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Mr. Robin Squire : The number of full-time equivalent pupils aged four at the beginning of the school year 1992-93 being taught in infant classes in maintained primary schools in England in January 1993 is shown in the table.
Pupils aged 4 on 31 August 1992 in infant classes in maintained primary schools in England January 1993 Date of Birth |FTE Pupils<1> -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 September 1987-31 December 1987 |200,782 1 January 1988-31 March 1988 |146,100 1 April 1988-31 August 1988 |155,592 <1>Part-time pupils count as 0.5.
School Governors
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information is available to his Department regarding the numbers of men and women governors of grant-maintained schools, by type of school and by category of governor ; and how such information is collected.
Mr. Robin Squire : The Department has no information on the numbers of men and women governors of grant-maintained schools.
Early Retirement
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the information he has available on expenditure in each local education authority on early retirement compensation in 1990-91, 1991-92 and 1992-93.
Mr. Robin Squire : Information on expenditure by each local education authority on early retirement compensation for the years 1990-91, 1991-92 and 1992-93, is given in the following table.
Expenditure on Crombie and teacher premature
retirement
compensation payments
|1990-91|1991-92|1992-93
|£000 |£000 |£000
-------------------------------------------------------
Corporation of London |0 |0 |0
Camden |0 |0 |0
Greenwich |0 |0 |*23
Hackney |0 |0 |*21
Hammersmith |0 |0 |0
Islington |0 |0 |*15
Kensington and Chelsea |0 |0 |101
Lambeth |0 |0 |*20
Lewisham |0 |0 |0
Southwark |0 |0 |0
Tower Hamlets |0 |0 |*21
Wandsworth |0 |0 |0
Westminster |0 |0 |0
Barking |605 |290 |751
Barnet |1,344 |1,425 |1,475
Bexley |0 |0 |0
Brent |0 |0 |0
Bromley |981 |586 |551
Croydon |248 |630 |474
Ealing |861 |479 |636
Enfield |0 |0 |705
Haringey |474 |541 |*339
Harrow |353 |534 |*313
Havering |0 |0 |0
Hillingdon |0 |1 |0
Hounslow |11 |208 |*430
Kingston upon Thames |304 |358 |*231
Merton |0 |0 |*244
Newham |769 |269 |*425
Redbridge |288 |387 |405
Richmond upon Thames |0 |0 |0
Sutton |0 |0 |0
Waltham Forest |324 |5 |13
Birmingham |3,422 |3,947 |5,443
Coventry |12 |2,982 |*981
Dudley |884 |851 |791
Sandwell |0 |0 |0
Solihull |0 |0 |553
Walsall |0 |643 |1,567
Wolverhampton |94 |195 |326
Knowsley |0 |957 |945
Liverpool |2,727 |3,780 |3,058
St. Helens |953 |1,126 |*581
Sefton |1,496 |1,536 |0
Wirral |231 |182 |97
Bolton |898 |1,022 |*687
Bury |848 |1,031 |*503
Manchester |2,144 |2,815 |4,400
Oldham |0 |0 |0
Rochdale |469 |493 |806
Salford |0 |0 |0
Stockport |512 |447 |547
Tameside |0 |0 |933
Trafford |0 |0 |*533
Wigan |1,377 |1,681 |1,999
Barnsley |200 |532 |35
Doncaster |0 |379 |0
Rotherham |203 |271 |0
Sheffield |40 |0 |0
Bradford |1,354 |1,153 |2,860
Calderdale |453 |0 |0
Kirklees |275 |1,465 |838
Leeds |0 |0 |3
Wakefield |1,228 |1,389 |*840
Gateshead |0 |44 |73
Newcastle upon Tyne |305 |1,261 |*1,608
North Tyneside |0 |0 |508
South Tyneside |0 |0 |0
Sunderland |364 |470 |397
Isles of Scilly |0 |0 |0
Avon |0 |0 |747
Bedfordshire |0 |0 |0
Berkshire |704 |812 |779
Buckinghamshire |249 |265 |1,105
Cambridgeshire |899 |1,447 |1,705
Cheshire |191 |124 |1,874
Cleveland |1,328 |1,720 |*696
Cornwall |0 |0 |0
Cumbria |0 |0 |0
Derbyshire |1,320 |1,556 |696
Devon |0 |0 |0
Dorset |782 |1,183 |1,443
Durham |-14 |0 |0
East Sussex |547 |877 |1,039
Essex |1,915 |1,945 |2,066
Gloucestershire |1,567 |2,150 |0
Hampshire |1,862 |2,215 |2,750
Hereford and Worcester |0 |264 |0
Hertfordshire |453 |1,734 |1,769
Humberside |726 |759 |854
Isle of Wight |94 |108 |124
Kent |314 |151 |223
Lancashire |4,374 |4,804 |*1,654
Leicestershire |1,267 |2,075 |2,275
Lincolnshire |968 |148 |126
Norfolk |1,200 |196 |0
North Yorkshire |0 |0 |0
Northamptonshire |111 |128 |494
Northumberland |0 |0 |0
Nottinghamshire |1,066 |2,295 |0
Oxfordshire |1,389 |1,585 |1,586
Shropshire |16 |19 |18
Somerset |0 |0 |0
Staffordshire |2,715 |3,214 |3,987
Suffolk |14 |156 |0
Surrey |0 |0 |2,791
