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Table One                     

          |Number of          

Year      |deaths             

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

1990      |50                 

1991      |42                 

1992      |41                 

1993      |47                 

1994      |60                 

1995      |3                  

Table two gives the breakdown 

of these figures by the       

verdict of the Coroners'      

Courts.                       


[

Table Two                                                                                  

                                       |Accidental  |No                                    

Year         |Suicide     |Misadventure|death       |verdict     |Open                     

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

1990         |33          |2           |4           |-           |11                       

1991         |33          |2           |2           |-           |5                        

1992         |27          |5           |1           |-           |8                        

1993         |35          |1           |-           |4           |7                        

1994         |16          |4           |2           |35          |3                        

1995         |-           |-           |-           |3           |-                        

Young Offenders, Northumberland

Mr. Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) children aged eight to 15 years and (b) youths aged 16 to 20 years have been convicted of offences in south-east Northumberland in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr. Maclean: Information for the age groups 10 to 15 and 16 to 20 is given in the table. Children below the age of 10--the age of criminal responsibility--may not be found guilty of an offence.


Number of young persons found guilty in South East                                           

Northumberland<1> magistrates' court and at the Crown Court by                               

the committing South East Northumberland<1> magistrates' court by                            

age-group and type of offence 1989-1993                                                      

                               Age-groups                                                    

Year/Type of offence          |10-15               |16-20                                    

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

1989                                                                                         

Indictable offences           |60                  |335                                      

Summary non-motoring offences |12                  |286                                      

Summary motoring offences     |7                   |279                                      

All offences                  |79                  |900                                      

                                                                                             

1990                                                                                         

Indictable offences           |39                  |327                                      

Summary non-motoring offences |11                  |263                                      

Summary motoring offences     |2                   |294                                      

All offences                  |52                  |884                                      

                                                                                             

1991                                                                                         

Indictable offences           |38                  |323                                      

Summary non-motoring offences |13                  |204                                      

Summary motoring offences     |2                   |307                                      

All offences                  |53                  |834                                      

                                                                                             

1992                                                                                         

Indictable offences           |49                  |352                                      

Summary non-motoring offences |14                  |217                                      

Summary motoring offences     |1                   |337                                      

All offences                  |64                  |906                                      

                                                                                             

1993                                                                                         

Indictable offences           |56                  |268                                      

Summary non-motoring offences |15                  |162                                      

Summary motoring offences     |2                   |216                                      

All offences                  |73                  |646                                      

<1>From 1 April 1993 Blyth Valley, Morpeth Ward and Wansbeck Petty Sessional Divisions       

combined to form the South East Northumberland PSD. Data given for the years 1989 to 1992    

and part 1993 is for the three PSDs combined.                                                

Family Reunion Applications

Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have at present applied for family reunion; and how many of these applications are from people who (a) have applied for asylum, (b) have been given exceptional leave to remain and (c) have been given refugee status.

Mr. Nicholas Baker: Information on the number of applications for family reunion from persons seeking asylum, persons recognised as refugees and persons refused asylum but granted exceptional leave to remain is not available.

Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the criteria for granting family reunion for people on exceptional leave to remain and be given refugee status; what is the average wait for an application for family reunification; and how many applications are currently outstanding.

Mr. Nicholas Baker: Persons who have been recognised as refugees in the United Kingdom are eligible to be joined immediately by their spouses and minor children under the family reunion concession. Applications are considered under the immigration rules, but maintenance and accommodation requirements which are applied to other immigration cases, are waived for refugees.

Applications for family reunion from the spouse and minor children of a person on exceptional leave will usually be granted after four years, subject to the general requirements of the immigration rules on the admission of spouses and dependants, including those relating to maintenance and accommodation. An application for family reunion may be granted earlier if there are compelling compassionate circumstances. Information on the average wait for an application for family reunification and the number of applications outstanding is not available.

Animal Experiments

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the "Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Great Britain" for (a) 1993 and (b) 1994 will be published.

Mr. Nicholas Baker: The Command Paper "Statistics of Scientific Procedures performed on living animals,


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Great Britain, 1993" is to be published on 26 January. The next similar Command Paper, containing information relating to scientific procedures started in 1994, is expected to be published towards the end of July 1995.

Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will define the categories of experiments on living animals which would fall within the most severe classification; how many applications for licensed experiments for (a) medical and (b) non-medical were under the most severe classifications; and how many applications for experiments in each security category were made in 1993.

Mr. Nicholas Baker: Scientific procedures are regarded as being of substantial severity if they result in a major departure from the animal's usual state of health or well-being. These are likely to include acute toxicity procedures where significant morbidity or death is the end point, some efficacy tests of antimicrobial agents and vaccines, some models of disease, and major surgery where significant post-operative suffering may result.

In 1993, project licence applications in each severity category were submitted: mild, 614; moderate, 743; substantial, 21; unclassified, terminally anaesthetised or decerebrated animals, nine.

Fourteen of the licences assessed as of overall substantial severity were relevant to human medicine, one to veterinary medicine and six to non- medical topics.

Election Fraud

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to improve election processes to reduce the possibility of fraud.

Mr. Nicholas Baker: A review established after the 1992 general election has identified a number of detailed improvements in election procedures, including improvements aimed at reducing the possibility of fraud. As a result of this work, new absent voting application forms have been produced to reduce the risk of fraudulent proxy appointments. We have no proposals for further changes.

Family Reunion Policies

Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the latest developments regarding harmonisation of family reunion policies across the EU.

Mr. Nicholas Baker: EC immigration Ministers agreed the terms of a resolution on the harmonisation of family reunification policies in Copenhagen in June 1993. There have been no developments since then.

Public Houses

Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licensed public houses there were in (a) North Yorkshire (b) South Yorkshire, (c) West Yorkshire, (d) Humberside and (e) the United Kingdom for each of the last 10 years.

Mr. Michael Forsyth: The available information by county is given in the table. This information is collected only every three years for each licensing area in England and Wales. Figures are produced and published for each county for the year of collection along with a total for England and Wales for the previous year.


Public houses, etc.<1> licensed for the retail sale of intoxicating liquor, as   

at 30 June 1983 to 1992                                                          

                  |1982  |1983  |1985  |1986  |1988  |1989  |1991  |1992         

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

Humberside        |-     |941   |-     |1,020 |-     |1,105 |-     |1,143        

North Yorkshire   |-     |1,657 |-     |1,678 |-     |1,714 |-     |1,757        

South Yorkshire   |-     |1,472 |-     |1,462 |-     |1,508 |-     |1,505        

West Yorkshire    |-     |2.673 |-     |2,796 |-     |2,883 |-     |2,889        

                                                                                 

England and Wales |68,373|69,136|70,331|71,200|71,875|72,712|74,229|74,053       

<1>Includes public houses and hotels etc. (other than those licensed under Part  

IV of the Licensing Act 1964) having a justices' on-licence which authorises the 

sale of intoxicating liquor for consumption on or off the premises, unless a     

condition is attached to the licence prohibiting off-sales.                      

Drugs, Blyth Valley

Mr. Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what strategies he is currently promoting to tackle drug problems in Blyth valley; and if he will make it his policy to introduce further measures.

Mr. Michael Forsyth: The Government's overall strategy for tackling drug misuse is aimed at reducing the supply of and demand for drugs throughout the United Kingdom. From 1 April, the area covered by the local drugs prevention team in Newcastle is being extended to the whole of Northumberland and Tyne and Wear, including Blyth valley.

Asylum Seekers

Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his policy on access to travel documents for asylum seekers granted exceptional leave to remain in the United Kingdom; what representations he has received about access to travel documents; and what is the average wait to obtain such documents.

Mr. Nicholas Baker: I am satisfied that the policy on access to travel documents for asylum seekers granted exceptional leave to remain in the United Kingdom, which was introduced on 1 January 1994, allows those who cannot obtain a passport from their own authorities to be issued with such documents. I receive a number of representations from hon. Members, representative organisations and individuals about particular cases. A wide variety of factors influences the time taken to issue travel documents. However, applications on which no further enquiries are necessary are generally completed within eight weeks of receipt in the immigration and nationality department.

Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what arrangements he has with the French authorities to return to France persons refused asylum in the United Kingdom on safe third country grounds;

(2) what arrangements he has with the German authorities to return to Germany persons refused asylum in the United Kingdom on safe third country grounds.

