| Previous Section | Home Page |
Year |£ --------------------------------- 1989 |1 = 1.4886 1990 |1 = 1.4000 1991 |1 = 1.4284 1992 |1 = 1.3620 1993 |1 = 1.2845
1994 figures are converted at the rate of £1=1.3243, which is the rate set for UK VAT and fourth resource contributions to the 1994 Community budget.
1995 figures are converted at the rate of £1=1.2732, the rate notified in the Official Journal as prevailing on the last working day of last month -- 30 September 1994.
Mr. John Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the current allowances payable to Members of the European Parliament.
Mr. David Davis: Applicable as of 1 January 1994 the following are payable:
Telephone and fax -- unlimited use from offices in Strasbourg. Travel allowances -- Within the Union these are calculated by a flat rate of 0.76 ecu or £0.57 for every km up to 400 km and 0.38 ecu or £0.29 for every km thereafter. Outside the Union, MEPs are
Column 55
reimbursed the actual cost of the return air fare by the most direct route; first class travel is allowed only for journeys exceeding nine hours. MEPs receive a daily allowance of 103.0 ecu or £77.78 while on official business.Subsistence - for meetings outside the Union, MEPs receive one half of the normal allowance, plus the reimbursement of the actual cost of hotel room and breakfast.
General expenses - 2,830.0 ecu or £2,136.98 per month.
Office and Secretarial assistance - 7,737.0 ecu or £5,842.33 per month.
Economic and Social Council
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what matters were discussed and what decisions taken, and which were taken by vote, at the Economic and Social Council meeting in Brussels on 14 and 15 September.
Mr. David Davis: The Committee discussed and adopted a range of opinions on proposals for legislation and Council decisions on which it had been consulted, as well as several own initiative opinions. Details have been provided in a document which has been made available in the Library of the House.
European Legislation
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make arrangements for the texts of the dated and signed explanatory memoranda from Ministers concerning each proposal for draft legislation and other documents placed before the Council of Ministers of the European Community currently deposited in the Vote Office of Parliament to be printed and published at regular intervals.
Mr. David Davis: Explanatory memoranda are currently lodged at four depository libraries in the United Kingdom and are accessible through public libraries. Interested parties may obtain from Departments the information contained in individuals EMs on draft Community proposals which concern them. Memoranda often cover fast moving issues, and remain useful only for a limited period. Against this background, we consider that the costs of publishing EMs at regular intervals would be disproportionate to the likely benefits.
India
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent approaches have been made to the Indian Government regarding allegations of human rights violations in that country.
Mr. Baldry: We frequently raise our concerns about the human rights situation in India. The Prime Minister raised the issue in March with the Indian Prime Minister and the Secretary of State in July with the Indian Foreign Minister.
Mr. Tejinder Singh
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has now taken up the case of Tejinder Singh with the authorities in Delhi; and if he will make a statement on progress.
Column 56
Mr. Baldry: Our High Commission in New Delhi asked the Indian authorities for further information on the case of Tejinder Singh in August. They have not yet received a response, but will continue to pursue.
Henderson Island
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his letter of 28 July to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, what further research and consultation with the Pitcairn islanders he has undertaken on Henderson Island; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad: Further research has been carried out by the governor's office in Wellington. On the basis of this we are now drafting a discussion document, in consultation with interested non-governmental offices. This will be presented to the Pitcairn islanders when a British official next visits Pitcairn, and can be discussed face to face.
European Union (Citizens' Duties)
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in respect of the obligation or duties of citizens of the European Union as defined in article 8A of the treaty on European Union, if he will state (a) the criteria and (b) the court which determines when they are not being complied with and the legal basis of any penalty.
Mr. David Davis: Article 8a of the treaty of Rome does not impose any duties or obligations on the citizens of the Union.
Article 8 does talk of citizens being subject to "duties imposed" by the treaty. However, neither the Maastricht treaty nor the previous treaties impose any duties on individuals, other than a general duty to comply with Community law.