Warwickshire |922 |1,269 |1,428
West Sussex |0 |0 |0
Wiltshire |0 |0 |872
Note:
1. Figures are derived from local education
authorities' returns of their spending to the
Department of the Environment.
2. The figures for 1992-93 include estimates of
expenditure for LEAs marked "*". The 1992-93 figures
are subject to final checking by the Department of
Environment and the Department for Education.
3. The quality of information recorded on returns from
LEAs is partly dependant on the accounting practices
adopted. These can differ considerably.
Column 610
English Language Courses
Mr. Gorst : To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many complaints he has received in the last 12 months about unfair competition between private and state-funded colleges that both teach English language courses to overseas students, but where the latter are in receipt of subsidies provided by the Further Education Funding Council in order to do so ; and what information he has with regard to consequential job losses in the private sector resulting from this practice.
Mr. Boswell : The Department has received six letters in the last 12 months on concerns about the sources of funding for English as a foreign language--EFL--courses in private and state-funded colleges. The Department holds no information on the number of staff employed in the delivery of EFL in the private sector.
PRIME MINISTER
Convention on Human Rights
Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to incorporate the European convention on human rights into British law.
Mobile Telephones and Pagers
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Prime Minister how many (a) portable telephones, (b) pagers and electronic bleepers and (c) car telephones are currently used by his Department ; what are the annual costs of operating this equipment ; and to which personnel it is made available.
The Prime Minister : There are 14 portable telephones, 19 pagers and four car telephones currently in use in No. 10 Downing street. The annual cost of operating the equipment is approximately £12,800. The equipment is made available to those personnel who need to keep in contact with the office for purposes of official duty.
Cyprus
Mr. Cox : To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister of Turkey on the present United Nations-sponsored talks on Cyprus ; and if he will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : I discussed the United Nations-sponsored package of confidence-building measures with Mrs. Ciller in the margins of the NATO summit on 10 January. I sent her a message on 6 April urging her to encourage Mr. Denktash to adopt a more constructive approach to the negotiations on the package. The United Nations Secretary-General will shortly submit a report on the talks to the United Nations Security Council.
Engagements
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 5 May.
Sir Peter Tapsell : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 5 May.
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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 the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Child Support Agency
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when Mr. Croft, Ref. 353 IJOH1002188491, of Stockton-on-Tees will be officially notified by the Child Support Agency that his initial assessment has been withdrawn.
Mr. Burt : The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Ros Hepplewhite to Mr. Tim Devlin, dated 5 May 1994 :
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the interim child maintenance assessment made in respect of Mr. Stephen Croft by the Child Support Agency.
Mr. Croft was originally advised that an interim maintenance assessment would be made because insufficient information had been supplied to permit a full assessment. Following a telephone call to the Agency, a two week extension was agreed. Unfortunately at the expiry of the extension, the interim assessment was made despite the fact that the relevant information had been received in the meantime. When this error came to light, immediate action was taken to cancel the interim assessment, and Mr. Croft was notified of this on 29 April 1994.
