mr. Dixon : To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee what consideration he has given to an application relating to an exhibition on "A Voice For Laryngectomees," to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.
Mr. Michael J. Martin : I understand that under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday 7 March to Friday 11 March.
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition relating to the Globe theatre to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall, during the week commencing 7 February.
Mr. Michael J. Martin : I understand that under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday 7 February to Friday 11 February.
HEALTH
Referrals
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances it is permissible for a trust hospital to give general practitioner fundholders a discount on NHS prices in return for private patient referrals.
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Disabled Employees
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the target percentage for registered disabled employees within the Department of Health and NHS management executive ; and what is the actual percentage of registered disabled employees.
Dr. Mawhinney : The national health service, in common with other employers, is subject to the provisions of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Acts of 1944 and 1958. No specific target has been imposed on NHS employers supplementary to the provisions of these acts.
The latest figures, relating to June 1992, are in the April 1993 edition of the Employment Gazette, a copy of which is available in the Library.
NHS Communications Network
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to establish a new NHS national communications network service ; and what costings have been made.
Mr. Sackville : In March 1993 the national health service management executive and regional general managers agreed a strategy for implementing NHS-wide electronic networking facilities. Up to 1996 this comprises a common policy for the management of data exchange between computers, telecommunications in the NHS and
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the rationalisation of mobile radio communications, principally those used by the ambulance services. From 1996 it is expected there will be increasing technical integration of all apsects of NHS-wide electronic communications.The business case for implementing a national spine to connect regional data networks has been approved. Work is in hand to connect all regionwide data networks by late 1994.
Agreements have been made with Mercury Communications and British Telecom which will provide immediate multi-million pound savings to their NHS customers. Further analysis of telephone usage and requirements locally in the NHS is planned for 1994. Preliminary work indicates this should lead to additional significant savings. A study examining the business case for the provision of mobile communications in the NHS is planned to report in April 1994.
Water Fluoridation
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the schemes of water fluoridation that have resulted from Government encouragement ; and what forms that encouragement took in each case.
Dr. Mawhinney : Information is not available centrally in the form requested. Since 1985 the Government have provided financial assistance for fluoridation schemes to the regions shown in the table.
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Central Fund-Expenditure on Fluoridation 1985-86 to 1992-93
Regional Health Financial
Year-Figures are in
£'000s
Authority
|1985-86 |1986-87 |1987-88 |1988-89 |1989-90 |1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |- |3 |38 |- |55 |- |- |113
Trent |- |105 |- |8 |- |245 |54 |535
North West Thames |- |- |- |- |75 |- |- |-
Oxford |- |14 |- |- |- |- |- |-
West Midlands |- |251 |385 |936 |300 |- |- |135
North Western |20 |- |10 |10 |- |- |42 |11
Yorkshire |- |- |- |- |- |- |12 |-
Mersey |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |102
Note: Figures include funding towards feasibility studies, reports and or capital costs of schemes.
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list those water companies that have no fluoridated potable water supplies within their geographical boundary.
Dr. Mawhinney : All water supplies contain some natural fluoride.
Air Pollution
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she received the report of the departmental advisory group on the medical aspects of air pollution episodes ; when and how she expects it to be published ; what requests for it have been declined ; and if she will place a copy of it in the Library.
Mr. Sackville : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith) on 15 December 1993 at column 720. No requests for the report have been declined.
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SOCIAL SECURITY
Injuries at Work
Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to reconsider the rules on repayments to his Department by workers in receipt of injuries at work awards ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hague : The compensation recovery scheme will be amended to take account of the statutory sick pay changes announced on 1 December. No other amendments to the scheme are planned.
Occupational Diseases
Mr. Congdon : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how the Government propose to respond to the European Commission recommendation of 22 May 1990 concerning the adoption of a European schedule of occupational diseases.
Mr. Scott : The Government's response to the recommendation was sent to the Commission recently.
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Copies have been placed in the Library. We are pleased to take the opportunity to explain arrangements for compensating, reporting and preventing occupational disease.Housing Benefit
Mr. Knapman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will announce how housing benefit transitional payments will be treated in April.
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