It is in the first instance for the domestic courts to determine whether an individual has complied with Community law. Any penalty will normally be determined by domestic law.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Council Tax Benefit
Sir David Steel: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to amend regulation 37 of the Council Tax Benefit (General) Regulations 1992 which calculates notional income from invested capital in the light of the reduction of interest rates since the regulation was introduced in 1988; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Roger Evans: The formula is not intended to represent any rate of return from capital invested and is not linked in any way to interest rates. It does not, therefore, alter in line with any fluctuations in these rates. Rather it is a means of ensuring that help is targeted on those who need it most. Base rates at the time the regulation was introduced were 8 per cent.,
Column 57
and although they rose to a peak of 15 per cent. in October 1989, where they remained for over a year before falling to today's level of 5.75 per cent., the formula has remained the same.We keep the capital rules under review, but there are no current plans for change.
Income Support
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make it his policy that the payment of water and sewerage charges as a separate payment on top of basic weekly benefit should be reintroduced for those receiving income support; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Roger Evans: No. One of the Government's aims in introducing the reformed social security scheme in April 1988, was to leave customers free to manage their own affairs in the light of their own circumstances and preferences. Water and sewerage charges should be treated in a similar manner to other items of expenditure in the family budget.
Child Support Agency
Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what happens to interest earned on maintenance payments held by the Child Support Agency;
(2) what plans he has to (a) pass on interest earned on maintenance payments held by the Child Support Agency to the parent with care or (b) deduct it from the payments made by the parent without care responsibility;
(3) what interest rate is payable on maintenance payments held by the Child Support Agency.
Mr. Burt: The Child Support Agency does not receive interest from the bank in respect of clients' funds temporarily held by the agency. Instead the agency's bank charges are abated. The administrative costs of attributing amounts of interest to individuals would be disproportionate to the typically small amounts of money involved. Clients of the agency benefit from the lower bank charges and the economy of effort through the consequent reduction in the agency's administrative costs, which is reflected in the level of the fees charged.
Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish the guidelines which the Child Support Agency uses to determine compensation claims in respect of cases where customers are claiming loss through maladministration.
Mr. Burt: We shall be making public the criteria under which payments for redress may be considered, as we do already for other agencies within the Department. As is normal practice throughout government, the precise terms of the guidance is specifically exempt from the provisions of the code of practice on Government information under exemption 7--part II, paragraph 7.10 of the guidance on interpretation--which covers Her Majesty's Treasury general guidelines on extra-statutory payments in Government accounting.
Column 58
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many times during the 1993 94 Session information requested in parliamentary questions has been refused on the ground of commercial confidentiality.
Invalidity Benefit
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretay of State for Social Security how many individuals who were in receipt of invalidity benefit prior to retirement have become ineligible for the higher pensioner rate of income support; and what is the estimated cost of extending eligibility to this group.
Mr. Roger Evans: This information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Income Support
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many individuals over retirement age receive the higher pensioner premium of income support.
Mr. Evans: In November 1993, the latest date for which figures are available, the total number of claimants over retirement age whose income support entitlement included the higher pensioner premium was 768,000. Source:
Income Support Statistics Quarterly Enquiry November 1993 (Based on a 5 per cent. sample).
Housing Benefit
Mr. George Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide (a) a breakdown of the number of housing benefit claimants split into rent rebate and rent allowance categories and the total amounts paid under each heading, (b) the numbers and amounts of housing benefit back-dated payments regulation 72(15) and the amount paid as a percentage of each local authority's housing benefit expenditure, (c) the numbers, amounts and percentage of amount in relation to total housing benefit expenditure in relation to discretionary payments regulation 69(8) and (d) the numbers and amounts of housing benefit overpayment and the amount as a percentage of the authorities overall housing benefit expenditure for each district and islands council in Scotland for each available year since 1991 92.
Mr. Roger Evans: The available information has been placed in the Library.
Information Technology
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his letter of 20 July, POS (4) 3019/11 to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, when he expects to complete his examination of potential applications for information technology in the automation of benefit payments; and what study he has made of related attempts by individuals to obtain benefit by fraudulent means.
Mr. Arbuthnot: The Department of Social Security and Post Office Counters Ltd. invited, on 17 August 1994, expressions of interest from potential suppliers of systems
Column 59
for the automation of benefit payments. Ninety-two expressions of interest have been received. Suppliers will shortly be asked to submit an outline proposal, which will inform the next stage of examination. It is hoped to conclude the selection of suppliers and technology by the end of 1995.Improvement of the payment system is part of the Benefits Agency's on-going review of its claims and payment systems to ensure that benefit goes only to those who are genuinely entitled. Our strategy for fighting fraud is based on the principles of prevention, detection and deterrence.