I hope you will convey to Mr. Croft my sincere apologies for any anxiety or distress which the actions of the Agency may have caused. I hope you will also accept my assurance that I shall be keeping a close watch on the developments in this case.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what benefit savings the Child Support Agency achieved in 1993-94.
Mr. Burt : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for the Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 3 May at columns 423-24.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the first year of operation of the Child Support Agency.
Mr. Burt : It is too early to make a full assessment of the first year of operation of the Child Support Agency. This will be done when the annual report is available later this year. Meanwhile I meet regularly with the Child Support Agency chief executive and look carefully at all the representations that have been made, and we keep the Child Support Agency under constant review.
Pensions
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many and what percentage of those people retiring in the last year for which figures are available had a total pension income amounting to (a) 100 per cent. or more, (b) between 90 per cent. and 99 per cent., (c) between 80 per cent. and 89 per cent., (d) between 70 per cent. and 79 per cent., (e) between 60 per cent. and 69 per cent., (f) between 50 per cent. and 59 per cent., (g) between 40 per cent. and 49 per cent., (h) between
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30 per cent. and 39 per cent., (i) between 20 per cent. and 29 per cent. and (j) 10 per cent. or less, of (i) their final salary and (ii) average earnings.Mr. Hague : Information on pension income as a proportion of final salary is not available. Information on pension income in relation to average earnings is not available in precisely the form requested. Estimates, which relate to female pensioners aged 60 to 64 and to male pensioners aged 65 to 69, are in the tables.
Pension income of male pensioners aged 65 to 69
compared to average earnings
|Number (000's) |Percentage of male
|pensioners 65 to 69
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
0-10 per cent. |<1>121 |10
11-19 per cent. |308 |25
20-29 per cent. |376 |30
30-39 per cent. |<1>140 |11
40-59 per cent. |<1>154 |12
60 per cent. and over |139 |11
Pension income of female pensioners aged 60 to 64
compared to average earnings
|Number (000's) |Percentage of
|female pensioners
|60 to 64
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0-10 per cent. |440 |<2>31
11-19 per cent. |417 |29
20-29 per cent. |271 |19
30-39 per cent. |127 |9
40 per cent. and over |177 |12
<1>Denotes unreliably small sample size.
<2>This group includes married women whose husbands are aged less than 65
and who have no entitlement to a pension on their own National Insurance
record.
Notes:
1. All figures are estimates and should be treated as such.
2. Figures are mean averages; they relate to individuals, not to pensioner
units or households.
3. Estimates derive from the Family Expenditure Survey for the combined
years 1990-91 and the Government Actuary's Department's Survey of
Occupational Pension 1991.
4. Percentages may not sum due to rounding.
Operational Strategy
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much has been spent on consultants for operational strategy in each of the last five years.
Mr. Scott : The cost of consultancy services for the operational strategy over the five years ending 1992-93 was £191 million. Figures for 1993-94 are not yet available. Individual years' figures are in the table.
|£ million
------------------------------
1988-89 |40.6
1989-90 |31.2
1990-91 |49.6
1991-92 |37.5
1992-93 |32.1
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current estimated total cost of operational strategy to 1998, in real terms ; by how much this figure exceeds the initial estimated cost ; and what percentage of the estimated cost is the cost of outside consultants.
Column 613
Mr. Scott : The most recent--1993--estimated total cost in real terms of the operational strategy to 1998-99 is £2.6 billion, which includes an estimated £315 million--11.9 per cent.--for consultancy services.
The total cost of the operational strategy was
originally--1982--estimated at £713 million. The current estimated cost exceeds the initial estimate by £1.9 billion. The original specification did not embrace the substantial cost of subsequent changes in social security legislation, notably the 1988 social security reforms. Estimates of total savings over the period of the operational strategy have also been revised from an initial estimate of some £1.9 billion--1982- -to £3.3 billion--1993.
Security
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the use of private detective agencies and security companies by his Department.
Mr. Scott : This Department and its executive agencies use private companies to carry out a range of activities. This is done as part of our continuing search for better value for money. The companies we use include a private firm to serve documents in connection with the collection of arrears of national insurance contributions and private security companies for the guarding of some of our sites countrywide.
