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Mr. Key : Differences in the aromatic and benzene content of petrol are the result of the refinery processes used to make the components of the fuel. Benzene in petrol is controlled at 5 per cent. maximum by EC directive and available data indicate that the present content for United Kingdom fuels averages some 2 per cent., a reduction on previous findings. There is no significant upward or downward trend in the aromatic content of United
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Kingdom petrols, though the overall percentage of aromatics in unleaded fuel is slightly higher than in leaded. Lead added to petrol is restricted by EC directive to 0.15 per cent. grams/litre maximum. Average content varies between 0.12 and 0.14 per cent. grams/litre. Benzene in exhaust gases is, however, principally a product of the combustion process rather than the fuel itself. Of the trace quantities created in the combustion process over three quarters are removed by catalytic convertors. All pollution from motor vehicles, including benzene, is falling as a result of tighter controls on emissions.Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the benefits of super-unleaded fuel over unleaded fuel ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : High octane super unleaded petrol gives motorists whose cars were not originally designed to run on unleaded fuel the opportunity of choosing a fuel which will bring environmental benefits through a reduction of lead in the atmosphere. Current usage averages some 6 per cent. of total petrol sales and is expected to decline as cars built prior to 1991 are phased out. After this date all cars have been designed to use premium unleaded petrol.
Catalytic Convertors
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate there is of the number of motor vehicles which are equipped with catalytic convertors ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : The precise number of vehicles fitted with catalytic convertors is not known, but is estimated at approximately 3 million or 15 per cent. of the total licensed passenger car fleet, excluding diesel cars.
Shipping Incidents, Bristol Channel
Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents have taken place involving commercial (a) fishing vessels and (b) merchant ships in
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the Bristol channel during each of the last five years ; and how many lives have been lost as a result of those incidents.Mr. Norris : The figures given relate to incidents involving UK- registered merchant or fishing vessels where it has been established that the accident happened in the Bristol channel. The figures are given only for the years shown as information relating to a particular sea area can only readily be obtained from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch computerised accident database. The database contains data from 1991 onwards only. To obtain the information requested for 1989 and 1990 would entail a great deal of research of the manual records for those years.
|1991 |1992 |1993 |1994
|(to
|date)
----------------------------------------------------------
Registered Fishing vessels |6 |2 |13 |3
Registered Merchant vessels |2 |1 |- |1
None of the incidents involved loss of life, but the Department is aware that an incident involving an unregistered fishing vessel resulted in the death of two sea anglers.
Coastguard Service
Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give for each of the last 10 years the full details of (a) coastguard station closures and (b) the number of sector posts reduced by (i) promotion, (ii) retirement and (iii) non-filling of vacant posts.
Mr. Norris : In the last 10 years the following coastguard rescue centres have been closed : Shoreham--1983 ; Tees--1984 ; Hartland Point-- 1988 ; Peterhead--1989 ; and Ramsey--1989.
There have been no sector posts reduced in the last 10 years by promotion, retirement or the non-filling of vacant posts.
Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which office posts, in which districts, will be affected by the proposed efficiency savings for the Coastguard Service ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris : The Coastguard Agency, along with other DOT executive agencies, has submitted proposals on how a 20 per cent. improvement in efficiency could be achieved. The Secretary of State is currently considering these proposals. No decisions have yet been made and it is not possible to give details of the office posts or districts which will be affected.
Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of staff competence arising from fatigue relating to changed duties in coastguard stations around the country ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris : During the 12 years that HM coastguard's existing watch structure in rescue co-ordination centres has been in place, there has been no documented evidence to suggest it has been necessary to conduct an assessment of the effect of staff competence arising from fatigue.
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Driving Tests
Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will reconsider his policy to suspend the practice of allowing heavy goods vehicles and motor cycle driving schools to block-book test slots.
Mr. Key : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Driving Standards Agency under its chief executive, Dr. Ford, and I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. The agency's deputy chief executive, Mr. Lobo, will answer in Dr. Ford's absence on leave.
Letter from G. Lobo to Ms Joan Walley, dated 12 July 1994 : The Secretary of State has asked the Chief Executive to reply to your question about the plans to end the present block-booking arrangements for motorcycle and large vehicle driving tests. I am replying as Dr. Ford is on annual leave.
