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Ordinary and day case admissions for England, 1988-89 to 1992-93 Mental    

illness, rates per head of population                                      

                           |1988-89|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92|1992-93        

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

London implementation zone |0.005  |0.005  |0.005  |0.005  |0.006          

                                                                           

Northern                   |0.005  |0.005  |0.005  |0.005  |0.005          

Yorkshire                  |0.005  |0.005  |0.005  |0.004  |0.005          

Trent                      |0.004  |0.004  |0.004  |0.004  |0.005          

East Anglian               |0.004  |0.004  |0.004  |0.004  |0.004          

North West Thames          |0.004  |0.004  |0.004  |0.004  |0.004          

North East Thames          |0.004  |0.004  |0.004  |0.005  |0.005          

South East Thames          |0.004  |0.004  |0.004  |0.004  |0.004          

South West Thames          |0.005  |0.005  |0.005  |0.005  |0.005          

Wessex                     |0.005  |0.005  |0.005  |0.006  |0.005          

Oxford                     |0.003  |0.004  |0.004  |0.004  |0.004          

South Western              |0.006  |0.005  |0.005  |0.005  |0.005          

West Midlands              |0.004  |0.004  |0.004  |0.004  |0.004          

Mersey                     |0.005  |0.006  |0.006  |0.006  |0.006          

North Western              |0.005  |0.005  |0.005  |0.005  |0.006          

Notes:                                                                     

The following DHAs are all part of the London implementation zone: Barnet, 

Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow and Spelthorne, Ealing, Riverside, Parkside,  

Barking Havering and Brentwood, Hampstead, City and Hackney, Newham, Tower 

Hamlets, Enfield, Haringey, Redbridge, Waltham Forest, Bloomsbury and      

Islington, Bexley, Greenwich, Bromley, West Lambeth, Camberwell, Lewisham  

and North Southwark, Croydon, Kingston and Esher, Richmond Twickenham and  

Roehampton, Wandsworth, Merton and Sutton and all SHAs.                    

Sources: Ordinary and day case admissions for England, Financial Year      

1992-93. OPCS Monitor PP1 93/3 Mid 1991 and mid-1992 population PP1 94/1   

Revised population estimates for 1988 to 1990.                             

Family Planning

Ms Primarolo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health is she will list the family planning initiatives taken by her Department in the last 10 years which are aimed at men.

Mr. Sackville: The "Health of the Nation" strategy includes the clear objective for the national health service to ensure the provision of well-publicised and effective family planning services for those people who want them. That applies equally to men as to women.

The Department of Health funds a number of voluntary organisations which are working to ensure that the needs of men are addressed along with those of women.

Resources (Allocation)

Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what financial year she intends to start allocating resources for NHS hospital and community health services direct to district health authorities; and whether it is her policy for such allocations to reflect district data on (a) housing tenure, (b) the age structure of the population, (c) ethnic origin, (d) standardised mortality ratios, (e) socio-economic status, (f) unemployment or (g) self-reported sickness;

(2) on what date she received the report commissioned by her Department from York university on "A formula for Distributing NHS Revenues Based on Small Area Use of Hospital Beds"; whether she intends to base the formula for distributing NHS resources to district health authorities on its findings; and when she intends to announce her proposals for the funding formula for district health authorities.

Mr. Sackville: We received the results of a study we commissioned from York university in March 1994 and its report in July 1994. A modified formula based on the York analysis is to be used to inform allocations to regional health authorities in 1995 96. It will be for RHAs to decide which formula to use for their district health authorities.

In 1996 97, subject to legislation, there will be new health authorities embracing the functions of DHAs and family health services authorities. Work is in hand to look at an approach appropriate to those new circumstances.

The modified formula takes account of district data on age distribution and a wide range of health and socio-economic factors. Those include the categories to which the hon. Member refers with the exception of housing tenure which was included in the York analysis but not found to be statistically significant.

Variations in Health

Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the terms of reference and list the membership, of the sub-group on variations in health established in her Department; when it was established; how often it has met; and when it will complete its work.

Mr. Sackville: The terms of reference of the sub-group on variations in health are:-

"For the current Health of the Nation Key Areas

By Spring 1995 to prepare a report for the Chief Medical Officer as to how the Department of Health, and the National Health Service can make best use of existing information in tackling ethnic, geographical, socio-economic and gender variations in health status, with particular reference to the


Column 834

strength of observed relationships and evidence about the effectiveness of interventions.