Personnel Costs
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of Information Technology Services Agency's total personnel costs for software development has been spent on outside consultants in each of the last five years.
Mr. Scott : The costs for software development and continuing support for 1991-92, 1992-93 and 1993-94 are in the table. This work is done using a mixture of civil servants and external contractors some of whom are supplied by consultancy firms. The information for 1989-90 and 1990-91 is not readily available.
£'000 |1991-92|1992-93|1993-94 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Total personnel costs for software development (millions) |58.7 |73.1 |69.7 Cost of consultants/contractors (millions) |38.5 |45.5 |43.4 Consultancy/contractors as a percentage of the total |65.6 |62.2 |62.3
Lone Parents
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the cost to the Exchequer of allowing single parents on income support to retain (a) £5, (b) £10 and (c) £15 of any maintenance payments.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the cost to his Department in the form of reduced estimated savings of the introduction of a maintenance disregard of £15 for lone parents with care who are in receipt of income support.
Column 614
Mr. Burt : It is estimated that the cost of £5, £10 and £15 child support maintenance disregards in income support would be approximately £145 million, £290 million and £435 million in the long run.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Council of Ministers
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Stafford (Mr. Cash) of 26 April, Official Report, column 123, what is the scope of the safeguards to which he refers in regard to the disclosure of information by the Council of Ministers.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The code of conduct on access to information sets out a number of grounds on which access to documents can be refused. Copies of the code were placed in the Library of the House on 14 January.
Mr. Van den Broek
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 26 April, Official Report, column 125, relating to Mr. Van den Broek, if he will give reasons for his answer.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The suggestion of my hon. Friend the Member for Northampton, North was neither practical nor necessary.
Libya
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contacts his Department has with the Red Cross or the Red Crescent concerning the blockade on Libya and its effect on medical supplies.
Mr. Goodlad : We have had no contacts with the Red Cross or the Red Crescent concerning the blockade on Libya and its effect on medical supplies.
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from UNICEF concerning the sanctions on Libya and their effect on children ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has received no representations from UNICEF concerning the sanctions on Libya and their effects on children.
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the United Nations Security Council has received from (a) UNICEF and (b) UNESCO concerning the effects of the United Nations sanctions on Libya.
Mr. Goodlad : We are aware of no representations which the Security Council has received from UNICEF or UNESCO concerning the effects of United Nations sanctions on Libya.
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from UNESCO concerning the effect of sanctions on Libya ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 615
Mr. Goodlad : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has received no representations from UNESCO concerning the effect of sanctions on Libya.
Rwanda
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the withdrawal of United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda forces from Rwanda is planned to be a temporary measure ; and if he will encourage the United Nations to draw up plans for a strengthened force and mandate to return at the earliest possible moment.
Mr. Goodlad : Security Council resolution 912 reduced the authorised size of UNAMIR, but stressed the Security Council's readiness to consider any recommendations which the Security General might make concerning the future force level and mandate of UNAMIR in light of developments.
We support the United Nations' efforts to promote a ceasefire and to encourage the parties to resume the peace process.
EU Common Foreign and Security Policy
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the items on the agenda at the EU common foreign and security policy working group meeting on 7 April.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The subject of anti-personnel landmines was one of a number of subjects discussed at the working group meeting on 7 April. However, the agendas of the meetings of this group are not published.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library copies of statements made by, or on behalf of, Her Majesty's Government at the EU common foreign and security policy working group meeting on 7 April.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Copies of all agreed European Union common foreign and security policy statements are placed in the Libraries of both Houses. No such statements issued from this meeting.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which state raised the subject of anti-personnel mines at the EU common foreign and security policy working group meeting on 7 April ; what proposals were made ; and what was the response of Her Majesty's Government.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The presidency is responsible for preparing the agenda of these meetings. However, the issue of landmines is currently of common interest to all European Union member states.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the next meeting of the EU common foreign and security policy working group is scheduled.
Column 616
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The date has not yet been arranged.
European Commission
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 26 April, Official Report, column 125, on the powers of the European Commission, in what way he wishes the Commission to become more accountable.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Powers exist to hold the European Commission to account, notably under articles 140, 143, 144 and 158 of the treaty of Rome. It is right that the Commission should be fully accountable for its actions and these treaty provisions need to be rigorously applied.