Block-booking is an arrangement that has enabled certain trainers to reserve blocks of test appointments without nominating candidates to use the appointment. This has commercial attractions to those training bodies as it enables them to coordinate their training programmes with test appointments that they control. Trainers have not been charged a fee for this special facility ; indeed they have frequently not submitted payments for the block-booked appointments when they were reserved, whereas tests are normally paid for when they are booked.
Block-booking has not been operating satisfactorily. It has involved the Agency operating a shadow booking system and administering the individual agreements. Reserving test appointments where a candidate does not exist has prevented those appointments being used by other prospective candidates and led to examiner time being wasted thus reducing productivity and increasing costs. All of this has added to the cost of the service which has had to be recovered from the test fees paid by candidates. The change is part of a package of measures to reduce the Agency's costs by an estimated £148,000 annually. All parts of the Department have been tasked with finding 20 efficiency savings over the next two years and this package will help the DSA to achieve part of that objective. Some trainers have indicated that they wish to make proposals about how the booking system could be developed in ways that would help training organisations without the problems of the present block-booking system. The Agency will consider those closely.
MV Derbyshire
Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the report presented by the International Transport Workers' Federation in respect of the search for the MV Derbyshire ; and when he now expects to make a further statement.
Mr. Norris : The Department has not received such a report from the International Transport Workers Federation.
The technical material which has been received is currently being examined by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch. When that examination is complete the chief inspector of marine accidents will advise my right hon. Friend on the course of action which he recommends.
Highways Agency
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to make announcements on restructuring of the Highways Agency
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only while Parliament is sitting and to inform immediately those hon. Members with Highways Agency facilities in their constituencies of his proposals.Mr. Key : An announcement on Highways Agency restructuring will be made as soon as possible. My right hon. Friend has asked the chief executive of the agency to consider what arrangements are appropriate for informing hon. Members with Highways Agency facilities in their constituencies.
Transport Supplementary Grant
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the level of transport supplementary grant in each year since 1990 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : Transport supplementary grant is payable to local highway authorities in England. The amounts of TSG made available in each of the last five settlements are as follows :
|£ million
------------------------------
1990-91 |233.125
1991-92 |317.790
1992-93 |370.000
1993-94 |430.841
1994-95 |329.433
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the projected figure for transport supplementary grant for 1995-96 based on the Government's expenditure plans for transport ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : The amount of transport supplementary grant to be distributed to local authorities in 1995-96 will be determined later this year in the light of the total resources available for transport investment and the bids submitted by local authorities.
Auxiliary Coastguard Service
Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his budget for volunteer auxiliary coastguards in each of the last 10 years as a percentage of the budget for officer posts ; and on how many occasions and in what circumstances auxiliary coastguards have been used in excess of 16 hours per week.
Mr. Norris : The budget for volunteer auxiliary coastguards for each year as a percentage of the budget for officer posts, including a small number of administrative staff was : 1990-91, 16.7 per cent. ; 1991-92, 18.3 per cent. ; 1992-93, 16.8 per cent. ; 1993-94, 15.7 per cent. ; 1994- 95, 13.7 per cent. The figures for the years 1984 to 1989 are not now available as a different accounting system was then used.
Details of how many occasions in the last 10 years and in what circumstances auxiliary coastguards have been used in excess of 16 hours per week could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out the details of (a) insurance liability and (b) responsibility for health and safety matters in respect of auxiliary coastguards ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris : Auxiliary coastguards are volunteers. They have a call on the principal civil service pension scheme in
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the event of injury while on duty, limited to impairment of earning capacity. In all other insurance matters they receive the same cover as regular staff while on duty.Auxiliary coastguards are covered by the same health and safety arrangements as apply to regular staff.
Transport of Children
Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he will now take to ensure that councils do not suffer financially by allocating a seat to every child on a school bus ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : The Public Service Vehicles (Carrying Capacity) Regulations 1984 permit three children, each of whom is under 14, to share a double seat and count as two passengers.
The Government are considering the way forward as part of the wider review.
Lorry Bans
Ms Jowell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has held with the Metropolitan and the City of London police on the enforcement of the London night-time and weekend lorry ban.