Refugees
Mr. John Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the estimated annual cost of social
Column 60
security benefits paid to refugees and those applying to be considered as refugees.Mr. Roger Evans: The full information is not available in the form requested. Available information is that in May 1993 there were 37, 000 asylum seekers on income support. Some were also receiving housing benefit and/or council tax benefit.
It is estimated that annual expenditure on these benefits is in excess of £200 million per year.
Details of recipients of other benefits are not broken down to show refugee status.
Pensioners' Incomes
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the latest information held about pensioners' income; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lilley [pursuant to his reply, 19 July 1994, columns 201- 204]: Table 3 contained some incorrect figures. A revised tablefollows.
ANNEX B
Proportion of pensioner units with occupational pension and the average amount for those in
receipt
Percentage Units Average Amount Percentage gr
with Occupational for those in average
Pension Receipt
(£ per week, 1992 amount since
prices)
|1974 |1979 |1992 |1974 |1979 |1992 |1992
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) All Persioner Units
Pensioner Couples |53 |65 |72 |51.30 |52.80 |92.20 |75
Single Pensioners |24 |32 |53 |37.20 |35.00 |52.90 |51
All Pensioner Units |34 |43 |60 |44.80 |44.40 |71.80 |62
(b) Recently Retired Pensioner Units
Pensioner Couples |53 |68 |73 |56.20 |62.10 |100.30|62
Single Pensioners |24 |37 |53 |46.40 |37.70 |71.70 |90
All Pensioner Units |43 |55 |65 |54.30 |55.30 |91.90 |66
Notes
1. The Estimates of the percentage of pensioner units in receipt of occupational pension
income are based upon data from the Family Expenditure Survey and the GAD Survey of
Occupational Pension Schemes. Due to this use of additional information, it is not possible
to derive the overall average occupational receipt from the estimates in this table.
3. Recently retired pensioner units are defined as: single women aged 60 - 64; single men
aged 65 - 69; and couples in which the husband is aged 65 - 69.
4. All average amounts are means.
Column 59
EMPLOYMENT
Training
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to secure an improvement in co-ordination between all those organisations involved in the delivery of training to young people.
Mr. Paice: I refer the hon. Member to the replies given by my hon. Friend, the former Under-Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen) on 19th July 1994, Official Report , Column 127 28 .
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to ensure that young people with special training needs will be able to take full advantage of the modern apprenticeship scheme.
Mr. Paice: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend, the former Under-Secretary of State
Column 60
to the hon. member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen) on 20 July 1994, Official Report , columns 224 25 .Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many (a) men and (b) women who were on Government training programmes within the Greater London area at the latest appropriate date.
Mr. Paice: The number of trainees on youth training and training for work in London is not available broken down by gender. The total numbers in training and a breakdown of entrants/leavers by gender are given in the following tables:
Training Schemes in London Number in Training at June 1994 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Youth Training (Inc. Youth Credit) |18,400 Training for Work |17,700 Source: Training Enterprise Council Operating Agreement (Annex J)
Entrants/leavers by sex in 1993-94 (per cent.)
|Male |Female
----------------------------------------------------------------
Youth Training (Inc. Youth Credit) Leavers |59 |41
Training for Work Starters |58 |42
Source:
YT Leavers
TfW Starts
European Union Retraining Funds
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on his plans for spending European Union funds available to the United Kingdom for retraining workers in industries undergoing structural change.
Miss Widdecombe: The resources available to the United Kingdom under objective 3 and 4 of the European Community's structural funds will be devoted in the period 1994 96 exclusively to schemes to help the unemployed. The Government are currently preparing a plan for transmission to the Commission which will aim at cost-effective use of structural funds money available under the ADAPT Community initiative.
Sex Equality Branch
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people work in the sex equality branch; what is their remit; and if he will make a statement.
Miss Widdecombe: Thirty-six people work in the sex equality branch, which is responsible for furthering the Employment Department's aim to promote sex equality at work and wider opportunities for women in the workplace and beyond.
Time-limited Contracts
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people in the United Kingdom were in (a) part-time and (b) full-time employment, (i) with or (ii) without time-limited contracts or the equivalent in the years (1) 1984 and (2) 1992.
Mr. Oppenheim: Information from the spring 1992 labour force survey is given in the following table. Comparable estimates for 1984 are not available.