SCOTLAND
Security
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the use of private detective agencies and security companies by his Department.
Mr. Lang : My Department has made limited use of private detective agencies when attempting to locate individuals or companies who have defaulted on the terms and conditions of regional assistance grants. In addition, private sector companies are contracted to provide security guarding services for various Scottish Office buildings and properties.
Prisons (Suicides)
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list all the self-inflicted deaths that have occurred in Scottish prison establishments over the past 10 years, giving details of the name, age, status, offence and inquest verdict of each of the deceased and the names of the prisons in which the deaths occurred.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Scottish Prison Service under its chief executive, Mr. E. W. Frizzell. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from E. W. Frizzell to Mr. Tony Worthington, dated 5 May 1994 :
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton has asked me to reply to your Question about self-inflicted deaths in Scottish penal establishments over the past 10 years, including details of the prisoners' name, age, status and offence and the outcome of the Fatal Accident Inquiry into each death.
The information requested is provided, save for the details of the prisoners' offence (or alleged offence) : this information is not meanwhile available and I shall write to you again as soon as our researches are complete.
Column 615
Suicides in penal custody between January 1983 and December 1993
Date |Name |Age |Establishment |Sentence |Determination
|or remand
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1983
16 January 1983 |John Leinsler Stewart |34 |Peterhead |6 years |Overdose
14 February 1983 |William McGlinchey |20 |Longriggend |Remand |Cell fire, asphyxiation
15 April 1983 |Edward Witts Graham |23 |Barlinnie |Remand |Hanging
6 July 1983 |John Beagan |51 |Edinburgh |Life |Hanging
14 August 1983 |Robert King |18 |Glenochil YOI |3 years |Hanging
28 August 1983 |Thomas Mochar |26 |Barlinnie |20 months |Hanging
1984
16 January 1984 |Hugh Morrow |35 |Barlinnie |Remand |Hanging
16 February 1984 |William McDonald |16 |Glenochil DC |Remand |Hanging
2 March 1984 |Thomas William Kerr |39 |Barlinnie |Remand |Hanging
27 September 1984 |Martyn Liston |27 |Edinburgh |Remand |Hanging
15 November 1984 |Arthur Padden |48 |Barlinnie |Remand |Inhalation of toxic fumes in
|cell fire
1985
26 January 1985 |Kenneth Peter Isherwood |47 |Perth |Remand |Hanging
18 February 1985 |Angus Stewart Boyd |17 |Glenochil DC |3 months |Hanging
24 February 1985 |Robert Kelly |38 |Barlinnie |Remand |Hanging
13 April 1985 |Derek John Richard Harris |16 |Glenochil YOI |3 months |Hanging
2 June 1985 |John Stanley Buchanan |25 |Barlinnie |6 years |Hanging
20 June 1985 |John Joseph Sinclair |33 |Barlinnie |5 years |Hanging
1986
16 February 1986 |William Myles Moorehouse |25 |Perth |5 years |Jumping
24 March 1986 |Frank Lee |18 |Edinburgh |Remand |Hanging
22 April 1986 |Jack Blake |55 |Barlinnie |Life |Jumping
11 June 1986 |Jean Margaret McLean |27 |Cornton Vale |Remand |Hanging
16 June 1986 |Christopher Phillips |27 |Barlinnie |18 months |Hanging
6 July 1986 |John Hendry Swindle |22 |Perth |3 years |Hanging
21 August 1986 |Jarvis Torrance |50 |Barlinnie |Remand |Hanging
1987
3 June 1987 |Peter Barnes |26 |Edinburgh |Remand |Hanging
1 August 1987 |Terence Bryce |29 |Barlinnie |6 months |Hanging
30 October 1987 |Gerald Stafford |31 |Barlinnie |Remand |Hanging
31 October 1987 |Thomas William Kerr |17 |Dumfries |Remand |Hanging
5 November 1987 |John William Dwyer |34 |Glenochil |Life |Hanging
28 December 1987 |Kenneth Alexander Heron |21 |Glenochil |4 years |Inhalation of vomit, asphyxia
