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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 21 July 1994
EMPLOYMENT
Job Clubs
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many (a) men and (b) women have (i) participated in job clubs each year since the scheme started and (ii) have attended job search seminars both in Great Britain and in each region in each quarter since their inception.
Miss Widdecombe : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from A. G. Johnson to Mr. Tony Lloyd, dated 21 July 1994 :
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The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking for information about the number of men and women participating in Jobclub and job search seminars since their inception. I am replying in the Chief Executive's absence. In our reply of 8 March 1994, we gave you details of men and women participating in Jobclubs in each year between April 1986 to December 1993 and the number of men and women attending job search seminars in each quarter between August 1991 to January 1994.The updated information for Jobclub covering the period January to March 1994 is in Table A with earlier figures repeated for ease of reference. The updated information for job search seminars, including the regional breakdown, covers the period August 1991 to April 1994 is in Table B.
As we explained in our earlier reply, we do not keep statistics on the gender of job search seminar participants. Results from sample survey of the gender of Jobclub members in 1993-94 are now available and have been used to calculate the figures shown in Table B. I hope this is helpful.
Table A-Total number of Jobclub participants: Proportion of Males and Females Year |Throughflow|Males |Females ------------------------------------------------------------ 1985-86 |<1>(1,994) |n/a |n/a 1986-87 |<1>(20,606)|15,867 |4,739 1987-88 |105,677 |80,314 |25,363 1988-89 |132,262 |97,874 |34,388 1989-90 |140,095 |102,269 |37,826 1990-91 |134,712 |102,381 |32,331 1991-92 |176,140 |140,470 |35,670 1992-93 |216,679 |173,343 |43,336 1993-94 |231,325 |182,747 |48,578 <1>Denotes estimated figures.
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Table B-Number of attenders in job search seminars from August 1991
Quarter ending Regions Total
|NR |YH |EM |LSE |SW |OW |WM |NW |SC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
September 1991 |126 |- |9 |360 |126 |111 |142 |272 |128 |1,274
December 1991 |675 |987 |1,173 |4,059 |1,409 |884 |998 |1,495 |2,107 |13,787
March 1992 |1,238 |1,650 |1,705 |5,937 |2,315 |962 |1,587 |2,123 |2,053 |19,570
June 1992 |1,156 |1,499 |1,789 |6,321 |2,217 |950 |1,740 |2,492 |2,015 |20,179
September 1992 |1,174 |1,744 |1,828 |7,158 |2,355 |1,076 |1,707 |2,818 |2,267 |22,127
December 1992 |1,227 |2,083 |1,855 |7,567 |2,421 |1,193 |1,771 |2,890 |1,959 |22,966
March 1993 |1,396 |1,976 |2,246 |7,914 |1,005 |690 |1,120 |2,930 |1,658 |20,935
June 1993 |1,023 |1,974 |1,813 |6,017 |712 |635 |936 |2,041 |1,368 |16,519
September 1993 |747 |1,554 |1,165 |6,611 |1,392 |684 |1,051 |1,482 |1,163 |15,849
December 1993 |847 |1,726 |1,110 |6,762 |1,791 |547 |1,463 |1,437 |1,485 |17,168
March 1994 |954 |1,774 |1,069 |8,209 |3,040 |601 |1,194 |1,326 |1,113 |19,280
Key
NR=Northern Region.
EM=East Midlands and Eastern.
SW=South West.
WM=West Midlands.
OS=Office for Scotland.
YH=Yorkshire and Humberside.
LSE=London and South East.
OW=Office for Wales.
NW=North West.
Labour Statistics
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the top five parliamentary constituencies with (a) the highest level of unemployment and (b) the lowest level, at the latest date for which figures are available.
Miss Widdecombe : Official unemployment rates are not available for constituencies and it is only unemployment rates that provide meaningful rankings for areas with different sized work forces. Rates are available by travel-to-work areas and by region.
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Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the latest unemployment figures for Liverpool, Riverside.
Miss Widdecombe : In June 1994, claimant unemployment in the Liverpool, Riverside constituency stood at 6,748 the lowest monthly level since constituency figures became available in June 1983. These figures are on the unadjusted basis and therefore reflect seasonal factors and discontinuities in the count.
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans Her Majesty's Government have for reducing the level of unemployment on Merseyside.
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Miss Widdecombe : I regret that it has not been possible to provide an answer prior to the summer recess. I shall ensure that the hon. Member receives a reply as soon as possible and arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list for six-monthly periods from January 1979 to date how many of the vacancies notified to jobcentres in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) each region were (i) full-time and (ii) part-time and (1) permanent and (2) temporary.