By the end of 1994 prepare a report for the Departmental Research Directorate on areas in which new epidemiological and research information is needed to inform the targeting of interventions for high risk groups of the population and further understanding of underlying processes relevant to policy on longer term intervention to support the public health information strategy with health variations aspects of its work".

The members of the sub-group are:-

Chairman:

Dr. Jeremy Metters--Deputy Chief Medical Officer

Members:

Dr. S. Adam

Director of Public Health, North Thames Region

Dr. J. Chambers

Director of Public Health, North Birmingham Health Authority Prof. M. Marmot

Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College, London

Prof. M. Pringle

Department of General Practice, The Medical School, Nottingham Dr. J. Fox

Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys

Prof. S. Mcintyre

Medical Research Council Medical Sociology Unit, Glasgow Prof. P. Fonagy

Psychoanalysis Unit, University College London

Dr. K. Kelleher

Director of Public Health, Wolverhampton Health Executive Mr. D. Benton

Director of Quality and Human Relations, East London and City Health Authority

Observers from the Medical Research Council, the Economic and Social Research Council and the Department of Health and Social Security, Northern Ireland, together with Department of Health officials also attend.

The sub-group was established in October 1993 and met for the first time on 17 May 1994. Since then it has met on two occasions. It expects to report to the timetable established in the terms of reference.

Clock Adjustment

Mr. Barry Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many man hours were taken up by adjusting the clocks throughout her Department.

Mr. Sackville: The Department does not keep records of the time taken to adjust clocks.

Disabled People

Mr. Alfred Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what grant she has given to organisations of and for disabled people for their international work in each of the last five years; for what purposes this money has been expended; if the payments made five years ago have retained their value; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Bowis: The Department makes grants available to a range of organisations for their work in representing the interests of disabled people within Europe and worldwide.


Column 835

Grant aid is given as follows to the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation and the British Council of Organisations of Disabled People to cover affiliation fees to international bodies and to help with the expenses of other international work. Other organisations in receipt of funds from the Department of Health may, of course, spend part of these on international work.


Grant Year          |Grants Paid £      |At 1990-91 prices £                    

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

1990-91             |25,000             |25,000                                 

1991-92             |29,000             |26,248                                 

1992-93             |30,000             |26,301                                 

1993-94             |31,000             |26,384                                 

1994-95             |32,000             |26,316                                 

Financial support is also given to the United Kingdom Helios Forum and to the national co-ordinating centres for work in connection with Helios, the European Union's disability programme as follows:


Grant year          |Grants paid £      |At 1990-91 prices £                    

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

1990-91             |-                  |-                                      

1991-92             |235,000            |212,699                                

1992-93             |298,000            |271,777                                

1993-94             |290,000            |246,819                                

1994-95             |194,000            |159,546                                

Departmental Post

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department has spent on postage, and how many items have been posted by her Department, in each of the last five years.

Mr. Sackville: Expenditure on postage for 1990 91 to 1993 94 is shown in the table. Figures for 1989 90 are not available. Details of how many items have been posted in each of the last five years are not available.


          |£                  

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

1990-91   |1,361,389          

1991-92   |1,266,438          

1992-93   |1,347,109          

1993-94   |1,353,998          

Figures have not been adjusted for inflation.

Figures for the Department include the national health service executive but do not include the Department's agencies.

Medical Records

Mr. Purchase: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure speedy access to medical records for people making medico-legal claims against health authorities.

Mr. Malone: Long-standing guidance advises national health service bodies to deal helpfully with requests for access to health records by patients engaged in legal


Column 836

proceedings. In addition, patients, or their representatives, have a legal right of access to their records under the Access to Health Records Act 1990. Discussions are currently taking place with the Law Society to see whether the arrangements for handling medico- legal claims in the national health service can be improved.

Richard Miles

Mr. Purchase : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when she or any of her predecessors were informed of the case of Richard Miles and New Cross hospital, Wolverhampton; and what advice was offered by her Department to the local health authority;

(2) what costs have been incurred by the Wolverhampton health authority since 1980 in the case of Richard Miles, excluding the value of the compensation awarded to him.

Mr. Malone: A local health authority would not be expected to contact the Department of Health in respect of a medical negligence claim of this type until after the claim had been settled. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. R. M. Carver, chairman of Wolverhampton health authority, for details of any costs incurred by the authority.

Medical Negligence

Mr. Purchase: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will now consider bringing forward plans for a no-fault compensation scheme for victims of medical negligence.