Mr. Nicholas Baker: There is close liaison with the French and German authorities over the return of persons refused asylum on safe third country grounds in accordance with the immigration rules.

Juvenile Offenders

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what considerations has been given by his Department and other interested Government Departments to the establishment of a national agency to


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manage the custody and supervision of persistent juvenile offenders as recommended in the sixth report of the Home Affairs Committee (HC 441) of Session 1992 93.

Mr. Maclean: The Home Office is considering this recommendation against the background of charges to the law on juvenile offenders contained in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many applications have been lodged with the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority since 1 April 1994;

(2) what has been the administrative cost of considering all applications to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority since 1 April 1994;

(3) how many awards have been made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority since 1 April 1994; and in which of the tariff bands those awards fell.

Mr. Maclean: In the period 1 April 1994 to 12 January 1995, 49,065 applications were registered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.

Total expenditure on administration of the compensation scheme in the period 1 April 1994 to 31 December 1994 was £11.1 million. It is not possible, at this time, to give a breakdown of that expenditure as between CICB, in respect of applications received before 1 April 1994 CICA, in respect of applications received on or after 1 April 1994 and the appeals panel.

CICA offered the following awards in the period 1 April 1994 12 January 1995:


Band           |Awards offered               

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

1              |320                          

2              |67                           

3              |330                          

4              |23                           

5              |131                          

6              |43                           

7              |190                          

8              |39                           

9              |20                           

10             |22                           

11             |15                           

12             |69                           

13             |4                            

14             |1                            

15             |2                            

16             |11                           

17             |3                            

19             |1                            

25             |1                            

                                             

Total          |1,292                        

Director General of the Prison Service

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how performance-related pay bonuses for the Director General of the Prison Service are calculated; and by whom.

Mr. Howard: The performance of the Director General of the Prison Service is assessed on the basis of both qualitative and quantitative measures. They reflect the Prison Service's key targets, as set out in the agency's corporate and business plans, copies of which are in the Library. The details of the arrangements for assessing the performance of the Director General are personal to him and I have no plans to publish them. I decide what performance bonus the Director General should receive on advice from the Permanent-Secretary of the Department.

Immigration Detainees

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total cost to the Home Office in the financial year 1993 94 of detaining persons under Immigration Act powers; and if he will provide a breakdown of these costs.

Mr. Nicholas Baker: The total cost to the immigration service of running its detention accommodation in the financial year 1993 94 was £7,466,352. This comprises:


                                                        |£                  

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

Detention, escort and related costs paid to contractors |5,132,900          

Running costs, including accommodation charges          |1,065,106          

IS staff costs                                          |912,454            

Capital expenditure                                     |355,892            

Information about the costs of immigration detention in police cells and Prison Service establishments is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a breakdown of the number of asylum seekers currently detained under Immigration Act powers by (a) nationality, (b) gender, (c) length of detention, (d) place of detention and (e) immigration status at the time of application.

Mr. Nicholas Baker: At 13 January 1995, a total of 572 people who had sought asylum were detained. This figure includes people awaiting the setting of directions for removal following refusal of the application, as well as those whose application was under consideration or subject to appeal. Of this figure, 138 had been in detention less than one month, 97 between one and two months, 237 between two and six months and 100 had been in detention longer than six months.

Information on the gender, immigration status, nationality and location of detention is given in tables A B and C.


Table A: Number of people detained on 13 January 1995,                                           

who had sought asylum, by immigration status and gender.                                         

Immigration status   |Male              |Female            |Total                                

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

Port case            |285               |20                |305                                  

Illegal entrant case |202               |8                 |210                                  

Deportation case     |50                |7                 |57                                   

                                                                                                 

