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Miss Widdecombe : The number of people on youth training and training for work including predecessor programmes in 1991, 1992 and 1993 is given in the following table :


Participants on training (inc predecessor) programmes 1991-1993                                   

                                  |13 October 1991|11 October 1992|10 October 1993                

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

London                                                                                            

Youth Training (including Youth                                                                   

Credits)                          |16,900         |20,700         |19,500                         

Employment Training               |12,700         |14,700         |-                              

Employment Action                 |<1>-           |4,000          |-                              

High Technology National Training |35             |<2>-           |-                              

Training for Work                 |-              |-              |19,000                         

                                                                                                  

South Thames TEC                                                                                  

Youth Training (including Youth                                                                   

Credits)                          |1,900          |3,200          |2,800                          

Employment Training               |2,200          |3,100          |-                              

Employment Action                 |0              |900            |-                              

Training for Work                 |-              |-              |3,500                          

Source: TEC Operating Agreement (Annex J)                                                         

<1> Negligible number on Employment Action. Programme began operations on 1 October 1991.         

<2> HTNT provision included in ET figures.                                                        

Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest figures for the percentage of young people aged 16 to 19 years who are (i) in full-time education, (ii) in training schemes, (iii) employed and (iv) unemployed in (a) Lewisham and (b) London.

Miss Widdecombe : Latest estimates from the summer 1993 Labour Force Survey (LFS) show that of all 16 to 19-year-olds in Greater London : 59 per cent. were in full-time education ; 4 per cent. were employed in Government employment and training programmes ; 17 per cent. were otherwise employed and not in full-time education ; and 13 per cent. were ILO unemployed and not in full-time education. The Labour Force Survey also estimates that 76 per cent. of 16 to 19-year-olds in the London borough of Lewisham were in full-time education. The numbers of 16 to 19-year-olds in Lewisham sampled in the Labour Force Survey are too small to provide a reliable breakdown of their economic activity.

Mr. Martyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people would be registered as unemployed in January if the figures were treated on the same basis as 1978.

Miss Widdecombe : No official estimate is available and to produce one would involve speculation about economic, demographic and social changes that would serve no useful purpose.

Industrial Accidents, Injuries and Illness

Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many industrial accidents, injuries and illness were recorded as requiring admission to hospital in each year since 1979.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : The information requested is not collected annually but a special study of accidents collected in the General Household Survey during 1986-89, published by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys "Home and Leisure Accident Research, 1991 data" indicates that each year, in Great Britain, the accident


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and emergency departments in hospitals treat around 1.6 million people who are injured during working activities, including driving to work. There is no information on the number of industrial illnesses requiring admission to hospital.

Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many working days were lost due to accidents, injuries and illness, which were work related, for each year since 1979.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : Current occupational injury reporting legislation does not require information on the actual length of absence from work to be reported. However, the Health and Safety Executive sponsored a supplement of questions on workplace injury and ill health to the 1990 Labour Force Survey. It is estimated that in Great Britain, workers were incapacitated for work for 23.2million days in the year to spring 1990 due to workplace injury. Of these, 22.8 million were lost due to injuries reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrances Regulations. For work-related ill health, an estimated 750,000 workers were incapacitated for a total of 13 million days.

Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the annual cost, in lost production, benefit payments and lost revenue arising from industrial injuries, accidents and illness ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : Estimates of annual costs in benefit payments and lost revenue arising from industrial injuries, accidents and illness are not available.

Jobcentres

Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the number of job vacancies referred to jobcentres by employers.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : On the seasonally adjusted basis there were 196,000 vacancies notified to United Kingdom jobcentres in January 1994. In the United Kingdom jobcentre vacancies account for about a third of the total.


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Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the number of vacancies referred to jobcentres which are filled within (a) a day, (b) a week, (c) a month and (d) three months ; and what significant regional variations there are in these average figures.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : The information requested is not available.

Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the proportion of vacancies at any one point in time held by jobcentres.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : It is estimated that nationally Jobcentre vacancies represent about one third of all unfilled vacancies.

Ministerial Travel

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many visits abroad the Minister of State made during 1993 ; and what was (a) the cost to public funds and (b) the purpose of each visit.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Newport, East (Mr. Hughes) on 3 November 1993 at column 268 and to my subsequent letter to him of 17 January 1994, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

The information given to the hon. Member for Newport, East included information up to and including 26 October 1993. Since then, I have undertaken two further engagements overseas. The first to deliver the keynote address and attend a Council of Europe meeting in Malta at a cost of £5,451 ; the second, to accompany my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to a Social Affairs Council meeting in Brussels at a total cost of £3,403. These figures include the costs of accompanying officials.

Aero-generators

Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs are currently supported by (a) aero-generator manufacture, (b) aero-generator construction and (c) aero-generator operation and maintenance in the United Kingdom.