Mr. Norris : Enforcement of the ban is the responsibility of the London borough councils and the police. Informal contact with the Metropolitan police has indicated they see no particular difficulties with the Government's proposals to amend the ban. Once the Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill receives Royal Assent the police will be consulted on any draft order to amend the ban under the provisions of clause 24.
Hartland MRSC
Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the need for additional staff arising from increased incidents following the closure of Hartland maritime rescue sub- centre in 1988.
Mr. Norris : Following the closure of Hartland maritime rescue sub- centre in 1988, staff complements were increased in the Maritime rescue co- ordination centre Seansea and an extra sector post established in the north Devon area. Experience since indicates that no additional staff are necessary.
Driving Tests (Fraud)
Mr. Spellar : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his Department's estimate of the scale of fraud in taking driving tests ; and what steps are being taken to prevent abuse.
Mr. Key : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Driving Standards Agency under its chief executive, Dr. Ford, and I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. The agency's deputy chief executive, Mr. Lobo, will answer in Dr. Ford's absence on leave.
Letter from G. Lobo to Mr. John Spellar, dated 12 July 1994 : The Secretary of State has asked the Chief Executive to reply to your question about preventing fraud at the driving test. I am replying as Dr. Ford is on annual leave.
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The driving test provides an important safeguard for road safety and the risk of impersonation of driving test candidates is viewed seriously. A conviction could lead to a £5,000 fine or 2 years imprisonment.Test candidates are required to establish their identity at the start of the test, normally by showing the examiner their provisional driving licence. Candidates also provide a signature and examiners check that against the signature on candidates' driving licences. Driving examiners are trained to distinguish between experienced and learner drivers. If there are grounds for suspicion the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency can delay issuing the licence until the matter has been fully investigated. This system will be further strengthened by the introduction of photographs on driving licences planned from July 1996.
Notwithstanding recent well publicised instances of candidate impersonation, the Agency does not have evidence to indicate that this is a large scale problem. Over the last 12 months there have been nine convictions for the offence nationally compared with 1.7 million driving tests conducted, similar to the number in previous years.
Driver Licensing
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what date he intends (a) to go out to consultation on and (b) to implement regulations under the European Communities Act 1972 to implement the second EC directive on driver licensing.
Mr. Key [holding answer 5 July 1994] : Consultation on the second EC directive on driver licensing began on 31 March and ended on 24 June. Regulations to be made under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 to implement the directive will be made as soon as remaining questions of interpretation have been clarified with the European Commission. The directive will come into effect on the due date of 1 July 1996.
Pollution (Marine Incidents)
Mr. Gerrard : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the date, the cause of the accident, and the extent of any resultant pollution for maritime losses, collisions and contacts in 1993 and 1994 to date in the sea areas of the Irish sea and the English channel.
Mr. Norris : The information given in the table relates to incidents involving one or more United Kingdom registered merchant or fishing vessels where is has been established that the accident happened in either the Irish sea or the English channel.
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Date |Accident |Vessel
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Losses, collisions and contacts in the Irish sea
1993
6 January |Collision |Stephanie Jane/OSA Vooyager
27 February |Collision |Breaksea/Tourmalet
22 May |Stranding/Loss |Darmel
14 July |Collision |Amber Rose/Opossum
31 July |Stranding/Loss |Coeur De Lion
17 September |Collision |Oakgarth/Bay Driller
21 September |Grounding/Loss |Defiance III
27 October |Contact |Artful Dodger III
23 November |Contact |James Mervyn of Porthgain
1994
16 January |Foundering/Loss |Katy
19 April |Foundering/Loss |Malin
Losses, collisions and contacts in the English Channel
1993
4 January |Foundering/Loss |Lisa Marie
7 January |Foundering/Loss |Doomey D
28 January |Foundering/Loss |Helbri of Plymouth
16 February |Collision |Reseda/HMS Cornwall
16 February |Capsizing/Loss |Lia-G
2 March |Foundering/Loss |Charlynne II
18 March |Foundering/Loss |Heather Amorel
18 April |Foundering/Loss |Nil Desperandum II
17 July<1> |Collision/Loss |M.D.A.C./Lady Mira
25 July |Collision |Sea Lady/Ocean Hound
23 August |Collision |Condor 9/Huelin Despatch
26 August |Contact |Norleader
11 September |Contact |Cowes Castle
25 September |Collision |Pride of Winchester/Duchess Anne
26 September |Collision |Press On/Marcon Sabre
30 September |Collision |Girl Allison II/Steel Fisher
1994
19 January |Contact |Dowlais
27 January |Contact |Pride of Hampshire
4 March |Foundering/Loss |Karen Marie II
26 March |Collision |Canari/Jacomina
28 March |Foundering/Loss |Karma
30 March |Collision |Our Zoe Anne/Largs Bay
<1> The pleasure craft Lady Mira was lost after collision with the fishing vessel M.D.A.C.
