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Probation Service
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average case load of probation officers in England and Wakes on (a) 30 June 1992, (b) 30 June 1993 and (c) 30 June 1994.
Mr. Nicholas Baker: Information relating to 31 December is published annually in "Probation Statistics England and Wales"--Table 12.2 of the 1993 issue--copies of which are in the Library. The average case load, excluding community service orders, per main grade officer was 23.3 on 30 June 1992 and 21.5 on 30 June 1993; information for 1994 is not yet available. The figures for probation officers are not on the basis of whole -time equivalents of established main grade
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probation officers on field work duties excluding temporary and trainee officers.Police Grants
Mr. Alfred Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from chief constables with regard to the impact of the grants formula for policing on police numbers.
Mr. Maclean: Nineteen chief constables have made representations.
Prison Service
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 26 January, Official Report , column 302 , when he plans to take the decision on whether the director general should be offered an extension of his contract.
Mr. Howard: When I am ready to do so.
WALES
Average Earnings
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what were the average earnings in Wales expressed as a percentage of the United Kingdom average in 1992, 1993 and 1994.
Mr. Redwood: The information requested is shown in the following table:
Average gross weekly earnings<1> in Wales, as a percentage of the United Kingdom average Year |Percentage --------------------------------- 1992 |89.2 1993 |89.0 1994 |89.7 Source: New earnings surveys, Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Note: <1> Data relate to full-time employees on adult rates, whose pay for the survey pay period was not affected by absence.
Less-favoured Areas
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals there are to extend the area of land classed as less-favoured areas in Wales.
Public Bodies
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 20 January, Official Report , column 713 , with regard to the running costs of non-departmental public bodies, if he will give the indicative management running costs for
non-departmental public bodies expressed as a proportion of the total budget for each, in each year from 1993 94 to 1995 96.
Mr. Redwood: The figures are set out in the following table. The NDPBs listed have a wide variety of functions
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and levels of programme and capital expenditure. These differences are reflected in the table.
NDPB running costs as percentage of total budget
|1994-95
|1993-94 |(forecast
|(out-turn |out-turn |1995-96
Executive NDPB |figures) |figures) |(Plans)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Housing for Wales |1.8 |1.5 |1.7
Sports Council for Wales |- |11.2 |11.6
Arts Council of Wales |- |12.7 |11.7
Further Education Funding
Council |1.9 |1.7 |1.5
Higher Education Funding
Council |0.6 |0.6 |0.7
Cardiff Bay Development
Corporation |8.6 |6.9 |6.5
Land Authority for Wales |17.3 |11.8 |9.5
National Museum of Wales |58.9 |80.9 |74.8
National Library of Wales |64.8 |48.4 |41.9
Royal Commission for
Ancient and Historical
Monuments |97.3 |88.4 |88.3
Welsh National Board for
Nursing, Midwifery and
Health Visiting |77.7 |83.0 |97.4
Wales Youth Agency |100.0 |100.0 |100.0
Welsh Language Board |- |47.8 |57.5
ACAC |- |20.4 |15.5
Wales Tourist Board |27.9 |29.0 |27.9
Welsh Development Agency |10.0 |8.9 |8.6
Development Board of Rural
Wales |13.1 |11.9 |15.9
Countryside Council for
Wales |43.9 |43.2 |-<1>
<1> Under review
Health Promotion Authority
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will place in the Library documents listing the principal points of the agreement reached with the previous chief executive by the Health Promotion Authority for Wales relating to the overpayment and underpayment of disputed travel and subsistence claims;
(2) what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Health Promotion Authority for Wales in relation to (a) those payments for travel and subsistence to the previous chief executive classified as questionable in the district auditor's report and (b) the exclusion of those payments from the settlement between the authority and the previous chief executive;
(3) what representations he has received from the chairman of the Health Promotion Authority for Wales to write off sums arising from claims relating to those payments categorized as questionable in the district auditor's report in respect of travel and subsistence claims made by (a) the chief executive and (b) other officers; (4) what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Health Promotion Authority for Wales concerning the out-of-court settlement it has reached with the previous chief executive; and what arrangements he has made for the publication of the (a) gross and (b) net sums owed and repaid by the previous chief executive.
Mr. Redwood: There were various claims between Dr. Catford and the Health Promotion Authority for Wales.