Mr. Malone: We have no plans to introduce such a scheme in the national health service.

Public Appointments

Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many public appointments (a) she is responsible for making and (b) require her approval, including those not listed in "Public Bodies"; and if she will give this figure in terms of (i) appointments to executive bodies, (ii) appointments to advisory bodies and (iii) other appointments.

Mr. Sackville: I refer the hon. Member to the Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies 1993", which details those public appointments that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State or Ministers acting on her behalf are responsible for making. I refer him to the reply I gave him on 7 March, Official Report , columns 80 81 for details of other appointments that are not identified in "Public Bodies".

Ampleforth School

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what contact she has had with the headmaster of Ampleforth school on the issue of prevention of measles and other diseases.

Mr. Sackville: The Government's Chief Medical Officer wrote to the headmaster of Ampleforth college on 26 October reminding him of the serious consequences to public health of rubella infection and issued a press release containing the text of his letter.


Column 837

EMPLOYMENT

Investors in People Award

Ms Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many employers in each TEC area in England have been given the investors in people award; how many have made a commitment to meeting the standard; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Paice: The latest figures, at 11 September 1994, for employers in each training and enterprise council area in England who are either formally committed to or have been recognised as achieving the investors in people standard, are shown in the tables.

I am pleased that an increasing number of companies are recognising the benefits to their business performance of working towards the investors in people standard. Investors in people is a key initiative to encourage employers of all sizes, and in all sectors, to invest effectively in the skills that their businesses need. It plays a major role in improving Britain's competitiveness.


Region                             |TEC Name                          |Commitments                       |Recognitions                                                         

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

East Midlands                      |Greater Nottingham TEC            |172                               |8                                                                    

                                   |Leicestershire TEC                |115                               |12                                                                   

                                   |Lincolnshire TEC                  |216                               |6                                                                    

                                   |North Derbyshire TEC              |82                                |12                                                                   

                                   |North Nottinghamshire TEC         |124                               |15                                                                   

                                   |Northamptonshire TEC              |257                               |14                                                                   

                                   |Southern Derbyshire TEC           |129                               |24                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                               

Eastern                            |Bedfordshire TEC                  |108                               |11                                                                   

                                   |CAMBSTEC                          |44                                |5                                                                    

                                   |Essex TEC                         |181                               |9                                                                    

                                   |Gtr Peterborough TEC              |25                                |1                                                                    

                                   |Hertfordshire TEC                 |124                               |8                                                                    

                                   |Norfolk and Waveney TEC           |91                                |17                                                                   

                                   |Suffolk TEC                       |96                                |6                                                                    

                                                                                                                                                                               

London                             |AZTEC                             |111                               |7                                                                    

                                   |CENTEC                            |300                               |14                                                                   

                                   |CILNTEC                           |83                                |4                                                                    

                                   |London East TEC                   |127                               |5                                                                    

                                   |North London TEC                  |149                               |5                                                                    

                                   |North West London TEC             |67                                |8                                                                    

                                   |SOLOTEC                           |101                               |6                                                                    

                                   |South Thames TEC                  |157                               |4                                                                    

                                   |West London TEC                   |151                               |6                                                                    

                                                                                                                                                                               

Merseyside                         |CEWTEC                            |45                                |16                                                                   

                                   |Mersyside TEC                     |192                               |30                                                                   

                                   |QUALITEC (St Helens) Ltd          |53                                |4                                                                    

                                                                                                                                                                               

North West                         |Bolton Bury TEC                   |95                                |10                                                                   

                                   |Cumbria TEC                       |93                                |6                                                                    

                                   |ELTEC LTD                         |171                               |23                                                                   

                                   |LAWTEC                            |142                               |8                                                                    

                                   |Manchester TEC                    |263                               |15                                                                   

                                   |METROTEC (Wigan) Ltd              |71                                |7                                                                    

                                   |NORMIDTEC (North and Mid Cheshire)|94                                |22                                                                   

                                   |Oldham TEC                        |37                                |5                                                                    

                                   |Rochdale TEC                      |26                                |3                                                                    

                                   |S and E Cheshire TEC              |144                               |16                                                                   

                                   |Stockport/High Peak TEC           |95                                |7                                                                    

                                                                                                                                                                               

Northern                           |County Durham TEC                 |77                                |18                                                                   

                                   |Northumberland TEC                |59                                |8                                                                    

                                   |Teesside TEC                      |107                               |16                                                                   

                                   |Tyneside TEC                      |127                               |25                                                                   

                                   |Wearside TEC                      |30                                |7                                                                    

South East                         |Hampshire TEC                     |240                               |29                                                                   