Total                |537               |35                |572                                  


Table B: Number of people detained as at 13 January  

1995                                                 

who had sought asylum, by nationality                

                     |Number detained                

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

Afghanistan          |1                              

Albania              |7                              

Algeria              |63                             

Angola               |9                              

Bangladesh           |16                             

Cameroon             |3                              

China                |19                             

Colombia             |6                              

Cyprus (TRNC)        |16                             

Dominica             |1                              

Ecuador              |2                              

Egypt                |1                              

Eritrea              |1                              

Estonia              |1                              

Ethiopia             |3                              

Gambia               |3                              

Georgia              |1                              

Ghana                |60                             

Guyana               |1                              

India                |61                             

Iran                 |2                              

Iraq                 |2                              

Ivory Coast          |9                              

Jamaica              |4                              

Kenya                |6                              

Lebanon              |5                              

Liberia              |4                              

Libya                |4                              

Malawi               |1                              

Mauritius            |3                              

Morocco              |7                              

Mozambique           |1                              

Niger                |2                              

Nigeria              |119                            

Pakistan             |32                             

Peru                 |1                              

Poland               |1                              

Romania              |10                             

Russia               |3                              

Sierra Leone         |10                             

Somalia              |1                              

South Africa         |5                              

Sri Lanka            |9                              

Sudan                |5                              

Trinidad and Tobago  |1                              

Tunisia              |1                              

Turkey               |20                             

Uganda               |2                              

Former Yugoslavia    |7                              

Zaire                |17                             

Zimbabwe             |1                              

                                                     

Nationality doubtful |2                              

                                                     

Total                |572                            


Table C: Number of people detained as at 13 January 1995, who      

had sought asylum, by location of detention                        

                                   |Number detained                

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

Immigration service establishment                                  

Campsfield House                   |145                            

Gatwick Beehive                    |10                             

Harmondsworth                      |97                             

Manchester airport detention suite |1                              

Queens building                    |20                             

Stansted                           |6                              

Newhaven                           |2                              

Dover Harbour Board                |7                              

Holmhouse detention centre         |1                              

Prison service establishment                                       

Armley                             |6                              

Belmarsh                           |2                              

Birmingham                         |28                             

Brinsford                          |4                              

Bristol                            |2                              

Brixton                            |13                             

Bullingdon                         |2                              

Cardiff                            |1                              

Chelmsford                         |1                              

Crumlin Road                       |2                              

Dorchester                         |1                              

Edinburgh                          |1                              

Elmley                             |3                              

Erlestoke House                    |1                              

Exeter                             |2                              

Feltham YC centre                  |1                              

Greenock                           |4                              

Haslar                             |85                             

Highdown                           |3                              

Hindley remand centre              |2                              

Holloway                           |1                              

Leicester                          |1                              

Lewes                              |2                              

Maidstone                          |1                              

Manchester                         |5                              

Norwich                            |3                              

Pentonville                        |2                              

Risley                             |1                              

Rochester                          |59                             

Wandsworth                         |3                              

Winchester                         |3                              

Winson Green                       |3                              

Wolds remand prison                |2                              

Wormwood scrubs                    |7                              

                                                                   

Police cells                       |26                             

                                                                   

Total                              |572                            

Prison Escapes

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many escaped prisoners are currently at large.

Mr. Michael Forsyth: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Derek Lewis to Mrs. Barbara Roche, dated 18 January 1995:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of escaped prisoners currently at large.

This information has only been recorded centrally since 20 June 1988. From that date to 13 January this year (inclusive) 123 prisoners who escaped are still unlawfully at large.

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many escaped prisoners from prisons in the Greater London regions are currently at large; how long each has been at large; what offences each has been convicted of; from which prison each escaped; and whether each has escaped before.

Mr. Michael Forsyth: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Derek Lewis to Mrs. Barbara Roche, dated 18 January 1995:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of prisoners who have escaped from prisons in the Greater London area and who are still currently at large; their offences; the prisons from which they escaped; the length of time they have been at large and whether those prisoners had escaped before.

The information you request has only been recorded centrally since 20 June 1988. The table below gives the relevant details of the seven prisoners who escaped between 20 June 1988 and 13 January this year (inclusive) and who are still at large:


Column 535


Date of escape       |Establishment       |Offence             |Length of time at                        

                                                               |large                                    

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

17 November 1989     |Feltham             |Burglary            |5 years 2 months                         

2 February 1992      |Downview            |Importation of Drugs|2 years 11 months                        

8 November 1992      |Downview            |Importation of Drugs|2 years 2 months                         

4 September 1993     |Downview            |Importation of Drugs|1 year 4 months                          

23 October 1993      |Feltham             |Robbery             |1 year 3 months                          

30 August 1994       |Downview            |Robbery             |4 months                                 

1 January 1995       |Wandsworth          |Burglary            |2 weeks                                  

Information on whether any of them had previously escaped is not recorded centrally.                     