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Following examination of these claims it was agreed that Dr. Catford owed the authority £2,100; this has now been paid. These were matters for the authority to resolve, and the chairman has not needed to consult me. I know of no proposals to write off any moneys.Nursery Contract
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all those organisations who gave advice on the formulation and specification of the tender advertising the three-year nursery contract in 1993 eventually won by Acorn Nurseries.
Mr. Redwood: The specification was based on advice from central and local government departments concerned with child care and the organisation of nursery care. This included guidance on the establishment of nurseries from the Office of Public Service and Science; advice from the Welsh Office social service inspectorate and Cardiff city environmental health office, and the experience of other Government Departments which had established nurseries. The specifications also required that South Glamorgan county council's regulations on child care be adhered to as a minimum standard.
Planning Policy
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 19 December 1994, Official Report , column 907 , what meetings he has held with planning inspectors; and what representations he has received from planning inspectors concerning the issuing of planning policy guidance notes equivalent to PPG9s 13, 15, 23 and 24 of the Department of the Environment.
Mr. Redwood: The issuing of planning policy guidance was one of the items discussed at my meeting with the chief planning inspector and the Welsh inspectors on 21 November 1994.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 19 December 1994, Official Report , column 907 , what further consideration he has given to issuing equivalent planning policy guidance notes to PPGs 9, 13, 15, 23 and 24 of the Department of the Environment; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood: Draft reviewed guidance is being prepared at present on a number of topics.
Generic Prescribing
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information he has on the average percentage level of generic prescribing for general practitioner fundholders in each family health services authority in the year immediately prior to their switch into fundholding.
Mr. Redwood: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give the average percentage figures for generic prescribing for each family health services authority in (a) 1989, (b) 1990 and (c) 1991.
Mr. Redwood: For each family health services authority area, the percentage of prescriptions prescribed generically is given in the following table. Data for years prior to 1991 are not readily available centrally.
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Family health services authority
|Quarter ending
|31 December
|1991
----------------------------------------------
Clywd |41
Dyfed |43
Gwent |40
Gwynedd |37
Mid Glamorgan |41
Powys |40
South Glamorgan |44
West Glamorgan |42
Whitland Bypass
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has to add a second carriageway to the Whitland bypass scheme.
Mr. Redwood: There are no proposals to add a second carriageway to the Whitland bypass. The design capacity of a single carriageway two-lane highway is more than adequate to cater with the anticipated traffic flows for the foreseeable future.
Implant Research Technology
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answers of 27 January, Official Report, column 422, if he will give the date on which the application for assistance under the small firms merit award for research and technology programme was received from Meditech Research, later renamed Implant Research Technology; when it was approved; what was the relevance of the professional and research qualifications of the appraisal team advising him on the application; what specialist advisers in (a) other Government Departments, (b) the research establishments and (c) the Patent Office were consulted; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood: The Welsh Office received an entry form for the 1992 SMART stage 1 competition from Mr. Alan Jones on 24 April 1992. The project's objective was to produce a small microchip device that could be implanted into damaged areas of the body at nerve junctions, thus offering a treatment for diseases such as muscular dystrophy and Parkinson's disease. Mr. Jones's company, Meditech, had not at that time been formed.
Because no member of the competition judging panel had formal qualifications in biotechnology, specialist professional advice was sought from the DTI's biotechnology unit, then located at the Laboratory of the Government Chemist. The Patent Office was also consulted. Both departments had SMART liaison officers through whom these requests for advice were routinely channelled.
Having considered the comments received and acknowledging the technological risks involved, my officials recommended to the Department of Trade and Industry that an award be made. This recommendation was assessed and accepted and a formal offer of support was sent from the DTI to Mr. Jones on 7 September 1992. The purpose of the SMART competition--stage 1--is to enable individuals and small companies to undertake practical feasibility studies of innovative projects which cannot attract full private sector financial support because of the high degree of risk involved. Naturally, some
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feasibility studies, as in the case of Mr. Jones's implant project, demonstrate that the difficulties are greater than originally anticipated and therefore preclude immediate commercial exploitation.Artificial Limb and Appliance Service
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the estimated value of the work carried out by the artificial limb and appliance service attributable to the (a) Rookwood, (b) Morriston and (c) Wrexham centres.
