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Dr. Mawhinney: My Department employs one special adviser. Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings, and are confidential. They are however, normally paid on a special advisers' salary spine of 34 points, ranging from £19,503 to £67,609. Appointments are non-pensionable and the salary spine reflects this.
Smart Cards
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the items of data stored on the experimental payment smart card which was used by London Transport buses in Harrow; and if holders of smart cards were informed of all these items of data and of all the purposes for which the data were to be used.
Mr. Norris: The smart cards in use on London Transport's trial in Harrow store the serial number of the card, the name of the cardholder, the validity of the card--for example travelcard for use in zones 2 5--and the date when its validity expires. LT has registered the trial in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1984.
Petrol
Ms Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the numbers of (a) cars and (b) lorries using (i) leaded petrol, (ii) unleaded petrol and (iii) diesel in (1) 1989 90, (2) 1990 91, (3) 1992 93 and (4) for the latest date information is available.
Mr. Norris: No estimates of the number of lorries using unleaded and leaded petrol are available. The number of petrol-fuelled lorries is very small--presently about 3,000 vehicles. They are usually small and account for less than 1 per cent. of petrol used.
The other data requested are in the table:
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Numbers of licensed cars and lorries by type of fuel used
cars<1> millions
lorries<2>
petrol diesel petrol diesel
year<3> |unleaded|leaded
---------------------------------------------------------------
1989 |5.85 |12.89 |0.51 |<4>- |0.43
1990 |7.83 |11.28 |0.62 |<4>- |0.45
1992 |9.96 |9.24 |0.91 |<4>- |0.39
1993 |10.70 |8.22 |1.19 |<4>- |0.38
<1> Cars within the private and light goods tax class.
<2> General goods vehicles with gross weights more than 3.5
tonnes.
<3> Figures relate to the 31 December of each year.
<4> Negligible, less than 5,000.
A few vehicles are not powered by petrol or diesel (ie powered
by electricity, steam, gas etc) and these are excluded from
the table.
Lobbying Companies
Mr. Fatchett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list and date those occasions over the last two years when Ministers or officials in his Department have met lobbying companies, prior to a decision being made on the subject of the meeting with the lobbying company.
Dr. Mawhinney: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Fatchett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the guidelines issued by his Department to regulate relationships with lobbying companies.
Dr. Mawhinney: The Department maintains strict rules on conduct and propriety which cover all external organisations. They are set out in a number of documents, notably the "Staff Handbook", "Government Accounting" and in local instructions.
Next Steps Agencies
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the salary and other emoluments of the civil servant who did the work of, or work comparable to that of, the chief executive of each next steps agency established by his Department before the agency was established.
Mr. Norris: The following is the information:
Agency |Salary<1>
|£
---------------------------------------------------------------
The Coastguard Agency |<2>-
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (1990) |40,900
Driving Standards Agency (1990) |37,186
Highways Agency |<2>-
Marine Safety Agency (1992) |48,856
Transport Research Laboratory (1991) |48,415
Vehicle Certification Agency (1990) |33,991
Vehicle Inspectorate (1988) |30,644
<1> No emoluments were paid.
<2> There is no direct comparison between the Current Chief
Executives of the Coastguard and Highways Agencies and those
civicl servants who carried out the work previously as the
work and responsibilities were significantly reorganised
within the Department.
Vehicles
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will take steps to amend the road vehicle construction and use regulations or the road vehicle registration and licensing regulations in order to ensure that any vehicle which has been seriously damaged in an accident will require notification to be given the DVLA concerning its drivability, and for the road licence for such a vehicle to be withdrawn pending either its certified scrapping by an authorised dealer or its certification of road worthiness by an appropriate authority; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he will make it a criminal offence for any vehicle to be rebuilt, and to be put back on the roads without
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being first approved by an authorised inspector's agency following a road accident.Mr. Norris: No. I am not aware of any evidence that rebuilt vehicles represent a particular threat to road safety.
Service Stations
Sir David Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his Department's standard for the desirable distance between service stations on M roads and other major routes.
Mr. Watts: This is an operational matter for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to my hon. Friend. Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Sir David Mitchell, dated 24 November 1994 :
Your Parliamentary Question about the spacing of services on motorways and other major routes is a matter for the Highways Agency. It has therefore been passed to me for reply.