There was very minor pollution in respect of the stranding/loss of the Coeur De Lion.
There was very minor pollution in respect of the capsizing/loss of the LIA-G, the foundering/loss of the Charlynne II and the
foundering/loss of Heather Armorel.
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WALES
Welsh Development Agency
Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how much the Welsh Development Agency spent on legal fees in each year in the period 1983 to 1993 ;
(2) what was the cost of the consultant hired by the Welsh Development Agency to report on a project entitled "Jobs and Pay" ; and why its proposals were not implemented.
Mr. Redwood : I will arrange for the chief executive of the agency to write to the hon. Member and for a copy of his letter to be placed in the Library of the House.
Public Bodies
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of the Welsh Development Agency, the Development Board for Rural Wales and the Land Authority for Wales are councillors.
Mr. Redwood : None of the current board members of the Welsh Development Agency is a councillor ; 30 per cent.--three--of members of the Development Board for Rural Wales are councillors, which will be increased to five members following my statement on 7 July ; and 50 per cent.--four-- of members of the Land Authority for Wales are councillors.
Water Quality (Llandudno and Rhyl)
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what initiatives he intends to take to improve water quality of Llandudno west shore and Rhyl beaches ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Dwr Cymru's programme of improvements to bathing waters includes schemes at both of these waters which should be completed next year. The schemes are designed to enable the waters to meet the mandatory standards in the European bathing water directive.
Unemployment
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the change in the numbers of the unemployed since May 1979 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : On a consistent and seasonally adjusted basis the number of claimant unemployed in Wales was 68,700 in May 1979 and 122,200 in May 1994, an increase of 53,500.
Historic Buildings
Mr. Elfyn Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many buildings of historical importance are currently being renovated in (a) Gwynedd, (b) Clwyd, (c) Dyfed, (d) Powys, (e) Gwent, (f) South Glamorgan, (g) Mid Glamorgan, (h) West Glamorgan and (i) Wales as a whole ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to Cadw : Welsh Historic Monuments executive agency under its chief executive, John Carr. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Column 624
Letter from E. A. J. Carr to Mr. Elfyn Llwyd, dated 13 July 1994 :The Secretary of State for Wales has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question originally put to the Secretary of State for National Heritage about the renovation of buildings of historical importance.
There is no centrally collected information on the number of buildings of historical importance being renovated in Wales. What we do know is of Wales stock of some 16,165 buildings listed as being of special architectural or historic importance how many are the subject of listed building consent. The attached table [1] sets out this information.
The other area in which we do have information relates to buildings which are receiving grant aid from Cadw. I have set out in the attached table [2] the numbers of properties currently the subject of grant aid.
I hope this information is helpful. If you require more detailed information please do let me know and we will seek to provide it.
(Table 1)
1993-94
Number of LBC applications
received by CADW for each
county
|Number
------------------------------
Clwyd |78
Dyfed |147
Gwent |64
Gwynedd |86
Mid Glamorgan |35
Powys |114
South Glamorgan |51
West Glamorgan |19
|---
|594
Alter/extend/partially
demolish=584.
Total demolition=10.