[
Employees working full/part-time on fixed term contracts
United Kingdom - spring 1992
|Full-time '000s |Part-time '000s |All employees<1>
|'000s
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On fixed contracts |383 |198 |581
Not on fixed contract |16,249 |5,063 |21,316
All employees |16,632 |5,261 |21,897
<1> Includes small number who did not state full or part-time
Source: Labour Force Survey - not seasonally adjusted
Column 62
Non-vocational QualificationsMr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary's letter to the hon. Member for Cardiff, West of 12 September, what consultations he has had with the National Council for Vocational Qualifications in relation to the appointment of independent auditors to monitor the quality of non- vocational qualifications awarded to training providers' clients; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Paice: Discussions have taken place between officials and the National Council for Vocational Qualifications about the role and number of additional staff to monitor the quality of national vocational qualifications. Detailed proposals are awaited.
Ms. Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of those achieving (a) NVQ 1, (b) NVQ 2 and (c) NVQ 3 who are working are women.
Mr. Paice: Estimates from the labour force survey in spring 1994 for the proportion of those in employment holding NVQ/SVQ in Great Britain who are women are shown in the following table:
Highest level held |Per cent. --------------------------------------------------------- NVQ/SVQ level 1 |60 NVQ/SVQ level 2 |58 NVQ/SVQ level 3 |39
People in employment include employees, self-employed, those on Government employment and training programmes and those doing unpaid family work.
Ms. Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of those achieving and failing (a) NVQ 1, (b) NVW 2 and (c) NVQ 3 are women.
Mr. Paice: Estimates from the labour force survey in spring 1994 for the proportion of those holding NVQ/SVQs in Great Britain who are women are shown in the following table:
Highest level held |Per cent. --------------------------------------------------------- NVQ/SVQ level 1 |58 NVQ/SVQ level 2 |56 NVQ/SVQ level 3 |39
Candidates are only submitted for certification when assessment shows them to be competent. There are no failures.
Training and Enterprise Councils
Mr. Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the budget agreed with each TEC for 1994 95 broken down by programme area.
Column 63
Mr. Paice: The budgets made available by the Department to each training and enterprise council, by programme area, are shown in the following table:
Column 63
TEC Budgets 1994-95
|Youth training |WRFE |Career guidance year|Careers libraries |Training for work
|9-10
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South East
Hampshire |15,106,666 |3,642,947 |1,285,523 |54,703 |10,832,502
Heart of England |5,694,866 |915,245 |482,976 |23,368 |3,919,846
Isle of Wight |1,605,572 |311,161 |102,659 |7,435 |1,477,441
Kent |16,400,753 |2,956,296 |1,395,445 |60,014 |12,451,952
Milton Keynes & N. Bucks |5,528,127 |406,133 |226,435 |6,373 |2,824,335
Surrey |4,823,602 |1,916,586 |- |40,098 |5,064,749
Sussex |10,696,850 |2,359,789 |1,113,362 |310,698 |10,563,542
Thames Valley Enterprise |15,440,460 |2,818,723 |1,080,602 |42,515 |8,684,611
London
AZTEC |3,784,135 |1,421,967 |336,313 |21,708 |6,498,797
CENTEC |6,570,634 |1,409,694 |401,175 |23,735 |14,414,841
CILNTEC |6,936,267 |1,427,046 |208,417 | 13,057 |12,571,342
London East |12,854,780 |3,197,839 |919,191 |38,176 |20,518,363