                                   |Heart of England TEC              |87                                |15                                                                   

                                   |Kent TEC                          |338                               |10                                                                   

                                   |Milton Keynes & North Bucks       |48                                |4                                                                    

                                   |Surrey TEC                        |94                                |15                                                                   

                                   |Sussex TEC                        |361                               |14                                                                   

                                   |Thames Valley Enterprise          |125                               |37                                                                   

                                   |Wight Training and Enterprise     |34                                |1                                                                    

                                                                                                                                                                               

South West                         |Avon TEC                          |228                               |27                                                                   

                                   |Devon and Cornwall TEC            |130                               |37                                                                   

                                   |Dorset TEC                        |102                               |33                                                                   

                                   |Gloucestershire TEC               |386                               |85                                                                   

                                   |Somerset                          |128                               |10                                                                   

                                   |Wiltshire TEC                     |114                               |16                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                               

West Midlands                      |Birmingham TEC                    |97                                |14                                                                   

                                   |Central England TEC               |92                                |14                                                                   

                                   |Coventry and Warwickshire TEC     |118                               |15                                                                   

                                   |Dudley TEC                        |61                                |6                                                                    

                                   |HAWTEC                            |102                               |9                                                                    

                                   |Sandwell TEC                      |72                                |1                                                                    

                                   |Shropshire TEC                    |116                               |7                                                                    

                                   |Staffordshire TEC                 |127                               |8                                                                    

                                   |Walsall TEC                       |75                                |4                                                                    

                                   |Wolverhampton TEC                 |48                                |6                                                                    

                                                                                                                                                                               

Yorkshire and                      |Barnsley/Doncaster TEC            |92                                |16                                                                   

 Humberside                        |Bradford and District TEC         |84                                |5                                                                    

                                   |Calderdale/Kirklees TEC           |79                                |4                                                                    

                                   |Humberside TEC                    |239                               |26                                                                   

                                   |Leeds TEC                         |119                               |12                                                                   

                                   |North Yorkshire TEC               |102                               |16                                                                   

                                   |Rotherham TEC                     |60                                |10                                                                   

                                   |Sheffield TEC                     |101                               |7                                                                    

                                   |Wakefield TEC                     |47                                |3                                                                    

Training

Ms Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the numbers of (a) fatal, (b) major and (c) minor accidents on youth training and on training for work, shown by region, for the periods July to September 1993, January to March 1994, April to June 1994 and July to September 1994.

Mr. Paice: Table A gives the latest accident figures for youth training.

Table B gives the equivalent figures for training for work.Notes: (a) Employment Department figures for accidents to trainees have been compiled on a similar basis to those for employees prepared by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). However, these figures include a number of accidents to trainees in educational establishments, and road traffic accidents which would not have been reportable to HSE for employees.

(b) Major and minor injuries are classified according to the severity criteria laid down in the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985.

(c) North West Region and North West (Greater Manchester) Region were restructured in the quarter ending 30 June 1994 to form part of the Government Offices for the North West and for Merseyside. At the same time, Northern Region became part of the Government Offices for North East.

(d) Accidents figures requested for the period July to September 1994 are not yet available.


Column 839


Table A: Youth Training                                                      

Region                                           |Fatal |Major |Minor        

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

Accidents for the quarter July to September 1993                             

East Midlands                                    |-     |3     |26           

North East                                       |-     |6     |36           

Yorkshire and Humberside                         |1     |12    |71           

North West                                       |-     |10    |49           

West Midlands                                    |-     |6     |28           

South West                                       |-     |4     |39           

South East                                       |-     |3     |23           

London                                           |-     |4     |8            

Eastern                                          |-     |5     |24           

North West (Greater Manchester)                  |-     |3     |21           

                                                 |----  |----  |----         

Regional Totals                                  |1     |56    |325          

                                                                             

Accidents for the quarter January to March 1994                              

East Midlands                                    |-     |3     |34           

North East                                       |-     |9     |49           

Yorkshire and Humberside                         |-     |9     |85           

North West                                       |-     |12    |39           

West Midlands                                    |-     |8     |33           

South West                                       |-     |4     |23           

South East                                       |-     |4     |29           

London                                           |-     |1     |17           

Eastern                                          |-     |4     |21           

North West (Greater Manchester)                  |-     |6     |22           

                                                 |----  |----  |----         

Regional Totals                                  |-     |60    |352          

                                                                             