(Table 2)Live grant cases (
CADW)
|Number
------------------------------
Clwyd |54
Dyfed |62
Gwent |55
Gwynedd |60
Mid Glamorgan |15
Powys |62
South Glamorgan |28
West Glamorgan |17
|---
Total |353
Schools (Security)
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will outline his policies as they impinge upon meassures concerning the safety and the welfare of pupils on the school site with specific reference to the need for schools to be secure from casual visitors and passers by ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what is his assessment of whether the infant and primary schools of Wales are safe and secure from the point of view of the personal safety of the children during school hours ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : It is the responsibility of individual local education authorities to ensure the health and safety of all children attending schools within their area. With regard to grant-maintained schools, this responsibility falls to the governing body of each school. Clearly, security is an important issue and local authorities and schools have a wealth of national guidance and advice to draw upon. They
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can also seek the assistance of the local police as necessary. I am satisfied that local education authorities and schools take these responsibilities seriously.NHS Trusts
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list by wave (a) the number of non-executive directors of NHS trust hospitals and (b) the number of chairs of NHS trust hospitals, by salary band.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The information is as follows :
Non-executive directors-1992-5 1993-62 1994-43 Chairmen's Salary |1992 |1993 |1994 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Band 1 (£19,285) |- |5 |2 Band 2 (£17,145) |1 |7 |5 Band 3 (£15,125) |- |1 |3
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the cost of installing capital equipment in each of the hospital trusts of Wales over the last year; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Information about the cost of installing capital equipment is not held centrally.
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Community Care
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the number of people employed in community care in (a) Clwyd and (b) Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The whole-time equivalent numbers of staff directly employed by local authority social services departments to provide day and domiciliary services are as follows :
Staff in post at 30 September 1992.
Clwyd 544.7
Wales 5,752.3
These figures exclude local authority staff employed in the areas of care assessment, social work support and management and also exclude staff of other contracted agencies.
Health Service Staff
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give the latest figures and list for each of the last four years by region the number of (a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) midwives, (d) health visitors, (e) administration and clerical staff and (f) managers.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The available information is given in the table.
Column 625
Staff in post
(whole-time
equivalents) at
Health authority |September 1990 |September 1991 |September 1992 |September 1993 |March 1994
area<1>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd
Doctors<2> |312 |315 |331 |353 |-
Nursing and Midwifery staff<3>:
Learners |406 |296 |169 |67 |12
Other |3,174 |3,270 |3,348 |3,328 |3,366
Administrative and clerical staff |840 |886 |944 |935 |944
Managers<4> |51 |98 |136 |147 |154
East Dyfed
Doctors<2> |223 |213 |224 |246 |-
Nursing and Midwifery staff<3>:
Learners |210 |208 |138 |70 |36
Other |2,043 |2,018 |2,052 |2,061 |2,046
Administrative and clerical staff |598 |636 |672 |688 |688
Managers<4> |36 |61 |70 |102 |108
Gwent
Doctors<2> |362 |367 |391 |400 |-
Nursing and Midwifery staff<3>
Learners |364 |366 |239 |120 |70
Other |4,014 |3,924 |3,864 |3,747 |3,692
Administrative and clerical staff |980 |1,014 |1,018 |975 |975
Managers<4> |51 |69 |83 |129 |134
Gwynedd
Doctors<2> |175 |175 |193 |212 |-
Nursing and Midwifery staff<3>:
Learners |230 |165 |99 |30 |3
Other |1,912 |1,920 |1,968 |2,049 |2,035
Administrative and clerical staff |549 |574 |607 |631 |625
Managers<4> |21 |31 |66 |74 |76
Mid Glamorgan
Doctors<2> |423 |429 |452 |473 |-
Nursing and Midwifery staff<3>:
Learners |626 |635 |461 |269 |145
Other |4,777 |4,777 |4,901 |4,808
Administrative and clerical staff |1,149 |1,184 |1,206 |1,184 |1,179
Managers<4> |235 |89 |90 |132 |145
Pembrokeshire
Doctors<2> |79 |82 |87 |93 |-
Nursing and Midwifery staff<3>
Learners |56 |56 |36 |21 |10
Other |677 |686 |643 |544 |525