|and solvent abuse
28 December 1987 |Anthony Boyle |23 |Barlinnie |Remand |Hanging
1988
30 January 1988 |Hugh McGarvie |26 |Barlinnie |3 months + |Hanging
|3 months c/c
3 March 1988 |Alexander Nicol |29 |Barlinnie |3 months |Hanging
27 March 1988 |George Smart |49 |Barlinnie |Remand |Hanging
5 June 1988 |Ian Barrie Connor |25 |Barlinnie |Remand |Hanging
14 June 1988 |Gordon McRae |27 |Glenochil |3 years |Hanging
1 July 1988 |Alan McGavin |24 |Barlinnie |Life |Hanging
13 August 1988 |John McLean |30 |Barlinnie |Remand |Hanging
1989
7 February 1989 |George Ferguson |39 |Barlinnie |Remand |Self-inflicted wounds to left
|arm
5 March 1989 |Martin McRae |31 |Shotts |Life |Hanging
4 June 1989 |James Welsh |59 |Aberdeen |Remand |Hanging
14 July 1989 |Derek Wood |26 |Perth |9 years |Hanging
26 July 1989 |Philip McVeigh |22 |Shotts |2 years |Hanging
3 December 1989 |William Diffin |18 |Polmont |3 months |Hanging
1990
9 June 1990 |Edward Ronald |30 |Barlinnie |Remand |Hanging
31 July 1990 |Robert Wilson Campbell |39 |Barlinnie |Life |Hanging
26 September 1990 |Archibald McCallum |25 |Barlinnie |Remand |Self strangulation
1991
3 January 1991 |Raymond Langlands |34 |Perth |2 years |Hanging
25 January 1991 |Thomas McDougall |27 |Greenock |3 months |Hanging
28 July 1991 |Thomas Hutchison |32 |Barlinnie |60 days |Hanging
23 September 1991 |Ernest M. S. Craig |19 |Longriggend |Remand |Hanging
1992
11 February 1992 |Steven Greig |19 |Polmont |Remand |Hanging
27 February 1992 |John Galbraith |31 |Barlinnie |30 days |Hanging
22 March 1992 |Peter Nichol Goldie |19 |Polmont |5 months, |Hanging
|4 months,
|3 months c/c
15 June 1992 |Richard Simon Lowe |26 |Edinburgh |3 years |Hanging
9 July 1992 |Syrup Metha Ullah |37 |Edinburgh |5 years + |Hanging
|5 years c/c
25 August 1992 |Philip Goulding |31 |Dumfries |Remand |Hanging
3 September 1992 |William McLeod |28 |Edinburgh |Remand |Hanging
18 October 1992 |Anthony Shivers |25 |Barlinnie |Remand |Hanging
2 November 1992 |John Sime |45 |Edinburgh |Remand |Hanging
1993
13 January 1993 |Stewart Sawyers |23 |Greenock |Remand |Hanging
7 April 1993 |Robert Greer |28 |Perth |Life |Hanging
22 August 1993 |George Fleming |45 |Edinburgh |Remand |Jumping
20 September 1993 |Thomas Lafferty |21 |Polmont |5 years |Hanging
17 December 1993 |Gary McGonigle |23 |Barlinnie |Remand |Hanging
c/c = Concurrent sentence.
Rent Registration Service
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland in how many cases the rent review service was involved in the (a) private and (b) public sector as a result of an application for housing benefit in each of the last three years ; and what are his comparable projections for the three years next.
Mr. Lang : The rent registration service makes determinations on rent levels at the request of local housing authorities, which have responsibility for administering the housing benefit scheme on behalf of the Department of Social Security. The number of such determinations, which relate to the private sector only, including housing associations, made for housing benefit purposes in each of the last three years is as follows :
|Number
---------------------
1991 |39,670
1992 |45,690
1993 |50,251
Projections for future years are not available.
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many staff are employed by the rent review service in Scotland ; (2) what is the present cost of running the rent review service in Scotland in each of the last five years in constant terms ; (3) how many qualified surveyors or staff with a comparable technical qualification were employed by the rent review service in Scotland at the latest date for which figures are available.
Mr. Lang : The rent registration service in Scotland currently employes 51 staff of whom 24 undertake rent officer duties and 27 are support staff. None are qualified surveyors or staff with a comparable technical qualification.