Mr. Redwood: The Welsh artificial limb and appliance service estimates the cost of providing services from each of their centres in 1994 95 as:
|£ million
-----------------------------------
a. Rookwood<1> |6.622
b. Morriston |1.096
c. Wrexham |2.419
<1>In addition to local services,
the Rookwood centre provides a
number of specialist services on
an all-Wales basis.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been spent on purchasing artificial limb and appliance services from Clatterbridge hospital by purchasers in Wales in each of the past three years.
Mr. Redwood: The Welsh artificial limb and appliance service has purchased an artificial limb service from Clatterbridge hospital to the following amounts in the last three financial years:
|£
----------------------
1991-92 |28,000
1992-93 |23,000
1993-94 |16,000
Dental Services
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the current estimates for the numbers of (a) community, (b) salaried and (c) self-employed conventional contract dentists, employed in each family health services authority.
Mr. Redwood: The information is given in the following table.
Staff employed at 30 September 1994 Family Health |<3>General Service |<1>Community |<2>Salaried |Dental Authority |dentists |dentists |Practitioners ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Clwyd |14.9 |- |117 Dyfed |13.8 |1 |105 Gwent |13.1 |- |138 Gwynedd |9.4 |1 |66 Mid Glamorgan |7.0 |- |125 Powys |6.6 |1 |33 South Glamorgan |13.6 |- |133 West Glamorgan |10.8 |- |132 Wales |89.2 |3 |849 <1> Whole-time equivalents. Staff employed by NHS trusts have been included within the FHSA area in which they are situated. <2> Numbers of staff. <3> Numbers of principals and assistants.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales
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what proposals he has for the employment of more (a) salaried and (b) community dentists in 1995 96 in each family health services authority in Wales; and what estimate he has made of the average value of the surgery premises and equipment to be provided in association with each additional dentist.Mr. Redwood: I have made available an extra £2.5 million for dental services in the community. All health authorities in Wales have been invited to bring forward proposals to improve the quality and availability of dental services in their area.
Family health services authorities can apply, at any time, for my permission to employ salaried dentists. The costs of such appointments are met from central funds.
The value of surgery premises and equipment required for any appointment in either the community, or salaried, dental service will vary depending on the type of location of the premises and the amount of additional equipment required, if any.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the average value of the surgery accommodation and capital equipment associated with each (a) community, (b) salaried and (c) self- employed dentist in each family health services authority.
Mr. Redwood: This information is not available centrally.
Geriatric Care
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library an anonymised version of the independent professional review carried out on 6 October 1994 by geriatric consultants relating to the standard of geriatric care on ward B6, University hospital of Wales, Cardiff; what arrangements he has made to ensure adequate monitoring of the improvements ordered by the review team during the six-months period specified by the review; and what visits have taken place or correspondence exchanged with South Glamorgan health authority in relation to the review team's recommendation.
Mr. Redwood: No. Independent professional review reports on clinical complaints are prepared at the request of the independent medical officers for complaints--MO(C)--in Wales. The MO(C)s make their recommendations direct to the organisation concerned and to the director of public health medicine, who is required to review the implementation of any necessary changes or actions within six months.
Civil Service Creche, Gabalfa
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 10 January, Official Report, column 50, what arrangements he has made for the reopening of the civil service creche at Gabalfa, Cardiff, in early February; what arrangements he has made for advertising the tender for the full three-year contract; and what decision he has made in relation to legal action.
Mr. Redwood: The civil service nursery, Gabalfa, will reopen on Monday 6 February under the management of South Glamorgan county council.,
An invitation to tender for a three-year contract will be placed in the press before the end of March 1995.
Decisions have not yet been made about legal action.
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TREASURY
Capital Gains
Mr. Mandelson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals had capital gains in excess of (a) £500,000, (b) £100,000, (c) £50,000, (d) £6,000 and (e) less than £6,000 in the latest year for which figures are available.
Sir George Young: The relevant information is given in the table for liabilities in 1991 92, the latest year for which a breakdown by size of gains is available.
Number of taxpayers Net chargeable gains in excess of |Individuals |Trustees |Total ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- £500,000 |1,100 |200 |1,300 £100,000 |6,400 |1,000 |7,400 £50,000 |13,000 |1,700 |14,700 £5,500<1> |79,200 |10,800 |90,000 <1> £2,750 for trustees.
I regret that precise estimates are not possible for the number of individuals with net gains below the capital gains tax annual exempt amount of £5,500 in 1991 92.
