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Job Interview Guarantee Scheme
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what levels of part-time earnings make job seekers ineligible for consideration under the job interview guarantee scheme; and what plans he has to change the current arrangements.
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Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 31 October 1994]: The basic eligibility condition for the job interview guarantee scheme is that a job seeker must be unemployed for at least 26 weeks, and be in receipt of benefit. The level of part-time earnings in respect of unemployment benefit, and the number of hours worked in respect of income support, can affect a job seeker's entitlement to benefit. This would also affect his eligibility for JIG in the following circumstances:
a client loses entitlement to UB for a day he works and earns more than £2.00, or for a week where he earns more than £57 in that week. a client loses entitlement to IS for a week in which he works for more than 16 hours.
There are no plans to change the programme eligibility for JIG or, in the short term, benefit entitlement conditions. There are, however, proposals to change benefit rules from April 1996. Information about the jobseeker's allowance was announced to Parliament on 24 October.
Self-Employed Workers
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what criteria he uses for categorising self-employed workers as being part-time; when this criteria was last changed; and when he plans to alter it in the future.
Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 31 October 1994]: Information on the number of self-employed workers is collected from the quarterly labour force survey. As with all LFS questions, the categorisation of full or part-time is based on the self-classification of the respondent.
Although the methodology used to estimate the numbers of self-employed was refined in April 1994, this did not effect the criteria for categorising part-time workers which has, since its inception in 1979, been based on self-classification from the LFS. There are no plans to alter this method in the future.
Coal Industry
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment at how many deep coal mines in the United Kingdom the refuge holes required under section 40 of the Mines and Quarries Act 1954 and regulation 59 of the Shafts Outlets and Roads Regulations have not been excavated; and if he will list the mines.
Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 28 October 1994]: The legal requirement relating to the provision of refuge holes is absolute and no mine has been granted an exemption from providing refuge holes.
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) on what grounds managers of certain deep coal mines have been given a derogation from their liabilities to cause refuge holes to be excavated; and who gave authority for the derogation;
(2) what is the total number of refuge holes that must now be excavated following the derogation given to managers at certain deep coal mines; and if this work will be completed prior to privatisation.
Mr. Oppeneheim [holding answer 28 October 1994]: No manager of a deep coal mine has been given derogation from the provision of refuge holes in roadways.
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PRIME MINISTER
Labour Statistics
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Prime Minister how many people there were in employment (a) in the United Kingdom, (b) in Scotland and (c) in the Clydebank and Milngavie constituency in September in each year since 1979; how many of these jobs were (i) full-time or (ii) part-time; and how many were filled by (1) men and (2) women.
The Prime Minister: The information requested at (a) and (b) is available for all years since 1979 and can be obtained from the Library of the House. Constituency information is available only for September of 1984, 1987, 1989 and 1991.
Iraq
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister what is the latest information available to him about health and malnutrition conditions at the present time in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates.
The Prime Minister: In addition to information from
non-governmental organisations we receive reports from United Nations agencies. Copies of the most recent report from the office of the United Nations co-ordinator in Baghdad have been placed in both Libraries of the House.
Engagements
Sir Peter Tapsell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 1 November.
Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 1 November.
The Prime Minister: This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House I shall be having further meetings later today.
Wheelchairs
Mr. Alfred Morris: To ask the Prime Minister what response he is making to the petition he received from Lord Attenborough and others on 19 October urging the provision of powered indoor/outdoor wheelchairs for severely disabled people who cannot be independently mobile without them; what action he is taking; and if he will make a statement.
The Prime Minister: A reply has been sent to the Muscular Dystrophy Group to acknowledge the petition and explain our policy on the provision of wheelchairs for disabled people. I have passed the petition itself to the Department of Health. Health Ministers are, of course, aware of the "batteries not included" campaign.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Mr. Bowis), is currently studying the feasibility and affordability of a wheelchair voucher scheme and will announce his conclusions in due course.
Documents for Signature
Mr. Ron Davies: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 26 October, Official Report , column 619 ,
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if he will list the official documents, letters or accords that he has allowed photographic reproduction of his signature to appear on; and if he will list the official documents, letters or accords that he has signed which are written in a language that he does not understand.The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 26 October, Official Report , column 619 .