Until 1992 the Department of Transport was itself responsible for promoting new MSAs, and its policy was to provide them at intervals of around thirty miles, or half an hour's driving time, throughout the motorway network. Following criticism that this policy was not delivering MSAs quickly enough, particularly on the more recently completed motorways such as the M25 and M40, Ministers announced a new policy in August 1992. Under these arrangements it is now for the private sector to bring forward proposals for new MSAs. At the same time the minimum spacing has been reduced from about thirty miles to around fifteen.
The fifteen mile minimum is, however, neither a target nor an absolute limit. On the one hand we recognise that there are stretches of motorway where either demand is unlikely ever to support MSAs every fifteen miles, or where planning constraints will dictate a lesser frequency. On the other hand, we are prepared to be flexible in applying the fifteen mile minimum, for example where existing MSAs are a little less than thirty miles apart and a new one is proposed roughly half way between them.
Services on other trunk roads, for which the Secretary of State for Transport is the highway authority, have always been a commercial matter for the private sector who are encouraged to provide comprehensive facilities. Local authorities are encouraged to work with the private sector in identifying suitable locations.
There are no standard rules about spacing, though guidance has been issued to local planning authorities in Circular Roads 4/88 "The Control of Development on Trunk Roads". This is widely available to developers, a copy is also in the Library.
The Circular advises that half an hour's driving time, or 25 miles, should be regarded as the maximum which any driver should have to travel without the availability of fuel, refreshment, toilet and parking facilities. However, on trunk roads where high average speeds normally obtain, it will not in general be unreasonable to expect a driver to travel at least 12 miles before reaching petrol filling and related facilities. Shorter intervals may be warranted in other circumstances. This is also covered in the Circular.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Next Steps Agencies
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the salary and other emoluments of the civil servant who did the work of, or work comparable to that of, the chief executive of each next steps agency established by his Department before the agency was established.
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Mr. Robert G. Jones: The information is as follows:
|Salary and
|emoluments of civil
|servant immediately
|prior to creation of
Agency |agency |Date agency created
|£
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chessington Computer
Centre |48,646 |1 April 1993
Civil Service College |42,900 |6 June 1989
Occupational Health
Service |50,900 |2 April 1990
Recruitment and
Assessment
Services |53,659 |2 April 1991
Central Office of
Information |41,496 |5 April 1990
Her Majesty's
Stationery Office |48,000 |14 December 1988
NATIONAL HERITAGE
Information Service
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the cost of the pilot information service the Government are currently developing; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
CCTA's pilot government information service makes available a range of information about public services through the global Internet. The total cost in terms of computer hardware, software and communications infrastructure amounts to under £50,000.
Information Super-highway
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if his Department will formally respond to the European Commission's proposals for a European information super-highway.
Mr. Dorrell: Government policy in relation to the European Commission's proposals for development of the information society is being co-ordinated by the Department of Trade and Industry. My Department will, of course, continue to consider the implications of technological innovation when formulating the policies for which it is responsible.
Special Advisers
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement concerning the cost to public funds of employing ministerial special advisers in his Department.
Mr. Dorrell: My Department does not employ any special advisers.
BBC
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of state for National Heritage if his Department will consider the status of independent producers within the BBC's programme commissioning procedure in the forthcoming legislation on the future of the BBC.
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Mr. Dorrell: Under the terms of the Broadcasting Act 1990, the BBC is required to commission 25 per cent. of its qualifying television output from independent production companies. There are at present no plans to change this requirement. The BBC's commissioning procedure is a matter for the BBC.
Freedom of Information
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if his Department will review the need for a freedom of information Act when it decides to legislate to protect privacy.
Mr. Dorrell: The Government's proposals on access to information held by public authorities were set out in the White Paper "Open Government" (Cm 2290), published in July 1993. I understand that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has no present plans to review the need for a freedom of information Act. The Government's conclusions on protection of privacy will be set out in their response the National Heritage Committee's report on privacy and media intrusion.
Independent Television News
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to examine the procedure by which the Independent Television Commission came to its decision last week on the ownership of ITN.
Mr. Dorrell: None. The procedure by which the Independent Television Commission comes to decisions is entirely a matter for the Independent Television Commission.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Next Steps Agencies
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Attorney-General if he will list the salary and other emoluments of the civil servant who did the work of, or work comparable to that of, the chief executive of each next steps agency established by his Department before the agency was established.