Miss Widdecombe : The information requested is not available separately. However, the latest census of employment results show that there were 156,000 people employed in the aerospace equipment manufacturing and repairing industry in the United Kingdom in 1991.

EC Structural Funds

Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what the money aimed at long-term unemployment from the EC structural funds will be spent on.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : EC assistance for the long-term unemployed is provided by the European social fund under objective 3 (which also covers several other priority groups). Following the adoption in July 1993 of new structural fund regulations for the period 1994-1999, a plan on the proposed use of objective 3 funds in Great Britain over that period was submitted to the EC Commission at the beginning of November ; the Commission has not yet given a formal response.


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The plan recognises that as the needs of the long-term unemployed vary, a range of provision is required, including work experience vocational training, job search facilities, and advice on job- finding and interview techniques. The aim will be to raise the skill levels, motivation and confidence of long-term unemployed people to enable them to compete more effectively in the labour market and to find and retain jobs.

Working Conditions

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proposals he has to improve working conditions and workers' rights.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : The United Kingdom has a substantial body of employment and health and safety legislation. This is kept under regular review to ensure that it continues to strike the right balance between the essential interests of workers and the need to keep to a minimum the burdens on business. In general, terms and conditions of employment are for negotiation and agreement between employers and employees without Government intervention.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Engineering Technology Advisory Committee

Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the President of the Board of Trade who are the members currently appointed to the Engineering Technology Advisory Committee.

Mr. McLoughlin : The Engineering Technology Research Committee was dissolved in October 1993.

Hearing Aid Council

Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the President of the Board of Trade who are the members currently appointed to the Hearing Aid Council.

Mr. McLoughlin : Since 1 January 1994, membership of the Hearing Aid Council has been :

Chairman : Mr. William McKinnon Fernie

Members representing the interests of registered hearing aid dispensers and their employers :

Mr. Roger Evans

Mr. Frank Holden

Mr. Nigel King

Mr. Robert Rendell

Members representing the interests of persons with impaired hearing :

Miss Jackie Blount

Mr. Stephen Lloyd

Mrs. Christine Martin

Mrs. Patricia Thompson

Members with specialised medical knowledge of deafness or audiological technical knowledge :

Dr. Valeria Cleaver

Mrs. Margaret Excell

Professor Linda Luxon

Dr. Ewa Raglan

National Consumers Consultative Committee

Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the President of the Board of Trade who are the members currently appointed to the National Consumers Consultative Committee.

Mr. McLoughlin : The Department is not aware of any body by this name.


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Estate Agents

Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the President of the Board of Trade who are the members currently appointed to the Persons Hearing Estate Agents Appeals.

Mr. McLoughlin : The following is the list of people from which panels are appointed to hear appeals from decisions by the Director General of Fair Trading prohibiting or warning persons from doing estate agency work.

Professor G. Hornsey LLM

G. B. L. Brown BA

D. J. W. Browne

M. G. Clarke MA LLB

J. A. G. Fiddes FRICS FISVA

E. C. Lowson MBE BSc

Dr. R. A. McCreadie LLB PhD

J. Compass

R. A. S. Sisterson FRICS

Ms S. K. Ward BA

D. S. McDonald FISVA ARVA PPIBA

P. B. Robinson JP FNAEA LRSM

D. W. Hay

M. E. Channon

Mrs. L. A. Service JP MA

P. Simmonds

P. R. V. Watkins FRICS

R. Davis DPA

P. W. Wilson JP FRICS FISVA

Professor J. T. Farrand LLB LLD

P. M. Leonard

E. A. Goodbody

G. G. Buckley

D. M. Magennis FISVA FRICS

H. J. Smith FISVA

O. Edwards MBE JP

Professor E. J. Griew MA LLB

Professor D. Thompson LLB PhD

M. St G. Arrowsmith MA

Mrs H. Scott OBE JP BA LLB

Professor B. W. Harvey MA LLB

Professor D. L. Foulkes JP BA LLM

British Hallmarking Council

Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the President of the Board of Trade who are the members currently appointed to the British Hallmarking Council.

Mr. McLoughlin : The current members of the British Hallmarking Council are as follows :

Mr. R. S. Burman-- (Chairman)

Mr. S. L. Batiste, MP

Mr. J. R. Bettinson

Mr. R. D. Buchanan-Dunlop

Mr. M. Durst

The Baroness Fisher of Rednal

Mr. P. E. M. Fuller

Mr. R. G. Gowland

Mrs. D. M. H. Inches Carr

Mr. D. B. Inglis

Miss R. D. T. McRobert

Mr. T. Murray

Mrs. S. P. Payne

Mr. C. H. Perry

Mr. E. S. Poyser

Mr. A. M. Stirling

Mr. R. V. Wright


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