Mohamed Al Fayed
Mr. Madden: To ask the Prime Minister when Mr. Mohamed Al Fayed requested a meeting with him; for what reasons he declined the request; and if he will make a statement.
The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to the statement I made to the House on standards of conduct in public life, on 25 October, Official Report , columns 775 70.
Mr. Byers: To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions since 1 January 1985 Mr. Mohamed Al Fayed has visited 10 Downing street; and on what dates.
The Prime Minister [holding answer 28 October 1994]: Mr. Al Fayed visited No. 10 Downing street on the following occasions: 25 January 1985
(for the then Prime Minister's meeting with the Sulton of Brunei)
14 March 1985
(for the then Prime Minister's lunch for President Mubarak) 3 April 1985
(for a meeting with officials)
7 January 1986
(for a meeting with officials)
Correspondence
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 14 June, Official Report , column 370 , if his Office will now seek to obtain the full text of the letter from the Ritz hotel referred to in the correspondence between the Prime Minister and Mr. Peter Preston, editor of The Guardian.
The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to my previous answers on this subject.
Council of Europe
Sir Anthony Durant: To ask the Prime Minister, if he will place in the Library a copy of the information bulletin on the activities of the Council of Europe.
The Prime Minister: I have done so today.
Open Government and Accountability
Mr. Duncan: To ask the Prime Minister what initiatives the Government has taken since November 1990 on open government and accountability.
The Prime Minister: The Government launched the citizens charter in July 1991. Information and openness are among its central principles.
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The membership and terms of reference of ministerial Cabinet committees were published in May 1992, along with "Questions of Procedure for Ministers".In May 1992, I avowed for the first time the continuing existence of the secret intelligence service and named its chief. The Intelligence Services Act, which received royal assent in May 1994, puts both Government communications headquarters and the secret intelligence service on a statutory footing. A statutory oversight committee of parliamentarians for the security and intelligence services was also provided for.
The White paper on open government, published in July 1993, proposed the following measures:
A code of practice on access to government information.
Statutory access rights to personal records and health and safety information.
Greater openness in access to public records.
The code of practice came into force in April 1994, providing for:
Information to be volunteered by Government, such as facts and analysis with the policy decisions, and internal guidelines on dealing with the public.
Government information to be released in response to specific requests.
Reasons to be provided for administrative decisions.
Enforcement by the Parliamentary Ombudsman, at no cost to the applicant.
A similar code of practice, covering the national health service, is currently the subject of consultation.
Over 24,000 records have been released since the open government initiatives began. These include almost 4,000 pieces of the intelligence material shown to Winston Churchill during the war--the so-called "Dir C Archive"; 840 pieces from the Special Operations Executive archive relating to SOE activities in the far east, Scandinavia, the middle east and Africa; previously withheld wartime Cabinet minutes; Admiralty intelligence papers; and War Office papers relating to the interrogation of prisoners-of-war.
A code of conduct has been issued to national health service boards, emphasising that high standards of corporate conduct and probity are at the heart of the NHS. Public registers of interests have been established.
A similar Treasury code of best practice for board members of other public bodies has also been promulgated. It recommends that all boards should establish a register of board members' interests. As I announced to the House on 20 October, Official Report , column 421 , a review of the system of appointments to public bodies is currently being carried out. The conclusions of the review will be made public, and will also be made available to the Nolan committee.
Cash and Running Costs Limits
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Prime Minister what proposals there are to change the 1994 95 cash limit or running costs limit in respect of security and intelligence services.
The Prime Minister: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary token supplementary estimate, the cash limit for security and intelligence services, class XIX, vote 2 will be increased by £1, 000 from
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£881,486,000 to £881487,000 and the gross running cost limit will be reduced by £2,361,000 from £449,850,000 to £447,489,000. This takes account of increased capital spending arising from the slippage of a building project and unforeseen capital and other purchases. These increases are being offset by increased receipts and reductions in both running costs and other current expenditure.Mr. Dunn: To ask the Prime Minister what proposals there are to change the 1994 95 cash limit or running costs limit for the Cabinet Office: other services vote.
The Prime Minister: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for the Cabinet Office: other services, class XIX, vote 1, will be increased by £1, 452,000 from £43,381,000 to £44,833,000. At the same time, the running costs limit will be increased by £1,452,000 from £41,762,000 to £43,214,000.