Civil Servants

Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in his Department have reported an offer of employment from an outside employer since February 1993 as required under the civil service management code; and how many of these reports were followed by an application to join the company concerned.

Mr. Howard: The information is not available in precisely the form requested. Details of the number of offers received by staff below grade 3 are not recorded centrally. Staff in these grades are required only to report any offers--and, in the case of procurement and contracts staff, any approaches--received from prospective employers to a senior member of staff at least two grades higher.


Column 536

Since February 1993, there have been 10 applications under the business appointment rules by Home Office staff for permission to take up offers of employment from outside employers on leaving Crown service. In the same period, three additional members of staff reported offers of employment which did not require an application under the rules. In each case, the report was followed by an application to join the company concerned.

Crime Victims (Compensation)

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the totals of compensation paid to the victims of crime in each of the past 10 years; and what he expects it to be in each of the next three years.

Mr. Maclean: The amounts of compensation paid under the criminal injuries compensation scheme in the


Column 537

last 10 years, and the forecast expenditure in the next three years are as follows:


             |Compensation             

             |paid/payable             

Year         |£ million                

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

1984-85      |35                       

1985-86      |42                       

1986-87      |48                       

1987-88      |52                       

1988-89      |69                       

1989-90      |73                       

1990-91      |109                      

1991-92      |144                      

1992-93      |152                      

1993-94      |165                      

1994-95      |178                      

1995-96      |180                      

1996-97      |142                      

1997-98      |144                      

It is expected that by the year 2000 01 the amount of compensation payable will exceed £200 million.

Electric Shock Equipment

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Royal Ordnance possesses or has possessed a section 5 permit allowing it to hold electric shock weapons.

Mr. Maclean: Electric shock weapons are covered by section 5(1) (b) of the Firearms Act 1968, as amended, which prohibits the unauthorised possession of any weapon of whatever description designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other thing. Royal Ordnance holds authority under section 5(1) (b) of the 1968 Act. The terms of this authority are currently under review.

Justice and Home Affairs Council

Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. and learned Member for Burton (Sir I. Lawrence), Official Report , 20 December, columns 1213 14 , what was the voting record of each member state on items agreed at the meeting of the European Community's Justice and Home Affairs Council held on 30 November and 1 December; and if he will make it his practice to include details of all votes in future.

Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 17 January 1995]: The items agreed by the Justice and Home Affairs Council were adopted by unanimity, in accordance with the relevant provision of title VI of the treaty on European Union. Although there are possibilities under title VI for the Council to decide procedural matters and certain implementing measures by majority voting, substantive matters can be decided only by unanimity.

Disturbance (Everthorpe)

Sir Ivan Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library the findings of the report on the disturbances at Everthorpe on 2 and 3 January; and if will make a statement.

Mr. Howard: I have today placed in the Library a summary of the findings and the conclusions of the report


Column 538

together with a report of the action that is being taken in response.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

Ministerial Travel

Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 7 December, Official Report , columns 265-66 , what was the number and cost of (a) first class tickets, (b) business class tickets and (c) economy class tickets for overseas flights paid for by the Overseas Development Administration in each of the last three years.

Mr. Goodlad: The details for overseas flights in respect of ODA in 1993 and 1994 are:


Class of travel           |Number         |Cost £                         

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

1993                                                                      

First Class               |13             |45,400                         

Business Class            |800            |717,291                        

Economy Class             |57             |28,403                         

                                                                          

1994 (January to October)                                                 

First Class               |12             |28,661                         

Business Class            |628            |576,375                        

Economy Class             |41             |18,597                         

For travel in 1992, it is not possible to provide a breakdown by class and mode of travel, nor is it possible to distinguish between overseas and domestic travel. Total expenditure on official travel by UK based Ministers and officials in the ODA that year was £791,094. The proportion of business class flights reflects the long-distance nature of much of ODA's travel.