North London |4,125,403 |1,966,948 |534,074 |23,677 |12,424,582
North West London |2,882,196 |1,733,128 |305,290 |13,107 |6,271,138
SOLOTEC |6,779,580 |1,914,471 |1,011,578 |33,535 |7,752,474
South Thames |10,175,785 |2,942,646 |799,186 |31,114 |22,628,482
West London |7,392,430 |2,261,287 |649,254 |26,943 |7,016,948
Eastern
Bedfordshire |5,937,048 |1,090,068 |498,517 |15,980 |5,506,553
CAMBSTEC |3,114,720 |653,402 |362,558 |15,687 |2,601,570
Essex |16,577,365 |2,996,500 |1,268,953 |51,818 |11,294,151
Greater Peterborough |5,072,899 |833,507 |220,523 |11,548 |4,774,504
Hertfordshire |11,447,223 |1,954,253 |780,328 |47,672 |7,398,366
Norfolk & Waveney |10,942,005 |1,718,777 |725,116 |29,610 |10,813,090
Suffolk |12,447,882 |786,804 |440,331 |17,464 |4,162,161
South West
Avon |12,049,031 |1,720,115 |716,833 |38,043 |14,209,852
Devon & Cornwall |18,717,697 |3,546,981 |1,216,000 |52,436 |22,286,966
Dorset |6,695,489 |1,242,212 |524,569 |24,258 |5,368,272
Gloucestershire |6,619,913 |1,043,516 |419,832 |24,664 |4,310,120
Somerset |5,579,887 |1,236,498 |406,111 |20,281 |4,867,001
Wiltshire |5,535,863 |1,340,500 |468,085 |23,018 |4,669,597
West Midlands
Birmingham |13,084,266 |2,478,393 |- |31,591 |20,365,575
Central England |4,093,850 |968,608 |324,760 |13,161 |4,998,145
Coventry & Warwickshire |10,722,649 |1,837,131 |622,261 |28,695 |11,854,454
Dudley |4,623,153 |787,689 |- |9,214 |5,099,161
HAWTEC |6,482,333 |848,419 |227,283 |18,955 |4,245,428
Sandwell |5,786,077 |665,278 |- |10,532 |5,898,597
Shropshire |5,967,341 |891,798 |342,429 |19,745 |4,743,949
Staffordshire |15,655,714 |2,064,249 |826,267 |34,486 |10,611,997
Walsall |3,615,258 |538,316 |- |8,425 |3,707,430
Wolverhampton |4,246,005 |680,444 |- |7,896 |5,165,870
TEC Budgets 1994-95
|Employer investment
|in people |Childcare |Skillchoice |National development|Learning for work |Management fee
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South East
Hampshire |1,243,061 |172,500 |842,140 |64,300 |192,108 |2,077,936
Heart of England |680,000 |119,501 |- |66,457 |98,952 |1,327,290
Isle of Wight |364,986 |66,000 |- |- |3,248 |608,998
Kent |1,017,976 |226,400 |- |3,000 |351,188 |2,439,069
Milton Keynes & N. Bucks |533,864 |56,375 |- |51,500 |30,352 |872,665
Surrey |1,212,808 |187,641 |- |- |14,784 |1,456,040
Sussex |1,109,203 |95,500 |- |- |123,424 |2,028,019
Thames Valley Enterprise |1,203,051 |177,475 |- |- |124,880 |2,330,138
London
AZTEC |729,166 |137,638 |883,045 |- |114,013 |-
CENTEC |2,432,027 |115,638 |- |28,770 |220,808 |2,745,161
CILNTEC |1,219,104 |34,734 |- |20,000 |121,856 |2,224,928
London East |1,293,154 |220,995 |- |- |249,312 |3,406,009
North London |1,147,758 |181,399 |- |44,870 |80,248 |2,009,080
North West London |575,566 |282,636 |- |18,817 |103,488 |1,361,688
SOLOTEC |747,371 |92,964 |- |41,750 |159,925 |2,185,167
South Thames |1,440,673 |158,576 |- |68,388 |269,248 |3,287,564
West London |915,181 |- |- |18,650 |174,720 |1,937,756
Eastern
Bedfordshire |529,456 |193,850 |- |7,500 |38,752 |1,068,176
CAMBSTEC |760,611 |133,844 |1,721,547 |20,467 |42,952 |807,398
Essex |788,751 |152,417 |- |29,600 |153,328 |2,822,392
Greater Peterborough |570,620 |174,295 |- |- |29,746 |963,931
Hertfordshire |818,811 |212,721 |2,787,511 |13,500 |290,192 |1,846,040
Norfolk & Waveney |872,627 |242,000 |- |- |22,232 |1,643,377
Suffolk |812,000 |149,000 |- |3,016 |61,920 |1,253,185
South West
Avon |1,340,368 |229,223 |- |9,000 |109,265 |2,413,442
Devon & Cornwall |2,164,913 |377,120 |- |3,066 |236,768 |3,668,211
Dorset |1,353,675 |149,644 |802,183 |34,384 |85,800 |1,584,730