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The increase reflects the transfer of certain administrative functions and the move to repayment for some common service support as follows:(a) transfer of running costs provision for certain Ministry of Defence property charges (Class 1 Vote 1) (£494,000);
(b) transfer of running costs provision for support to former Prime Ministers (Class VIII, Vote 3) (£163,000);
(c) transfer of running costs provision for central services (Class XVII, Vote 1) (£80,000); and
(d) transfer of provision for the calculation of the average property price list (£3,000).
In addition, as announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 14 July 1994, Official Report , columns 729 734 , this vote is eligible for a cash limit increase of £721,000 in respect of end year flexibility arrangements for running costs expenditure. This supplementary estimate gives effect to the increase. All the increases are either offset by inter- departmental transfers or have been charged to the reverse and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
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EDUCATION
National Targets Initiative
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what are the key objectives being sought under the national education and training targets initiative.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard: The national targets for education and training aim to help improve Britain's competitiveness by raising expectations of what young people and adults can achieve at school, college and at work.
Schools (Cornwall)
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will make a statement on the level of capital expenditure approved for schools in Cornwall.
Mr. Robin Squire: Cornwalls' allocation for capital for 1994 95 is £1.744 million. With regard to bids for 1995 96, I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave earlier to my hon. Friend the Member for Bedfordshire, South-West (Sir D. Madel).
Student Grants
Mrs. Jane Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment she has made of the effect on the welfare of student of the reduction in the worth in real terms of student grant.
Mr. Boswell: Since 1990, the total resources available to students through grant and student loan have been uprated annually by the rate of inflation estimated at the time, thus maintaining their value in real terms. Additionally, access funds are available for students who are in particular financial difficulties.
Teachers' Pay
Mr. Roy Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions she has had with teachers' unions concerning pay levels in the profession.
Mr. Robin Squire: Teachers' pay is a matter for the school teachers pay review body which is in the process of taking evidence from interested parties including the teacher unions and the Government.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her answer of 24 October, Official Report, columns 416 17, if she will provide a table showing (a) the cost of teacher salaries by local education authority and (b) the cost of implementing the school teachers pay and conditions document 1993.
Mr. Robin Squire: Teachers' pay costs by LEA in 1992 93 are shown in the table. Figures for 1993 94, which will include the effect of the 1993 teachers' pay award, are not yet available.
Teachers' Pay Costs 1992-93
LEA |£000
-------------------------------------------
Corporation of London |428
Camden |36,778
Greenwich |57,441
Hackney |42,157
Hammersmith and Fulham |25,144
Islington |40,339
Kensington and Chelsea |15,969
Lambeth |45,081
Lewisham |43,850
Southwark |43,037
Tower Hamlets |57,235
Wandsworth |41,485
City of Westminster |29,064
Barking |34,134
Barnet |61,723
Bexley |43,229
Brent |48,628
Bromley |37,052
Croydon |56,379
Ealing |48,569
Enfield |57,216
Haringey |46,196
Harrow |38,397
Havering |49,716
Hillingdon |32,850
Hounslow |48,723
Kingston-upon-Thames |26,672
Merton |34,380
Newham |55,156
Redbridge |48,178
Richmond-upon-Thames |25,951
Sutton |26,067
Waltham Forest |49,215
Birmingham |226,986
Coventry |68,241
Dudley |61,409
Sandwell |67,116
Solihull |44,663
Walsall |57,957
Wolverhamton |52,823
Knowsley |34,957
Liverpool |106,122
St. Helens |40,656
Sefton |58,695
Wirral |71,520
Bolton |58,731
Bury |33,786
Manchester |98,210
Oldham |57,609
Rochdale |44,279
Salford |51,731
Stockport |58,114
Tameside |46,054
Trafford |39,523
Wigan |72,263
Barnsley |40,094
Doncaster |61,082
Rotherham |59,486
Sheffield |95,070
Bradford |113,897
Calderdale |40,476
Kirklees |83,022
Leeds |144,719
Wakefield |65,138
Gateshead |41,420
Newcastle-upon-Tyne |54,297
North Tyneside |43,475
South Tyneside |31,785
Sunderland |64,315
Isles of Scilly |599
Avon |179,711
Bedfordshire |116,753
Berkshire |133,913
Buckinghamshire |116,645
Cambridgeshire |121,295
Cheshire |193,359
Cleveland |136,127
Cornwall |86,734
Cumbria |94,791
Derbyshire |187,005
Devon |179,197
Dorset |99,774
Durham |122,305
East Sussex |115,326
Essex |279,683
Gloucestershire |87,598
Hampshire |281,689
Hereford and Worcester |133,454
Hertfordshire |195,847
Humberside |184,702
Isle of Wight |24,255
Kent |257m412
Lancashire |290,367
Leicestershire |192,009
Lincolnshire |94,889
Norfolk |129,927
North Yorkshire |137,936
Northamptonshire |117,669
Northumberland |62,703
Nottinghamshire |204,216
Oxfordshire |102,211
Shropshire |87,570
Somerset |83,851
Staffordshire |201,758
Suffolk |126,106
Surrey |151,970
Warwickshire |90,879
West Sussex |128,140
Wiltshire |105,215
Total |9,371,750
Note:
Figures are derived from LEAs' returns of
their spending to the
Department of Environment.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her answer of 24 October, Official Report, columns 416-17, what additional funds her Department has made available to meet the cost of teacher salary re-assessment.