Accidents for the quarter April to June 1994                                 

East Midlands                                    |-     |4     |21           

North East                                       |-     |8     |56           

Yorkshire and Humberside                         |-     |5     |50           

North West                                       |-     |12    |39           

West Midlands                                    |-     |3     |31           

South West                                       |-     |5     |20           

South East                                       |-     |1     |16           

London                                           |-     |1     |8            

Eastern                                          |-     |3     |28           

Merseyside                                       |-     |1     |11           

                                                 |----  |----  |----         

Regional Totals                                  |-     |43    |280          


Table B: Training for work                                                   

Region                                           |Fatal |Major |Minor        

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

Accidents for the quarter July to September 1993                             

East Midlands                                    |-     |3     |15           

North East                                       |-     |3     |15           

Yorkshire and Humberside                         |1     |6     |35           

North West                                       |-     |-     |13           

West Midlands                                    |-     |-     |11           

South West                                       |-     |1     |8            

South East                                       |-     |5     |2            

London                                           |-     |-     |2            

Eastern                                          |-     |4     |4            

North West (Greater Manchester)                  |-     |-     |5            

                                                 |----  |----  |----         

Regional Totals                                  |1     |22    |110          

                                                                             

Accidents for the quarter January to March 1994                              

East Midlands                                    |-     |2     |10           

North East                                       |-     |2     |13           

Yorkshire and Humberside                         |-     |5     |20           

North West                                       |-     |5     |12           

West Midlands                                    |-     |2     |4            

South West                                       |-     |3     |10           

South East                                       |-     |3     |6            

London                                           |-     |-     |2            

Eastern                                          |-     |-     |9            

North West (Greater Manchester)                  |-     |-     |7            

                                                 |----  |----  |----         

Regional Totals                                  |-     |22    |93           

                                                                             

Accidents for the quarter April to June 1994                                 

East Midlands                                    |-     |1     |4            

North East                                       |-     |3     |22           

Yorkshire and Humberside                         |-     |3     |24           

North West                                       |-     |4     |2            

West Midlands                                    |-     |5     |13           

South West                                       |-     |-     |6            

South East                                       |-     |-     |10           

London                                           |-     |1     |1            

Eastern                                          |-     |4     |8            

Merseyside                                       |-     |-     |2            

                                                 |----  |----  |----         

Regional Totals                                  |-     |21    |92           

Ms Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the contribution from the European social fund towards (a) youth training/YTS, (b) training for work/employment training/employment action, and the previous programmes they replaced, (c) the business start-up allowance/enterprise allowance scheme, (d) non-advanced further education, (e) high technology national training, (f) employment rehabilitation centres and (g) jobstart allowances and other employment subsidy schemes, and the proportion of programme expenditure that represented in each year since 1991; what amount of support ESF will be providing to each programme in 1994 95; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Paice: The information available about European social fund support for eligible Government training programmes between 1991 and 1993 is provided in the table. Plans for ESF support for Government programmes in 1994 have yet to be finalised.


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

1991      |<1>15.81 |2.06     |<1>156.62|18.72    |<1>20.85 |18.59    |-        |-        |-        |-                  

1992      |<1>14.78 |2.28     |<1>141.17|18.47    |<1>12.98 |15.80    |-        |-        |-        |-                  

1993      |<2>33.04 |4.80     |<2>163.58|21.02    |<2>14.55 |18.93    |<2>10.23 |33.80    |<2>2.98  |39.60              

1991: amounts claimed for programmes in Great Britain                                                                   

1992: amounts claimed for programmes in England and Wales                                                               

1993: amounts applies for for programmes in England                                                                     

Responsibility for claiming ESF support for programmes in Scotland and Wales was transferred to the Scottish and Welsh  

Offices with effect from 1992 and 1993 respectively.                                                                    

<1> Amounts provided are final ESF claim totals.                                                                        

<2> Amounts provided are ESF applications totals and may be subject to change at final claims stage                     


Column 841

Minimum Wages

Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what analysis he has made of the studies produced since 18 February 1993 which show a positive link between the existence of statutory minimum pay rates and the loss of or failure to create jobs; and of studies which show the reverse effect or no effect at all.

Mr. Oppenheim: Recent reports by the Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development and the International Monetary Fund support the Government's position that minimum wages cost jobs. This view was also acknowledged in the European Commission's White Paper on competitiveness. Studies by Machin and Manning which suggest otherwise have been criticised on the grounds of their approach.