Glouces tershire |686,649 |137,209 |- |- |69,776 |1,328,726
Somerset |899,000 |118,620 |- |16,000 |51,128 |1,327,713
Wiltshire |578,472 |149,988 |548,420 |36,472 |67,275 |1,330,118
West Midlands
Birmingham |818,946 |242,456 |1,389,580 |115,355 |104,944 |2,930,874
Central England |562,823 |193,968 |- |- |92,848 |1,103,920
Coventry & Warwickshire |979,215 |169,722 |1,489,250 |46,596 |143,976 |1,987,244
Dudley |352,753 |60,615 |- |- |108,584 |1,080,844
HAWTEC |562,313 |126,274 |- |- |43,680 |1,059,616
Sandwell |393,437 |60,614 |- |- |84,392 |1,136,818
Shropshire |510,829 |113,484 |- |- |45,808 |1,192,009
Staffordshire |1,123,904 |218,212 |- |- |125,776 |2,405,275
Walsall |345,083 |101,233 |- |- |59,920 |996,184
Wolverhampton |359,917 |60,650 |- |- |72,576 |1,084,411
Employer investment
TEC Budgets 1994-95 |in people |Childcare |Skillchoice |National development|Learning for work |Management fee
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
East Midlands
Greater Nottingham |839,191 |130,001 |1,135,632 |20,202 |112,000 |1,490,945
Leicester |1,036,285 |190,360 |0 |0 |123,424 |1,916,704
Lincol nshire |766,035 |141,043 |0 |54,270 |69,524 |1,619,046
North Derbyshire |524,986 |124,040 |0 |6,556 |18,032 |984,953
North Nottinghamshire |612,906 |130,110 |0 |15,000 |64,456 |1,192,082
Northamptonshire |883,184 |125,150 |0 |0 |51,576 |1,281,577
Southern Derbyshire |995,681 |100,001 |0 |5 |78,960 |1,332,705
Yorkshire and Humberside
Barnsley and Doncaster |532,103 |0 |0 |0 |78,064 |1,917,873
Bradford and District |604,117 |134,324 |0 |0 |83,048 |1,597,894
Calderdale and Kirklees |454,073 |171,945 |0 |5,500 |82,712 |1,672,607
Humberside |1,495,341 |238,378 |0 |15,846 |63,728 |2,727,821
Leeds |900,585 |167,295 |0 |63,186 |120,680 |1,960,057
North Yorkshire |577,514 |163,541 |0 |0 |17,319 |1,483,406
Rotherham |369,274 |83,294 |0 |0 |51,296 |1,187,019
Sheffield |1,105,619 |118,771 |0 |24,380 |119,396 |2,025,143
Wakefield |429,374 |78,152 |0 |37,200 |43,740 |1,275,379
North West
Bolton and Bury |553,950 |86,294 |0 |4,999 |63,056 |1,139,882
Cumbria |470,223 |106,179 |0 |0 |56,840 |1,513,550
Eltec (East Lancs) |699,000 |134,110 |0 |43,709 |98,784 |1,332,800
Lawtec (Lancs West) |1,305,490 |199,721 |0 |6,000 |51,968 |2,208,975
Manchester |1,630,472 |274,632 |0 |38,000 |247,016 |2,438,329
Metrotec Ltd (Wigan) |378,000 |76,480 |0 |36,000 |49,448 |889,060
Normidtec |432,641 |106,675 |0 |22,000 |15,176 |1,379,342
Oldham |207,794 |60,133 |0 |0 |36,344 |799,032
Rochdale |465,776 |56,933 |0 |0 |34,608 |769,853
South and East Cheshire |858,225 |71,673 |1,093,920 |0 |32,648 |850,358
Stockport (High Peak) |485,850 |90,600 |0 |29,375 |14,336 |972,809
Merseyside
Cewtec |740,000 |141,924 |740,850 |128,646 |94,976 |1,720,181
Merseyside |1,543,505 |187,400 |0 |15,000 |147,896 |3,726,912
Qualitec |133,437 |57,973 |0 |15,000 |0 |836,599
North East
County Durham |616,200 |191,277 |0 |34,965 |86,800 |2,509,461
Northumberland |369,774 |75,234 |603,170 |16,500 |23,744 |1,364,519
Sunderland City |381,830 |108,893 |0 |21,000 |0 |1,617,717
Teesside |679,430 |199,366 |0 |21,113 |128,296 |2,864,408
Tyneside |1,027,580 |249,631 |1,315,000 |70,405 |179,536 |3,088,835
TEC Budgets 1994-95 |Youth training |WRFE |Careers guidance |Careers libraries |Training for work
|year 9-10
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
East Midlands
Greater Nottingham |8,873,421 |1,474,963 |411,567 |22,931 |7,909,295
Leicester |11,707,244 |1,640,342 |617,895 |35,689 |8,000,950
Lincolnshire |10,097,316 |1,268,470 |411,022 |20,184 |11,310,036