Miss Widdecombe : I regret that it has not been possible to provide an answer prior to the summer recess. I shall ensure that the hon. Member receives a reply as soon as possible and arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library.
Job Workshops
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many (a) men and (b) women have attended job review workshops in each month since their inception ; and what are the regional figures for attendance by (i) men and (ii) women at these workshops.
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Miss Widdecombe : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from A. G. Johnson to Mr. Tony Lloyd, dated 21 July 1994 :
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the number of men and women who have attended Job Review Workshops in each month since their inception and by region. I am replying in the Chief Executives absence.
Job Review Workshops were launched in October 1991 to help newly unemployed people review their career path and set clear job goals suited to their skills, experience and preferences. The programme is particularly suitable for professional, managerial and executive jobseekers who want to consider alternative careers.
Statistical data was collected monthly until March 1993. From April 1993 information has been collected on a quarterly basis. I attach tables which show, by region, the number of men and women attending the Workshops since their inception until March 1994. I hope this is helpful.
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Job Review Workshops
April 1993-March 1994
Region Male/Female |Quarter 1 |Quarter 2 |Quarter 3 |Quarter 4 |Regional Totals
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern
Male |207 |217 |261 |193 |878
Female |60 |68 |84 |67 |279
Yorkshire and Humberside
Male |693 |707 |662 |614 |2,676
Female |136 |166 |186 |161 |649
East Midlands
Male |713 |725 |626 |586 |2,650
Female |174 |155 |124 |136 |589
London and South East
Male |2,868 |3,033 |3,185 |3,174 |12,260
Female |823 |951 |957 |1,040 |3,771
South West
Male |759 |594 |692 |1,154 |3,199
Female |186 |167 |169 |315 |837
Wales
Male |267 |207 |249 |293 |1,016
Female |55 |45 |75 |76 |251
West Midlands
Male |448 |453 |465 |458 |1,824
Female |83 |90 |129 |131 |433
North West
Male |675 |582 |661 |667 |2,585
Female |156 |166 |140 |168 |630
Scotland
Male |506 |441 |547 |570 |2,064
Female |153 |168 |190 |191 |702
National
Male |7,136 |6,959 |7,348 |7,709 |29,152
Female |1,826 |1,976 |2,054 |2,285 |8,141
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Job review workshops
Region Male/Female |April |May |June |July |August |September |October |November |December |January |February |March |Regional
|totals
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 1992-March 1993
Northern
Male |85 |96 |55 |78 |46 |67 |127 |115 |85 |84 |48 |86 |972
Female |19 |28 |23 |14 |28 |11 |56 |38 |11 |31 |8 |16 |283
Yorkshire and Humberside
Male |175 |245 |148 |200 |176 |187 |262 |251 |183 |250 |175 |225 |2,477
Female |41 |58 |40 |43 |33 |29 |63 |105 |76 |74 |41 |38 |641
East Midlands
Male |201 |251 |226 |239 |225 |203 |308 |205 |217 |308 |254 |277 |2,914
Female |36 |69 |41 |53 |39 |43 |51 |52 |23 |38 |57 |71 |573
London and South East
Male |849 |990 |1,018 |1,379 |1,342 |1,142 |1,160 |1,189 |960 |1,287 |1,839 |1,153 |14,308
Female |257 |233 |262 |402 |393 |327 |334 |358 |305 |382 |489 |357 |4,099
South West
Male |192 |302 |251 |341 |194 |275 |326 |334 |247 |337 |282 |217 |3,298
Female |46 |74 |40 |72 |30 |54 |73 |81 |51 |84 |69 |59 |733
Wales
Male |42 |183 |72 |126 |43 |117 |106 |124 |64 |134 |48 |97 |1,156
Female |6 |24 |17 |33 |11 |10 |20 |33 |11 |32 |10 |23 |230
West Midlands
Male |165 |215 |169 |182 |102 |167 |229 |228 |143 |204 |200 |202 |2,206
Female |24 |53 |24 |44 |15 |18 |38 |32 |20 |27 |39 |45 |379
North West
Male |197 |309 |236 |268 |156 |314 |316 |329 |264 |318 |268 |350 |3,325
Female |46 |68 |38 |63 |45 |60 |72 |64 |41 |62 |60 |48 |667