Administrative and clerical staff |212 |233 |154 |107 |92
Managers<4> |16 |17 |3 |1 |1
Powys
Doctors<2> |42 |39 |43 |43 |-
Nursing and Midwifery staff<3>:
Learners |53 |50 |34 |23 |19
Other |1,059 |1,084 |1,044 |1,010 |1,009
Administrative and clerical staff |201 |216 |229 |243 |241
Managers<4> |25 |38 |39 |52 |54
South Glamorgan
Doctors<2> |679 |684 |697 |702 |-
Nursing and Midwifery staff<3>:
Learners |628 |678 |455 |250 |159
Other |4,309 |4,197 |4,378 |4,359 |4,390
Administrative and clerical staff |1,566 |1,598 |1,716 |1,674 |1,668
Managers<4> |87 |133 |187 |183 |189
West Glamorgan
Doctors<2> |339 |371 |398 |398 |-
Nursing and Midwifery staff<3>:
Learners |502 |480 |338 |183 |118
Other |3,043 |3,080 |3,181 |3,222 |3,265
Administrative and clerical staff |900 |940 |1,005 |1,074 |1,083
Managers<4> |67 |79 |89 |93 |101
WHCSA<5>
Doctors<2> |14 |14 |14 |14 |-
Nursing and Midwifery staff<3>:
Learners |- |- |- |- |-
Other |10 |72 |73 |77 |73
Administrative and clerical staff |658 |766 |794 |1,064 |1,046
Managers<4> |27 |70 |86 |117 |133
Wales
Doctors<2> |2,648 |2,689 |2,821 |2,934 |-
Nursing and Midwifery staff<3> |- |- |- |- |-
Learners |3,075 |2,934 |1,970 |1,033 |572
Other |25,018 |25,028 |25,451 |25,206 |25,153
Administrative and clerical staff |7,653 |8,050 |8,347 |8,577 |8,540
Managers<4> |416 |683 |848 |1,028 |1,095
Notes:
<1> Includes staff employed by those Family Health Service Authorities using Health Authority payroll systems.
The use of locally devised payscales from 1991 may affect the comparability of figures as these staff cannot be allocated centrally to
specific staff group and are not, therefore, included above. This affects figures for Pembrokeshire in particular.
Staff employed by NHS Trusts have been amalgamated with the health authority area in which they are situated in order to show comparisons
over time.
<2> Doctors working in the hospital and community health service. The figures are obtained from an annual census of staff in post on 30
September and, therefore, no figures are available for March 1994.
<3> Reliable estimates of the numbers of nursing staff employed in specific occupational groups, such as midwives and health visitors,
are not available centrally. Since the autumn of 1991 learner (student) nurses have been classified as students and are no longer
included in the NHS staff figures. Learner staff numbers shown in the table for 1992 onwards are learners finishing courses started
before this change took place.
<4> General managers, senior managers and managers.
<5> Certain responsibilities and staff have transferred to the Welsh Health Common Services Authority from Health Authorities in recent
years, affecting the comparability of figures over time.
Customs House School, Deeside
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will meet the chairman of the Education Assets Board and direct him to reverse his decision to transfer to and vest in the Deeside College a property within the grounds of Customs House county primary school, Deeside, Clwyd ;
(2) if he will make a statement concerning his working relations with the Education Assets Board (Leeds) ;
(3) if he will meet the chairman and governors of Customs House county primary school, Deeside to discuss their plans for the future of the school.
Column 628
Sir Wyn Roberts : The Education Assets Board has responsibility under section 36 of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 to secure that the transfer of property, rights and liabilities from any local authority to a further education corporation is fully effective. Where there is a disagreement about whether or not an asset should transfer, the board considers representations from each side before making a direction to the effect either that the asset should remain in local authority ownership or that it should transfer to the corporation. Both the local authority and the further education corporation have a right to appeal to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Wales against a direction made by the board.
No appeal has been received in respect of the board's decision that ownership of a property within the grounds of
Column 629
Customs House CP school, Deeside, Clwyd should transfer to the Deeside further education corporation. If an appeal is received, my right hon. Friend will give it careful consideration.The Education Assets Board keeps the Welsh Office informed of the progress it is making in effecting the transfer of assets to the further education corporations and any disputes which arise in the course of its work.
My right hon. Friend has no plans to meet the chairman and governors of Customs House CP school. I have met both the headmaster and a governor of the school with the hon. Member.
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