North Derbyshire |4,780,228 |762,416 |225,382 |13,298 |4,465,685
North Nottinghamshire |8,049,829 |782,200 |274,378 |17,010 |6,864,832
Northamptonshire |6,747,909 |1,219,041 |443,687 |24,372 |3,677,035
Southern Derbyshire |7,926,205 |1,207,082 |338,073 |20,875 |6,680,602
Yorkshire and Humberside
Barnsley and Doncaster |11,231,677 |151,497 |422,328 |16,720 |13,226,355
Bradford and District |8,156,103 |807,899 |447,381 |27,524 |7,348,956
Calderdale and Kirklees |9,137,810 |1,334,893 |511,804 |19,550 |9,920,249
Humberside |14,788,882 |1,719,268 |740,899 |23,400 |15,469,065
Leeds |6,833,800 |1,371,922 |569,069 |33,186 |10,388,387
North Yorkshire |7,008,192 |1,580,987 |639,136 |28,540 |6,460,703
Rotherham |4,724,170 |493,455 |254,103 |6,995 |5,202,021
Sheffield |8,073,007 |1,409,272 |428,101 |14,410 |12,028,692
Wakefield |4,309,289 |635,542 |275,587 |14,649 |5,622,084
North West
Bolton and Bury |6,596,854 |1,075,679 |386,000 |12,999 |5,392,104
Cumbria |9,754,227 |801,549 |408,900 |21,257 |5,997,170
Eltec (East Lancs) |9,411,718 |1,670,762 |457,721 |18,927 |7,074,335
Lawtec (Lancs West) |12,153,753 |2,498,438 |686,561 |28,247 |11,619,943
Manchester |15,688,340 |2,695,706 |868,043 |34,781 |16,458,591
Metrotec Ltd (Wigan) |5,226,318 |761,240 |287,048 |8,682 |6,699,333
Normidtec |7,025,151 |1,004,151 |402,308 |15,435 |5,504,926
Oldham |4,353,242 |424,580 |219,378 |6,477 |3,513,678
Rochdale |3,821,248 |557,783 |187,330 |5,688 |4,436,458
South and East Cheshire |6,944,187 |705,981 |285,674 |9,199 |4,005,311
Stockport (High Peak) |5,129,690 |695,422 |306,999 |10,614 |3,779,547
Merseyside
Cewtec |8,497,001 |1,036,676 |521,360 |18,001 |9,214,910
Merseyside |20,298,196 |2,302,656 |861,320 |32,200 |24,171,147
Qualitec |4,270,192 |483,121 |162,150 |5,523 |3,456,984
North East
County Durham |11,257,776 |1,091,126 |449,115 |24,170 |12,962,112
Northumberland |6,151,631 |431,564 |0 |13,604 |6,084,092
Sunderland City |6,487,963 |764,731 |0 |15,239 |10,626,801
Teesside |12,468,630 |1,060,337 |461,038 |29,164 |16,590,623
Tyneside |17,516,871 | 1,541,416 |639,084 |31,183 |19,530,190
Social Affairs Council
Sir Michael Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what matters were raised at the recent EC Social Affairs Council; and what were the conclusions.
Mr. Portillo: I attended the Social Affairs Council on 22 September in Brussels, accompanied by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department of Employment.
As a follow-up to some aspects of the Commission's white paper on growth, competitiveness and employment, the Council agreed a report on tackling unemployment intended as a contribution to discussion at the Essen European Council. The report focuses on four themes: training; flexibility of working time; long-term unemployment and value for money from public spending on unemployment. It will complement work by Finance Ministers and others following up the white paper in preparation for the Essen European Council. The Council was unable to reach an agreement on the draft directive on parental leave. I noted the United Kingdom's consistent opposition to the proposal over more than a decade, and our view that it was not an appropriate area for Community action. The current United Kingdom arrangements for up to 40 weeks' maternity leave for mothers with a right to return to work were recognised as generous and I said that now was not an appropriate time to add to the burdens placed on business and to put jobs at risk. Commissioner Flynn indicated that he would now initiate discussions with the social partners under the agreement of the Eleven.