Scotland
Male |198 |168 |439 |500 |326 |230 |199 |211 |131 |198 |125 |278 |3,003
Female |53 |41 |51 |62 |58 |58 |51 |69 |36 |50 |37 |85 |651
National
Male |2,104 |2,759 |2,614 |3,313 |2,610 |2,702 |3,033 |2,986 |2,294 |3,120 |3,239 |2,885 |33,659
Female |528 |648 |536 |786 |652 |610 |758 |832 |574 |780 |810 |742 |8,256
October 1991-March 1992
Northern
Male |- |- |- |- |- |- |37 |64 |28 |93 |100 |103 |425
Female |- |- |- |- |- |- |10 |15 |8 |20 |33 |19 |105
Yorkshire and Humberside
Male |- |- |- |- |- |- |34 |93 |126 |153 |185 |270 |861
Female |- |- |- |- |- |- |17 |27 |32 |31 |32 |51 |190
East Midlands
Male |- |- |- |- |- |- |9 |150 |159 |276 |231 |252 |1,077
Female |- |- |- |- |- |- |3 |27 |25 |46 |39 |46 |186
London and South East
Male |- |- |- |- |- |- |286 |807 |653 |993 |1,190 |1,714 |5,643
Female |- |- |- |- |- |- |79 |206 |149 |233 |363 |413 |1,443
South West
Male |- |- |- |- |- |- |11 |163 |173 |226 |229 |280 |1,082
Female |- |- |- |- |- |- |14 |27 |33 |56 |54 |46 |230
Wales
Male |- |- |- |- |- |- |105 |117 |70 |112 |166 |154 |724
Female |- |- |- |- |- |- |8 |17 |7 |24 |33 |33 |122
West Midlands
Male |- |- |- |- |- |- |14 |62 |98 |107 |146 |232 |659
Female |- |- |- |- |- |- |5 |5 |13 |25 |30 |56 |134
North West
Male |- |- |- |- |- |- |8 |159 |117 |192 |221 |279 |976
Female |- |- |- |- |- |- |2 |39 |16 |45 |51 |69 |222
Scotland
Male |- |- |- |- |- |- |40 |202 |99 |150 |264 |194 |949
Female |- |- |- |- |- |- |20 |90 |30 |45 |88 |57 |330
National
Male |- |- |- |- |- |- |544 |1,817 |1,523 |2,302 |2,732 |3,478 |12,396
Female |- |- |- |- |- |- |158 |453 |313 |525 |723 |790 |2,962
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many (a) men and (b) women have participated in job plan workshops in (i) Great Britain and (ii) each region since their inception ; and what evidence he has of positive outcomes nationally and regionally for those who attend job plan workshops.
Miss Widdecombe : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from A G Johnson to Mr. Tony Lloyd, dated 21 July 1994 :
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The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the number of men and women who have attended Jobplan workshops since their inception and what evidence there is of positive outcomes for those attending. You asked for this information both for Great Britain and for each region. I am replying in the Chief Executive's absence.It may help if I explain that Jobplan workshops are for people who have been unemployed for a year who refuse or fail to take up a place on an Employment Department programme at their Restart interview. Jobplan aims to help people compete more successfully for jobs and opportunities by allowing them to review their strengths and skills, establish clear job goals and draw up a comprehensive Action Plan, setting out the steps they need to take to get back to work. People who leave Jobplan may go directly into jobs or, where appropriate, onto other options such as training or Jobclub, which will help them back into work. The rate of referral to jobs or other options is reported by Jobplan Workshop providers and has been a key element in monitoring their performance.
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Jobplan Workshops were launched in April 1993. The tables in annex 1 and 2 show by region the number of men and women attending Jobplan and the rate of referrals to jobs or other opportunities achieved for 1993-94 and for April and May 1994. As you will see during 1993-94, 94 per cent. of workshop completers were referred to a job or an Employment Department employment or training programme or another option to help them back to work. This figure has risen to 96 per cent. in the first couple of months of this operational year. Comprehensive research into the longer term outcomes from Jobplan workshops in their first year of operation will be available later this year.I hope this is helpful.