Labour Statistics

Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were in employment (a) at the latest available date, (b) 10 years ago and (c) 20 years ago; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Oppenheim: The information is given in the table:


Workforce in Employment:      

United Kingdom                

          |Thousands          

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

June 1974 |25,280             

June 1984 |24,399             

June 1994 |25,232             

Job Creation Grants

Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list (a) the grants which have been available from his Department to assist in investment or job creation in each of the last five years, (b) the number of grants given in each category, (c) the value of the grants, (d) the amount of investment created as a result, (e) the number of jobs created on the project assisted, (f) the criteria used in assessing the correctness of making the grants, (g) the criteria used in monitoring the sources of the grants, (h) the procedures used in this monitoring, (i) the number of grants and their value which had been reclaimed for financial or legal impropriety, (j) the number and value reclaimed for failing to achieve the criteria set and (k) the number and value reclaimed for other reasons.

Mr. Paice: No such grant assistance has been available from the Employment Department.

Departmental Post

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how much his Department has spent on postage, and how many items have been posted by his Department, in each of the last five years.

Miss Widdecombe: Information in the form requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the Department's expenditure on postage in the last three financial years is shown in the table:

1991 92 £10.7 million

1992 93 £11.9 million

1993 94 £13.0 million


Column 842

Public Appointments

Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many public appointments (a) he is responsible for making and (b) require his approval including those not listed in "Public Bodies"; and if he will give this figure in terms of (i) appointments to executive bodies, (ii) appointments to advisory bodies and (iii) other appointments.

Miss Widdecombe: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment is responsible for 2,940 appointments listed in "Public Bodies 1993", including some which require his approval; 110 of these are to executive bodies, 782 to advisory bodies and 2,048 to other appointments.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is also responsible for making 19 appointments not listed in "Public Bodies", of which 12 are to advisory bodies and the rest to other bodies.

Heathrow Tunnel

Mr. Dover: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what steps he has taken to satisfy himself about the health and safety aspects of the tunnelling techniques being used for the Jubilee line extension near Heathrow airport; if these have previously been used in clay substrata; and if he will make a statement on these matters in relation to risk to lives and adjacent buildings;

(2) if he will make a statement on the collapse of the Heathrow express tunnels adjacent to Heathrow airport.

Mr. Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what tests were carried out on the suitability of the new Austrian tunnelling method for London ground conditions before approval was given to use this technique on both the Heathrow express and Jubilee line extension projects;

(2) what steps are being taken to reinforce those sections of the Jubilee line extension and the Heathrow express projects being built using the new Austrian tunnelling method;

(3) if he will list the transport projects in which the new Austrian tunnelling method is being used in the United Kingdom, identifying the specific areas affected;

(4) what steps are being taken to prevent the risk of further subsidence at Heathrow central terminal area;

(5)

What evidence he has of ground movement at any of the other sites on Heathrow express and Jubilee line extension projects being built using the new Austrian tunnelling method;

(6) what checks have been carried out on the Jubilee line extension tunnels being constructed using the new Austrian tunnelling method following the collapse of the Heathrow express tunnel;

(7) what trial bores using the new Austrian tunnelling method in London clay were undertaken before its adoption for sections of the Heathrow express and Jubilee line extension projects;

(8) what has been the effect on the Piccadilly line of the collapse of the Heathrow express tunnel;

(9) what evidence his Department has received on the cause of the collapse in September 1994 of the tunnel in Munich being constructed with the new Austrian tunnelling method;


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(10) when he expects to receive a report on the causes of the tunnel collapse at Heathrow on 21 October; and if he intends to make this report available to the public;

(11) when he expects the Piccadilly line between Heathrow terminal 1, 2 and 3 and Heathrow terminal 4 to resume normal service; (12) what evidence he has on (a) the use of the new Austrian tunnelling method in ground conditions similar to those which exist in London and (b) the number of failures which have occurred; (13) if tunnelling work involving the new Austrian tunnelling method has been halted on the sites in the United Kingdom where this method is being employed; and what conditions have been set with regard to the resumption of such tunnelling work.

(14) what investigations and checks were made by his Department into the safety of the new Austrian tunnelling method following the collapse of the Munich tunnel in September 1994 and prior to the collapse of the central terminal area tunnel at Heathrow.

Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what will be the impact on the construction times and costs to the Heathrow express link and the Jubilee line extension arising from the Heathrow tunnel collapse.


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