There were orientation debates on the draft directive on the posting of workers and on the draft directive on part-time and temporary work. The Council discussed a number of specific questions posed in advance by the Presidency. There were no clear conclusions and several member states, including the United Kingdom, expressed their difficulties with the proposals.
In discussion on the draft directive on the reversal of the burden of proof in sex discrimination cases, my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Employment made it clear that the directive was unacceptable to the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom's system of industrial tribunals operated very effectively in such cases. In addition, the directive ran counter to a key principle of United Kingdom law and was unacceptable on subsidiarity grounds. The Commission said that in the light of the United Kingdom's fundamental objections it would review how best to proceed.
Commissioner Flynn gave a brief presentation of the Commission's white paper on the future of European social policy. The German Presidency has indicated that
Column 70
there will be a substantive discussion at the next Social Affairs Council in December.Other member states adopted the directive on european works councils under the agreement of the Eleven. In accordance with the terms of the social protocol to the Maastricht treaty, the provisions of the directive will have no legal effect within the United Kingdom. Employees based in the United Kingdom will not count towards the threshold which determines whether the directive applies to multinational companies. Companies will remain free to decide for themselves what arrangements are best for consulting their United Kingdom employees.
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what matters were discussed, what decisions taken, and which were decided by vote, at the Social Affairs Council in Brussels on 22 September.
Miss Widdecombe: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Arundel today (Sir M. Marshall). There were no formal votes, but the other 11 member states adopted the directive on European works councils.
Gas Fitters
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what minimum standards of qualification apply to operators entering premises for the purposes of repairs or fitting any gas appliance or pipe; what changes have been made since 1984; and what change he plans.
Mr. Oppenheim: The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1984 require anyone who works with gas fittings supplied with gas through pipes to be competent. The Health and Safety Commission's approved code of practice "Standards of training in safe gas installation" of 1987 fleshes out the concept of competence as a combination of knowledge, practical skill and experience. The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) (Amendment) Regulations 1990 require that all gas installation businesses working with fittings supplied with gas through pipes must be a member of a class of persons approved by the Health and Safety Executive.
The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1994 which come into force on 31 October this year, consolidate the 1984 and 1990 regulations into a singe regulatory package. From 1 April 1995, the regulations will extend the requirement to be a member of a class of persons approved by HSE to those working with gas fittings not supplied through pipes--for example, gas supplied from tanks and cylinders.
Column 71
Small Businesses
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment 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. Paice: The Government recognise the crucial role played by small firms in the United Kingdom economy. The Government help small firms by keeping inflation and interest rates low and by reducing legislation and administrative burdens. They also provide direct assistance where appropriate and are currently establishing a network of business links to provide high-quality business support across the country.
The Department funds training and enterprise councils to improve the performance of small businesses by increasing their understanding of the business case for training their people. TECs are increasingly linking this support to the achievement of the investors in people standard. Materials are available to help small firms achieve the standard.
A year ago there were 200 organisations with fewer than 200 employees which had reached the investors in people standard--this included just over 100 with fewer than 50 employees. The most recent information shows that there are 694 organisations with fewer than 200 employees recognised as investors in people--of which 406 have under 50 employees. There are also over 7,200 organisations with fewer than 200 employees which have made a formal commitment to achieving the standard: over 4,600 of these have fewer than 50 employees.
The small firms training loans scheme was launched on 16 June 1994. Three thousand loans are forecast this year. The White Paper on competitiveness announced a new measure to build, over a three-year period from April 1995, a cadre of 24,000 key workers in small firms with up-to-date skills to train others in their firms and to help spread the training culture more widely.
Funds for the business start-up scheme have been transferred to the single regeneration budget in 1994 95. It is expected that some 25, 000 people will be helped in 1994 95. Around 34,000 people were awarded an allowance in England in 1993 94. The most recent survey of scheme entrants 18 months after start-up shows that approximately 71 per cent. were still operating their business.
| Next Section
| Home Page |