Jobplan Workshops-Attenders and Positive Outcomes April and May
1994
Attenders Positive
|Male |Female |Outcome
|Rate
|(Referrals)
|Per cent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |2,481 |437 |92
Yorkshire and Humberside |3,446 |612 |96
East Midlands and Eastern |3,038 |611 |93
London and South East |11,807 |2,747 |98
South West |2,798 |580 |94
Wales |1,693 |270 |94
West Midlands |3,210 |721 |96
North West |5,169 |966 |95
Scotland |3,280 |598 |92
|----- |----- |-----
National |36,922 |7,542 |96
Jobplan Workshops-Attenders and Positive Outcomes April and May
1994
Attenders Positive
|Male |Female |Outcome
|Rate
|(Referrals)
|Per cent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |2,481 |437 |92
Yorkshire and Humberside |3,446 |612 |96
East Midlands and Eastern |3,038 |611 |93
London and South East |11,807 |2,747 |98
South West |2,798 |580 |94
Wales |1,693 |270 |94
West Midlands |3,210 |721 |96
North West |5,169 |966 |95
Scotland |3,280 |598 |92
|----- |----- |-----
National |36,922 |7,542 |96
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Community Action
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many (a) men and (b) women have participated in community action in each month since its inception ; and how many of these found work in Great Britain and in each region.
Miss Widdecombe : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from A. G. Johnson to Mr. Tony Lloyd, dated 21 July 1994 :
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the numbers of men and women who have participated in Community Action in each month since its inception and the numbers of men and women, in each region and in Great Britain, who have found work as a result of participation. I am replying in the Chief Executive's absence.
The numbers of male and female participants each month are given in annex 1.
Annex 2 shows the number of men and women who have left the programme and the numbers who have immediately entered paid employment on leaving for the period 27 July 1993 to 27 May 1994. This is the latest date for which figures are available. We expect that many more people will enter paid employment in the period following participation as a direct result of the help they have received through the programme.
I hope this is helpful.
Table showing the number of men and women who have participated in Community Action in each month since the programme began Month |Men |Women |Total ------------------------------------------- July 1993 |35 |1 |36 August 1993 |96 |13 |109 September 1993 |258 |35 |293 October 1993 |1,083 |207 |1,290 November 1993 |2,547 |566 |3,113 December 1993 |4,070 |857 |4,927 January 1994 |6,397 |1,464 |7,861 February 1994 |11,733|2,747 |14,480 March 1994 |18,914|4,467 |23,381 April 1994 |21,111|5,287 |26,398 May 1994 |23,505|5,966 |29,471
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Annex 2
Table showing the numbers of men and women who have left community action and the numbers who have directly entered paid
employment
27 July 1993 to 27 May 1994
|North |Yorkshire|East |London |South |West |West |North |South |Great
|West |and |Midlands |and |West |Midlands |West |Britain
|Humber- |and East |South
|side |East
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Males Leavers |416 |570 |556 |1,640 |579 |281 |675 |966 |501 |6,184
Female Leavers |66 |115 |118 |460 |105 |82 |196 |160 |117 |1,419
Total Leavers |482 |685 |674 |2,100 |684 |363 |871 |1,126 |618 |7,603
Males into work |42 |70 |73 |259 |95 |38 |79 |60 |45 |761
Females into work |6 |26 |26 |79 |21 |11 |25 |19 |12 |225
Total into work |48 |96 |99 |338 |116 |49 |104 |79 |57 |986
Labour Force Survey
Mr. Pickles : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to speed up the publication of results from the quarterly labour force survey.
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Miss Widdecombe : Following a programme of development work carried out during the last year, methods have now been developed which will make it possible, following a short running-in period, to release key results from the quarterly labour force survey only one and a half months after the end of each survey period.
The first accelerated LFS results--for the spring--March to May--1994 quarter will be published on
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Wednesday 17 August ; results for the summer --June to August--quarter will be published on Wednesday 12 October ; for the autumn quarter in mid-January and so on.The figures will cover total employment, including the service sector and self-employment ; full and part-time employment ; unemployment on the internationally standard International Labour Organisation definition ; and economic activity and ILO unemployment rates. Regional-territorial and broad industry analyses will also be provided.
Fuller data from the LFS will continue to be published to the existing timetable. For example, the full results for the spring 1994 quarter will be published in September and the full results for the summer quarter will be published in December.
Training
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what provisions and criteria for assessment are being used in respect of young partially disabled people in respect of the modern apprenticeship scheme announced in last year's Budget.
Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 19 July 1994] : My right hon. Friend the former Secretary of State made it clear that he wants to see modern apprenticeships open equally to all young people, and this is being built into all the developing frameworks. We shall monitor this aspect closely as modern apprenticeships are implemented in general.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what was (a) the total amount spent by his Department for training in Great Britain and in each region in each year since 1989-90, (b) the expected outturn in 1993-94 and (c) plans for 1994-95 all in (i) 1993-94 prices and (ii) cash terms ;
(2) what was the total expenditure by his Department on youth training in each of the last four years in (a) cash terms and (b) 1993-94 prices and in each region ; and what are the expected national and regional outturns for 1994-95 in cash terms and in 1993-94 prices ;
(3) how many (a) men and (b) women have attended a training for work courses in Great Britain and in each region ;
(4) what was the expenditure on youth training in Great Britain, both nationally and regionally, in cash terms and in 1993-94 prices in each year since 1989-90 ; and what are the expected outturns for 1993-94 ;
(5) what was the total expenditure by his Department for (a) employment training, (b) employment action and (c) training for work in each of the last four years and in each region in (i) cash terms and (ii) 1993-94 prices ; and what are the expected national and regional outturns for 1994- 95 ;
(6) what are his most recent estimates of the amount spent on training by (a) private employers, (b) public employers, (c) Government and (d) individuals in each of the last 10 years ; (7) what was the expenditure on (a) training for work, (b) employment training and its predecessors and (c) employment action in Great Britain, both nationally and regionally in (i) cash terms and (ii) 1993-94 prices in each year since 1989-90 ; and what are the expected outcomes for 1993-94.
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Miss Widdecombe : I regret that it has not been possible to provide an answer prior to the summer recess. I shall ensure that the hon. Member receives a reply as soon as possible and arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library.
National Vocational Qualifications
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many (a) males and (b) females have achieved NVQs at each level for each quarter since their inception.
Miss Widdecombe : I regret that it has not been possible to provide an answer prior to the summer recess. I shall ensure that the hon. Member receives a reply as soon as possible and arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list all those organisations approved by the National Council on Vocational Qualifications for external verification of such qualification at each of levels I, II and III.
Miss Widdecombe : I regret that it has not been possible to provide an answer prior to the summer recess. I shall ensure that the hon. Member receives a reply as soon as possible and arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library.
Work Start
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many of those who participated in the work start pilots have gone on to find jobs in each region of Great Britain ;
(2) what was the total cost of the work start pilots ; and what was their cost in each region.
Miss Widdecombe : I regret that it has not been possible to provide an answer prior to the summer recess. I shall ensure that the hon. Member receives a reply as soon as possible and arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library.
Investors in People
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many companies have signed up for investors in people ; and how many have achieved this status, in each month since its inception.
Miss Widdecombe : I regret that it has not been possible to provide an answer prior to the summer recess. I shall ensure that the hon. Member receives a reply as soon as possible and arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library.
Business Start-up and Enterprise Allowance
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people have participated, both nationally and regionally, in (a) business start-up and (b) the enterprise allowance scheme in each year since their inception.
Miss Widdecombe : I regret that it has not been possible to provide an answer prior to the summer recess.
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I shall ensure that the hon. Member receives a reply as soon as possible and arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library.Disabled People
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many disabled people in the United Kingdom and in each region of working age are neither in work nor training ; and what percentage of the disabled population in this age group this represents.
Miss Widdecombe : I regret that it has not been possible to provide an answer prior to the summer recess. I shall ensure that the hon. Member receives a reply as soon as possible and arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library.
Industrial Injuries
Mr. Alan Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what transitional protection will be afforded to non-employed status trainees hitherto eligible to benefit under his Department's analogous industrial injuries scheme, following the enactment of the Social Security (Incapacity For Work) Act 1994 ; and what transitional arrangements will apply for participants in other schemes funded through his Department and affected by this legislation.
Miss Widdecombe : I regret that it has not been possible to provide an answer prior to the summer recess. I shall ensure that the hon. Member receives a reply as soon as possible and arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library.
16 and 17-year-olds
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many 16 and 17-year-olds were not in full time education, training or employment in each quarter since January 1988 ; (2) how many 16 and 17-year -olds were in employment in each quarter since January 1988.
Miss Widdecombe : I regret that it has not been possible to provide an answer prior to the summer recess. I shall ensure that the hon. Member receives a reply as soon as possible and arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library.
Youth Credits
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many (a) men and (b) women were using youth credits to obtain training in each month since the scheme's inception in (i) Great Britain and (ii) each region.
Miss Widdecombe : I regret that it has not been possible to provide an answer prior to the summer recess. I shall ensure that the hon. Member receives a reply as soon as possible and arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library.
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Agricultural Workers
Dr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he intends to denounce International Labour Organisation conventions 99 and 101, covering minimum wages and holiday entitlements of agricultural workers.