The Attorney-General: The present chief executive of the Government Property Lawyers agency, Mr. Tony Osborne, is the relevant civil servant and he was paid at the rate of £56,410 per annum immediately before the agency was established on 1 April 1993.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION
Pergau Dam
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what legal advice he was given before making the decision to approve the expenditure from the aid budget and the budget for the Pergau dam project.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 23 November 1994]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale (Sir M. Lennox-Boyd) gave on 22 April, Official Report, column 699 to the Member for Clydebank and Milngavie (Mr. Worthington). No legal advice was given before my right.
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hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary took the decision to support the Pergau dam project.EMPLOYMENT
Unemployed People (Qualifications)
Mr. Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the percentage of those unemployed for (a) more than one year and (b) more than two years who have no academic or vocational qualifications; and what was the percentage in each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Oppenheim: The information is available from the labour force survey and is given in the following table:
Percentage of those of working age who have been ILO
unemployed for more than one and two years who have no
academic or vocational qualifications
Not seasonally adjusted - Great Britain (per cent.)
|Unemployed for over|Unemployed for over
Quarter |1 year |2 years
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spring 1984 |58.4 |62.6
Spring 1985 |56.4 |59.8
Spring 1986 |55.8 |60.6
Spring 1987 |55.9 |60.6
Spring 1988 |58.0 |62.8
Spring 1989 |55.4 |59.1
Spring 1990 |56.2 |60.3
Spring 1991 |53.6 |60.2
Spring 1992 |45.7 |54.3
Spring 1993 |41.9 |48.2
Spring 1994 |37.7 |41.8
Source:
Labour Force Survey.
Mr. Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the percentage of those with no academic or vocational qualifications who have been unemployed for more than one year; and what was the percentage in each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Oppenheim: The information is available from the labour force survey and is given in the following table:
Not seasonally adjusted-Great Britain all people of working
age
Quarter |Proportion of those
|with no
|qualifications ILO
|unemployed for over
|one year
|Per cent.
------------------------------------------------------------
Spring 1984 |6.3
Spring 1985 |6.1
Spring 1986 |5.9
Spring 1987 |5.8
Spring 1988 |4.8
Spring 1989 |3.6
Spring 1990 |3.2
Spring 1991 |3.1
Spring 1992 |4.4
Spring 1993 |5.4
Spring 1994 |5.7
Source:
Labour Force Survey.
Mr. Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the rate of unemployment among those with no academic or vocational qualification for (a) males and (b) females; and what was the rate in each of the last 10 years.
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Mr. Oppenheim: The information is available from the labour force survey and is given in the following table:ILO Unemployment rates amongst those of working age with no academic or vocational qualifications Not seasonally adjusted-Great Britain (Per Cent.) Quarter |Males |Females ------------------------------------ Spring 1984 |18.2 |13.4 Spring 1985 |17.8 |12.7 Spring 1986 |17.8 |12.5 Spring 1987 |18.2 |12.8 Spring 1988 |15.5 |11.0 Spring 1989 |13.3 | 9.0 Spring 1990 |12.8 | 8.7 Spring 1991 |15.3 | 9.3 Spring 1992 |18.8 | 9.5 Spring 1993 |20.3 |10.0 Spring 1994 |21.0 | 9.8 Source: Labour Force Survey.
Mr. Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the percentage of those with no academic or vocational qualifications who have been unemployed for more than two years; and what was the percentage in each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Oppenheim: The information is available from the labour force survey and is given in the following table:
Not seasonally adjusted - Great Britain all people of working age
|Proportion of those
|with no
|qualifications ILO
|unemployed
Quarter |for over two years
|(Per Cent.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spring 1984 |4.5
Spring 1985 |4.3
Spring 1986 |4.4
Spring 1987 |4.4
Spring 1988 |3.5
Spring 1989 |2.6
Spring 1990 |2.3
Spring 1991 |2.0
Spring 1992 |2.3
Spring 1993 |3.2
Spring 1994 |3.7
Source:
Labour Force Survey.