Mr. Robin Squire: Education's share of the 1993 94 local authority grant settlement was £16.8 billion, 2.6 per cent. higher than the comparable figure for the previous year. It was for local authorities to decide how to meet the cost of the 1993 teachers' pay award from within this total.
School Inspectors
Mr. Devlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps she is taking to recruit lay inspectors of schools.
Mr. Forth: This is a matter for Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools, who heads the independent Office for Standards in Education. I have asked Mr. Woodhead to write to my right hon. Friend.
Higher Education Institutions (Accountability)
Ms Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what measures she is taking to ensure proper accountability of the use of public money by higher education institutions.
Mr. Boswell: The Higher Education Funding Council for England is responsible for allocating public funds to individual higher education institutions in England. Institutions are required to ensure that the funds they receive are used in accordance with the Further and
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Higher Education Act 1992, a financial memorandum with the council and any other conditions that the council prescribe. They provide audited financial statements to the council annually and their books and records are open to inspection by the Comptroller and Auditor General.University Degrees
Mr. Batiste: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps she is taking to ensure uniformity in the standards of degrees between universities.
Mr. Boswell: The central responsibility for the quality of education and the standard of degrees rests with the universities themselves, acting individually and also collectively through the higher education quality council. My right hon. Friend has made clear the importance that she places on this responsibility, and has welcomed evidence that it is being taken ever more seriously.
Specialisms (Schools)
Mr. Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what support she proposes to give to those schools that wish to develop a specialism in music, art, languages or other areas of the curriculum.
Mr. Forth: As part of our commitment to increasing choice and diversity in education, we want to encourage schools to specialise in particular subjects. We have already introduced the successful technology colleges programme to support schools which wish to specialise in technology, science and mathematics. We hope to extend this principle in due course to other areas of the curriculum.
Nursery Education
Mr. Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans she has to improve the funding available for nursery education.
Mr. Forth: My right hon. Friend is now consulting widely a range of interests in pre-school education with a view to drawing up detailed proposals on how to achieve the target for expansion of pre-school provision set by the Prime Minister. The need for additional funding will be determined as part of the development of these proposals.
Mr. William O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will make a statement on the percentage of three and four-year-old children receiving full-time nursery provision.
Mr. Forth: At January 1994, 3 per cent. of three and four-year-olds attended nursery classes full-time and 24 per cent. attended such classes part-time. A further 25 per cent. of this age group were in attendance at other infant classes, 23 per cent. full-time and 2 per cent. part-time.
Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when she expects to announce details for further provision of nursery education; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Robin Squire: The Prime Minister recently reaffirmed the Government's firm commitment to pre-school education. He set a target to provide, over time, a pre-school place for all four-year-olds whose parents wish them to take it up. My right hon. Friend is now consulting widely with a view to drawing up detailed proposals on the expansion. She will make an announcement as soon as practicable.
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Surplus School Places
Mr. Carrington: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the latest estimate she has of the amount of money being tied up in maintaining surplus school places; and what steps she is taking to reduce the number of surplus places.
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