The costs, including accommodation and other overheads, of running the service in each of the last five years at constant 1993-94 prices, are as follows :
|£ million
-------------------------------
1989-90 |2.096
1990-91 |1.946
1991-92 |1.987
1992-93 |1.695
1993-94<1> |1.728
<1> Provisional outturn.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Talacre Beach, Clwyd
Mr. Hanson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to be able to agree the draft byelaws relating to Talacre beach, Clwyd, forwarded by Delyn borough council.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Home Office officials wrote to the Council on 2 February commenting on the latest draft of the byelaws. We expect to give provisional approval to the byelaws once the few remaining issues have been resolved.
Prison Staff Disputes
Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many working days have been lost to the prison service in each of the last five years because of strike action taken by prison officers.
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 Mr. Doug Hoyle, dated 5 May 1994 : The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about strike action taken by prison officers.
No working days were lost as a result of strike action by prison officers during the last five years.
Just before this period, there was a ten day strike by prison officers at Wandsworth from 29 January to 8 February 1989, over the introduction of new shift systems. The figure for working days lost cannot be identified but the majority of prison officers (from a total of over 300 at the establishment at the time) were involved. The prison was managed by governor grades from Wandsworth and other Prison Service establishments, other managers, police officers and prison officers who refused to take industrial action.
The other serious dispute in recent years which resulted in strike action was at Holloway in July-September 1988, over
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staffing levels. The dispute ran for six weeks and over 7,000 working days were lost. The prison was run by governor grades and other staff who refused to strike.Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many formally registered disputes there were in each of the last five years between the Prison Officers Association and the Prison Department ; and how many of those disputes were resolved without recourse by the trade union side to industrial action.
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 Mr. Doug Hoyle, dated 5 May 1994 : The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about formally registered disputes with the POA in each of the last five years, and how many were resolved without recourse to industrial action.
The number of disputes or failures to agree declared under the Cubbon formula arrangements, the Disputes Procedure which replaced the formula in October 1989, and the Industrial Relations Procedural Agreement, which was introduced in July 1993, are as follows : In 1989/90, 61 disputes were declared at 46 establishments ; 30 disputes were resolved in that year.
In 1990/91, 119 disputes were declared at 77 establishments ; 91 disputes were resolved in that year.
In 1991/92, 130 disputes were declared at 61 establishments ; 134 disputes were resolved in that year.
In 1992/93, 38 disputes were declared at 34 establishments ; 76 were resolved in that year.
In 1993/94, 139 disputes (or failures to agree from 1 July 1993) were declared at 67 establishments ; 88 disputes/failures to agree were resolved in that year.
The vast majority of disputes were resolved without recourse to industrial action, the aim of the procedure being to provide a mechanism to resolve disagreements through discussion as quickly as possible at the lowest appropriate level. No strike action has been taken during the last five years (the last strikes by prison officers were at Holloway in 1988 and Wandsworth in early 1989). Where industrial action took place it varied in nature from, for example, a refusal to supply payphone cards to inmates, to action restricting prisoner intake and leading to locking out in police cells. In 1989/90 there were some episodes of less severe action, including at Canterbury, Lindholme and Wymott.
In 1990-91 industrial action took place at 12 establishments arising from local disputes and in some cases this resulted in prisoners being accommodated in police cells. Industrial action also took place at ten establishments arising from the April 1990 prison disturbances, where POA branches would not accept prisoners from outside their catchment areas.
In 1991/92 industrial action took place at 11 establishments in connection with the disputes. Action at Winchester carried over into the following year and ended in June 1992. There has been no subsequent industrial action associated with disputes or failures to agree at individual establishments. There was national action, amounting to a work to rule, from 5 November 1993, until the Home Secretary obtained an interlocutory injunction on 18 November, restraining the POA from pursuing further planned industrial action, namely locking out' prisoners.
The threatened action would have put 1,700 prisoners in police cells in a matter of 72 hours. The disruption to the prison system, the police, the courts, prisoners, their families and legal advisers would have been very considerable, and would have filled up almost all the available police cell capacity in an unmanageably brief period. The cost to the taxpayer would have been nearly one million pounds over those three days.
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