WALES

Departmental Responsibilities

Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the division of responsibilities and relationship between his departmental Ministers and agencies.

Mr. Redwood: I am responsible for Cadw and Welsh historic monuments and I have joint responsibility for the planning inspectorate and ADAS agencies, as set out in the published framework documents.

Suckler Cow Premiums

Mr. Alan W. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date the Welsh Office agriculture department released the first suckler cow premiums advance subsidy cheques to Welsh farmers.

Mr. Gwilym Jones: On 24 November 1994.

Mr. Alan W. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the reasons for the problems experienced by the Welsh Office Agriculture


Column 539

Department in the payment of suckler cow premium during 1994 and the particularly long delays for Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gwilym Jones: Delays in making payments for the 1993 scheme were due to the establishment of a new computer system, when the making of payments was transferred from the MAFF centre at Guildford to the Welsh Office.

Payments under the 1994 scheme commenced in November 1994.

Business Rates

Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what will be the likely increase in business rates in Wales arising from the five-year review announced in the Chancellor's Budget speech.

Mr. Redwood: The estimated average increase in 1995 96 rate bills for property on the local rating list is 4 per cent.

VAT (Tourism)

Mr. Ron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement of the effect on jobs, rural energy and areas dependent on tourism of the extension of VAT to cover tourism activities and entrance fees to tourist sites.

Mr. Redwood: The application of VAT is a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who announced on 29 November that services relating to entertainment or recreational activities and car parking at airports, which include passenger transport, will become wholly standard rated. The measure will affect a limited range of businesses in Wales.

Local Government Reorganisation

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to ensure that Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 rules regarding transfer of council employees to reorganised local authorities apply to all county and district councils in Wales; what representations he has received on the matter; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Redwood: Whether or not the TUPE regulations apply depends on the circumstances of each case. My hon. Friend and I have made it clear on a number of occasions that we will include in the staff transfer order staff whose contracts of employment are considered to be protected under TUPE, but that we do not believe that all local government staff will fall into this category.

The staff commission for Wales wrote to me on 8 December suggesting that, in order to ensure equal treatment of employees of county and district councils, all staff who wish to transfer should be transferred. My hon. Friend and I have received a large number of representations from hon. Members, councils and others in support of the staff commission's letter.

We hope to give our response shortly.

People and Prosperity: A Challenge to Wales"

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on measures taken to implement


Column 540

the proposals of the Welsh Office document "People and Prosperity: A Challenge to Wales".

Mr. Richards: My right hon. Friend will publish an action plan early this year to follow up "People and Prosperity". This will set out the action needed to raise standards, make faster progress towards the national targets for education and training and promote a culture of learning and enterprise.

Departmental Creche Facilities

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what new plans he has to provide creche facilities to staff in his Department.

Mr. Redwood: I refer the hon. Member to the replies that I gave to the hon. Member for Cardiff, West (Mr. Morgan) on 10 January 1995 Official Report , column 50 .

Civil Servants

Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff in his Department have reported an offer of employment from an outside employer since February 1993 as required under the civil service management code; and how many of these reports were followed by an application to join the company concerned.

Mr. Redwood: Since February 1993, three staff in my Department have reported an offer of employment from an outside employer and each was followed by an application to join the company concerned.

GP Fundholders

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to his answer of 24 November 1994, Official Report , column 367 , if he will now publish information for 1993 94 on general practitioner fundholders savings.

Mr. Richards [holding answer 17 January 1995]: The amount retained for the financial year 1993 94 was £4,470,000. This will be used by general practitioner fundholders for the benefit of their patients.

NHS Redundancy Payments

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the cost of redundancy payments to NHS staff in each of the last five years.

Mr. Richards [holding answer 17 January 1995]: The information requested is as follows:


Gross redundancy    

payments to NHS     

staff               

        |£000       

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

1992-93 |1,496      

1991-92 |984        

1990-91 |254        

1989-90 |84         

1988-89 |108        

Source:             

Health authority    

financial returns.  

Pembrokeshire NHS   

Trust financial     

returns (1992-93    

only)               

Note:               

1992-93 figures are 

latest available.   

As from 1993-94 the 

information is not  

held centrally.     


Column 541


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