Inheritance Tax
Mr. Mandelson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the countryside sites in Wiltshire and Hampshire for which publicity regarding public access has been given following conditional exemption from inheritance tax in the years since 1984 85.
Sir George Young: As with any matter concerning the tax affairs of the individual the normal rules of taxpayer confidentiality prevent me from giving details of individual cases where conditional exemption from inheritance tax, or its predecessor, capital transfer tax, has been granted.
However, the owner of land which is conditionally exempt from inheritance tax is required to publicise the agreed public access arrangements. The heritage advisory agencies will discuss with each owner the appropriate level of publicity. Each case is considered individually and all relevant factors, including the existing level of publicity, are taken into account. Although the extent of public access may already be widely known, for example where substantial public access is already given, the owner will generally be required to take specific steps to publicise the public access arrangements, for example by advertising the access arrangements in a local tourist office or town hall. For new designations of scenic land in England, owners are required to display at all points of entry on to their land map boards showing the agreed public access.
In addition, in England and Wales, a member of the public who wants information about public access in a specific area can contact the footpaths officer of the appropriate county council or national park authority. Details of footpaths and public access also often appear on maps and in commercial publications, particularly for major tourist areas.
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Value Added Tax
Mr. Key: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the European Commission's review of the transitional VAT regime.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory [holding answer 2 February 1995]: The Government received the official version of the Commission's report on 30 January, and will make their views known once it has been carefully considered.
SCOTLAND
Chemical Weapons, Hebrides
Mr. Macdonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he has taken to confirm that chemical weapons dumped in the deep waters off the Hebrides after the second world war pose no potential future risk to Scottish fishermen.
Sir Hector Monro: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces.
Public Bodies
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people sit on two or more non-departmental public bodies in Scotland.
Mr. Lang: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current number of non-departmental public bodies operating in Scotland; and what is their combined annual budget.
Mr. Lang: A table showing the non-departmental public bodies sponsored by my Department at 1 April 1994 will be contained in the Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies 1994", which will be published in the next few days. The information contained in that publication also shows the total expenditure of each of those bodies.
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many persons sit on non-departmental public bodies in Scotland.
Mr. Lang: The Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies 1994", which will be published in the next few days, shows the number of appointments which are made to non-departmental public bodies sponsored by my Department as at 1 September 1994.
Crimes Against Children
Mrs. Fyfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) allegations, (b) prosecutions, (c) convictions, (d) not proven verdicts and (e) not guilty verdicts there were for crimes against children such as would be relevant to section 67 of the Children (Scotland) Bill in the latest year for which figures are available.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The information requested is not available.
Elderly People
Mr. Canavan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the number of frail elderly
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people receiving care (a) in the community, (b) in NHD hospitals, (c) in local authority residential homes, (d) in voluntary sector residential or nursing homes and (e) in private sector residential or nursing homes.Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 2 February 1995]: Central Government do not make such long-term projections as to the number of people who will receive these forms of care. This is a matter for individual local authorities and health boards, and will be dependent on community care policy at a local level.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Export Credits Guarantees
Mr. Byers: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his reply of 31 January, what were the numbers of contracts awarded to each named company for the years concerned which were supported by export credits guarantees.
Mr. Needham: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 31 January, Official Report, columns 612-13 .
Chemical Weapons Convention
Mr. Wareing: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions he has had with representatives of British industry with the aim of facilitating Her Majesty's Government's ratification of the chemical weapons convention; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heseltine [holding answer 2 February 1995]: My Department has on-going discussions with representatives of the chemicals industry on the preparations needed to enable the UK to ratify and implement the chemical weapons convention. On 31 January, a discussion document was published, to canvass the views of all industrial sectors likely to be affected by the implementation of the convention in the UK. Copies of the document have been placed in the Library of the House.
ENVIRONMENT
Local Government Finance
Mr. Geoffrey Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the area cost adjustment factor as a percentage of the standard spending assessment for each year from 1990 91 to 1995 96.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: The information requested is set out in the table:
|Contribution |Total |Area cost
|of area cost |standard |adjustment as
|adjustment |spending |percentage of
Year |factor |assessment |total
|£ million |£ million |Percentage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1990-91 |837 |29,805 |2.8
1991-92 |1,152 |35,587 |3.2
1992-93 |1,315 |37,993 |3.5
1993-94 |1,332 |36,622 |3.6
1994-95 |1,563 |37,848 |4.1
1995-96 |1,658 |38.743 |4.3
(1995-96 excluding
Metropolitan Police) |(1,556) |(4.0)
Notes:
The apparent increase in share in 1995-96 is because the SSA for the receiver
for the Metropolitan police was previously based o n his budget, as approved
by the Home Secretary. This included those extra costs which, from 1995-96,
are reflected in the area cost adjustment. Excluding this effects, the share
fell slightly in1995-96 from 4.1 per cent. to 4.per cent.