TCW941124025
|Quarter ending
|1988 |1989 |1990 |31 March 1991 |1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94
Total Decisions/Opinions |1,642,021 |1,284,482 |1,326,016 |40,203 |1,930,676 |2,203,816 |2,138,936
Appeals Received |30,339 |24,152 |19,493 |5,860 |27,942 |23,601 |20,311
Appeals Reviewed and Revised |8,066 |5,157 |3,792 |1,188 |6,440 |5,336 |4,456
Appeals Submitted to Tribunal |20,375 |17,554 |14,506 |3,703 |17,953 |16,539 |13,978
For 1988, 1989 and 1990 the statistical year ended on 31 December.
From 1 April 1991 the statistical year was amended to coincide with the operational year end of 31 March.
Labour Statistics
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his latest estimate of (a) the number of people in part-time jobs because they cannot find full-time work and (b) the number of people in temporary jobs because they cannot find permanent employment.
Mr. Oppenheim: Estimates form the spring 1994 labour force survey show that in Great Britain, 797,000 employees and self-employed people were in part-time jobs because they could not find full-time work; this was just 13 per cent. of all part-time employees and self-employed people.
In the same quarter, 587,000 employees were in temporary jobs because they could not find permanent employment; this represented 43 per cent. of all employees in temporary jobs.
Mr. Gunnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of women with (a) working
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partners and (b) unemployed partners are in work; and what were the equivalent figures in 1979.Mr. Oppenheim: Estimates from the spring 1994 labour force survey for Great Britain show that 73 per cent. of women with partners in employment, and 33 per cent. of women with ILO unemployed partners, were in employment. Equivalent figures for spring 1984, the earliest available, were 59 and 25 per cent. respectively.
Benefits
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many decisions on claims in 1993 94 for unemployment benefit where payment was suspended pending investigation of whether the claimant had left a job voluntarily without just cause were delayed due to the failure of former employers to respond to request for evidence within the periods specified by Employment Service guidelines.
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mr. Harry Barnes, dated 24 November 1994:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the number of claims for unemployment benefit where payment was suspended pending a decision on whether a claimant had left employment voluntarily without just cause and where the decision was delayed due to failure of an employer to respond to a request for information within the period specified by the Employment Service. Unfortunately we do not collect the information you have requested. We record the number of adjudication decisions not suspensions. In addition there is no time limit for employers to respond to enquiries from adjudication officers. In general adjudication officers allow employers three weeks in which to reply to requests for information. However, this will vary depending on local circumstances.
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether the Employment Service has undertaken research into periods of disqualification from unemployment benefit following a finding of voluntary unemployment.
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from M.E.G Fogden to Mr. Harry Barnes, dated 24 November 1994:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about whether the Employment Service (ES) has undertaken research into periods of disqualification from unemployment benefit following a finding of voluntary unemployment.
Collection of this information would involve a special exercise which ES has historically not undertaken. However, because of the interest shown by Members and others in the length of
disqualification periods, it has been decided that a limited amount of data on this issue should be collected as part of a larger project, which is currently under way. This will provide a snapshot picture of average periods of disqualification imposed during October. The results should be available by the end of 1994 and I will forward them to you.
I hope this is helpful.
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment in respect of claims for unemploymentbenefit, where payment was suspended pending investigation of whether the claimant had left a job
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voluntarily without just cause, what was the average length of time in 1993 94 and in each of the five preceding years (a) between the logging of the claim with the Employment Service and its referral to an adjudicator, (b) between the logging of the claim with the Employment Service and receiving a response from the former employer, (c) between the referral of the claim from the Employment Service to an adjudicator and the adjudicator's decision and (d) between the lodging of an appeal and the appeal hearing.Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from M.E.G. Fogden to Mr. Harry Barnes, dated 24 November 1994:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the number of claims where payment was suspended pending a decision on whether a claimant had left employment voluntarily without just cause and the times taken to refer the question to an adjudication officer, for employers to reply to enquiries, for the adjudication officer to decide the question and for an appeal hearing to take place once an appeal has been lodged.
Unfortunately we do not have all of the information you have requested. We record the number of adjudication decisions not suspensions or referrals to adjudication. We do not keep information on the time taken by employers to reply to requests for information as it has no operational value.
Because of the independence of the adjudicating authorities, and the limited use we could make of the information, we do not collect statistics on the time taken to make decisions. However, due to the interest shown in this data by various people we have recently conducted an exercise during the quarter ending 30 September to measure the time from when a referral is received by the adjudication officer to when a decision is made. The exercise monitored several different types of decisions. Of the sample of disqualifications examined, which included leaving voluntarily cases, 28 per cent. were decided within 14 days, 54 per cent. within 28 days and 88 per cent. within 56 days.