Miss Widdecombe : I regret that it has not been possible to provide an answer prior to the summer recess. I shall ensure that the hon. Member receives a reply as soon as possible and arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Small Claims Courts
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what are the implications of the recent ruling in Afzal v . Ford Motor Company Ltd., for the right of plaintiffs, making a personal injury claim of under £1,000, to choose whether their claim is heard in the county court or small claims court ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John M. Taylor : Under order 19 of the county court rules any claim not exceeding £1,000 is automatically referred to arbitration on the filing of a defence. In these circumstances, recoverable costs are strictly limited. However, if the court considers, for example, that the case is one of exceptional complexity, it may order a trial in open court, where full costs may be recoverable. The recent judgment of the Court of Appeal in Afzal v . Ford Motor Company Ltd. made it clear that where, in the opinion of the court, a claim had been deliberately overstated to avoid automatic reference to arbitration, the court could limit the recoverable costs to those allowed under order 19, rule 4.
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what are the implications of the recent ruling in Afzal v . Ford Motor Company Ltd., for the possibility, for the future, of limited costs being made available in those lower value personal injury claims heard in the small claims court ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John M. Taylor : My Department recently consulted on proposals for new procedures to apply to personal injury claims not exceeding £1,000. We are currently evaluating the responses to this consultation and are taking into account the implications for our proposals of the judgment of the Court of Appeal in the case of Afzal v . Ford Motor Company Ltd. and related appeals.
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what are the implications of the recent ruling in Afzal v . Ford Motor Company Ltd., in respect of the referral of all personal injury claims valued at under £1,000 being referred to arbitration ; and what plans there are to introduce a right of appeal for plaintiffs who believe their claims have been undervalued.
Mr. John M. Taylor : Under order 19 of the county court rules, any claim not exceeding £1,000 is automatically referred to arbitration on the filing of a defence. The recent judgment of the Court of Appeal in Afzal v . Ford Motor Company Ltd. made it clear that,
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where, in the opinion of the court, a claim had been deliberately overstated to avoid such automatic reference, the court could limit the recoverable costs to those allowed under order 19, rule 4. Order 19, rule 8 explains the circumstances when a party may apply to set aside an arbitrator's award. There are no plans to introduce additional rights of appeal.Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make it his policy that there will be no increase in the small claims court limit until consultation by his Department on lower value personal injury claims has been concluded and any resulting change in the small claims court rules implemented ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The consultation period for the proposals to apply to small personal injury claims not exceeding £1,000 closed earlier this year. The responses are being analysed and evaluated. The Lord Chancellor will review the small claims limit later this year. Full consultation will take place before a final decision on a new limit is made.
Disabled People
Mr. Alan W. Williams : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if the resultant additional expenses can be reimbursed by the appropriate administrative department when the hearing of a case at a magistrates court involving a disabled person has to be resited because of difficulties of access for that disabled person.
Mr. John M. Taylor : Additional travelling costs properly incurred by a disabled witness or successful defendant may be allowed from public funds. In any other case, reimbursement would be a matter for the local magistrates courts committee.
Unpaid Compensation Orders
Mr. Bates : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many compensation orders awarded in 1990, 1991 and 1992 by (a) Teesside Crown court, (b) Teesside magistrates court and (c) Guisborough magistrates court remain unpaid.
Mr. John M. Taylor : This information is not available centrally.
Column 408
Legal Aid
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list for each year from 1980 all cases receiving legal aid in excess of (a) £500,000 and (b) £1,000,000.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Small Businesses
Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the achievements of (a) his policies and (b) his Department in helping small businesses over the last 12 months as against the previous 12 months ; if he will publish the performance indicators by which his Department monitors those achievements and the statistical results of such monitoring ; and if he will set out his targets to help small businesses in the next year.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The Government recognise the crucial role played by small firms in the United Kingdom economy. In November 1993, my Department issued a leaflet for small businesses which explains the possible advantages and disadvantages of using court action to recover debts.
My Department's standard conditions of contract contain a clause undertaking to pay contractors within 30 days of receipt and agreement of invoices. A further clause requires contractors to include in any subcontracting agreement a term that they will pay the subcontractor within 30 days. Although these clauses will be included in contracts with all outside companies, the effects of such good practices will clearly be more important to small businesses.
Immigration Appeals
Mr. Allen : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many appeals to immigration adjudicators were (a) allowed and (b) dismissed in 1993 and the first quarter of 1994, broken down according to the nationality of the appellant and the type of decision appealed against.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The information given in the tables shows the number of appeals dismissed or allowed by type of decision appealed against and country of origin. Information about the nationality of individual appellants is not available ; however, the tables show the country from which appeals originate.
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