The 1995-96 figures exclude a small element of area cost adjustment which is
incorporated within the indicator "Pensions Expenditure" in the police SSA.
Mr. Geoffrey Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which local authorities have benefited from the area cost adjustment factor, and by how much, as (a) a total, (b) a percentage of the overall standard spending assessment and (c) an amount per resident in each year since 1990 91.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Mr. Geoffrey Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the change in the area cost adjustment factor compared to the overall change in standard spending assessment for each year since 1990 91.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: The information requested is set out in the table:
|Percentage
|change in |Percentage
|contribution of |change in total
|area cost |standard spending
Year |adjustment |assessment
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1990-91 to 1991-92 |37.7 |19.4
1991-92 to 1992-93 |14.1 |6.8
1992-93 to 1993-94 |1.4 |-3.6
1993-94 to 1994-95 |15.3 |3.3
1994-95 to 1995-96 |7.9 |2.4
Notes:
Until 1995-96, the SSA for the receiver for the Metropolitan police was
based on his budget, as approved by the Home Secretary. This included
those extra costs which, in 1995-96, are reflected in the area cost
adjustment. Excluding this effect, the contribution of the area cost
adjustment factor rose by only 1.3 per cent. in 1995-96.
The 1995-96 figures exclude a small element of area cost adjustment
which is incorporated within the indicator "Pensions Expenditure" in the
police SSA.
The percentage changes have been calculated on the basis of figures
unadjusted for changes of function.
Local Government Reorganisation
Mr. Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the value of bids he has received from local authorities in the Isle of Wight, Cleveland, Avon, Humberside and North Yorkshire for supplementary credit approvals in 1995 96 towards the cost of local government restructuring; and if he will name the local authorities involved and set out the amount of each bid.
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Mr. Robert B. Jones: The information requested is set out.
SCA bids for 1995-96
|£
---------------------------------------------------------
Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight County Council |2,915,000
Avon
Avon County Council |5,540,000
Bath City Council |1,853,000
Bristol City Council |9,160,000
Northavon District Council |751,000
Kingswood Borough Council |890,000
Wansdyke District Council |872,000
Woodspring District Council |5,040,000
Cleveland
Cleveland County Council |4,475,000
Hartlepool Borough Council |3,787,000
Langbaurgh on Tees Borough Council |12,146,000
Middlesborough Borough Council |2,717,000
Stockton on Tees Borough Council |6,440,000
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire County Council |1,771,000
Ryedale District Council |160,000
Selby District Council |935,000
City of York Council |1,186,000
Humberside
Humberside County Council |11,336,000
Beverley Borough Council |1,119,000
Boothferry Borough Council |1,222,000
Cleethorpes Borough Council |796,000
East Yorkshire Borough Council |1,491,000
Glanford Borough Council |800,000
Great Grimsby Borough Council |1,332,000
Holderness Borough Council |731,000
Hull City Council |6,276,000
Scunthorpe Borough Council |928,000
Total |86,669,000
Mr. Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which bodies he has consulted under section 17 of the Local Government Act 1992 on (a) the Cleveland (Structural Change) Order, (b) the draft Avon (Structural Change) Order, (c) the draft Humberside (Structural Change) Order, (d) the draft North Yorkshire District of York (Structural Change) Order and (e) the draft Selby District (Boundary Change) Order.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: In all cases, we have consulted:
the principal local authorities;
Association of County Councils;
Association of District Councils;
Local Government Management Board;
Local Government Staff Commission (England);
National Association of Local Councils.
We have consulted the police authorities and the Lord Lieutenants on (a) to (c) and will do so on (d) when the relevant articles are prepared.
The Association of Chief Police Officers was consulted on (a) and (b) but has since indicated that it no longer wishes to be consulted.
We have consulted Ordnance Survey on (b) where maps are needed to illustrate new ward boundaries.
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