The administration of Social Security Appeal Tribunals (SSATs) is the responsibility of the Independent Tribunal Service. I am therefore unable to respond to your question about the time taken by them to list appeals for hearing. We do collect information on the time taken by adjudication officers to clear appeals. However, this information is not available specifically for leaving voluntarily questions. During the quarter ending 30 September 76 per cent. of appeals were cleared within 28 days and 93 per cent. within 56 days. This data includes appeals that were withdrawn by the claimant, reviewed and allowed by the adjudication officer and those submitted to the SSAT.
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment in how many of the total number of unemployment benefit claims in 1993 94 and in each of the five preceding years benefit was (a) suspended, (b) suspended but subsequently reinstated by the adjudication officer and (c) suspended but reinstated on appeal.
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Column 269
Letter from M.E.G. Fogden to Mr. Harry Barnes, dated 24 November 1994:The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the number of claims suspended, suspended and reinstated by an adjudication officer and suspended and reinstated on appeal. Unfortunately information is not available in the form you have requested. We record the number of adjudication decisions and opinions not suspensions. It may be helpful if I explain that a benefit suspension is not imposed in all cases referred to adjudication for a
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decision. In addition not all adverse decisions and opinions result in a loss of benefit.The only data held on appeals is: the number received, the number reviewed and revised by an adjudication officer and the number submitted for determination by a Social Security Appeal Tribunal. The attached table gives details of the number of decisions made in the year ending 30 March 1994, the five preceding years and appeals data for the same period.
I hope this is helpful.
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Table file CW941124.025 not available
Ms Lynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many unemployed people were refused benefits, and for what reasons, in each of the last five years.
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from M.E.G. Fogden to Ms Liz Lynne, dated 24 November 1994:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the number of claimants refused benefits and the reasons for these refusals.
It may be helpful if I explain that decisions on entitlement to benefit are made by independent adjudication officers. Employment Service (ES) adjudication officers only determine claims for unemployment benefit. Decisions on other benefits are the responsibility of my colleagues in Benefits Agency.
The statistics your asked for on ES adjudication officers' decisions for each region and for Great Britain as a whole are contained in the quarterly summary entitled "Analysis of Adjudication Officers' Decisions". Copies are held in the Library of the House. The latest available information relates to the quarter ending June. I hope this is helpful.
Next Steps Agencies
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the salary and other emoluments of the civil servant who did the work of, or work comparable to that of, the chief executive of each next steps agency established by his Department before the agency was established.
Miss Widdecombe: The work broadly comparable to that of the chief executive of the Employment Service was undertaken by a civil servant who received a salary of £49,600--including the grade 3 London allowance of £2,000--in the year to March 1990. The Employment Service was established as an executive agency in April 1990.
Lobbying Companies
Mr. Fatchett: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the guidelines issued by his Department to regulate relationships with lobbying companies.
Column 270
Miss Widdecombe: Conditions of service for the staff of the Department incorporate the general principles of conduct that require civil servants not to misuse information which they acquire in the course of their duties; not to make use of their official position to further their private interests or those of others; and not to receive gifts, hospitality or benefits of any kind from a third party, which might be seen to compromise their personal judgment or integrity.
Mr. Fatchett: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list and date those occasions over the last two years when Ministers or officials in his Department have met lobbying companies, prior to a decision being made on the subject of the meeting with the lobbying company.
Miss Widdecombe: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Workplace Incidents
Mr. Rooker: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many employees were (a) killed or (b) injured at work in the latest year for which figures are available.
Mr. Oppenheim: Provisional figures for the year commencing 1 April 1993, published today in the Health and Safety Commission's annual report, show a total of 235 fatal injuries, 16,326 major injuries and 132,343 other injuries to employees causing incapacity for normal work for more than three days reported to enforcing authorities across Great Britain.
Training
Ms Lynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how much money he plans to spend on training for unemployed people in the next financial year; and what has been the spending on training for the unemployed in each of the last five years.
Mr. Paice: An announcement about the resources the Department plans to devote in the next financial year to training unemployed people will be made after my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget announcement.
The following table provides details of how much the Department has spent on training through employment
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