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Mr. Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he received the Local Government Commission's recommendations for Humberside and for
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Avon; on what date he announced his decision on these recommendations; and on what date he announced his intention to modify the recommendations to create new county areas.Mr. Robert B. Jones: The Local Government Commission's recommendations for Avon and Humberside were received on 20 December 1993 and 24 January 1994 respectively. The Government's decisions were announced on 25 October 1994.
The structural change orders will make provision for county areas, coterminous with the new district areas which will have unitary district councils, in order to satisfy the requirements of the Local Government Act 1972; but those county areas will not have county councils and, with the exception of Bristol, will be deemed to be part of adjoining counties for ceremonial purposes.
Mr. Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has consulted the Audit Commission on the draft Humberside and Avon (Structural Change) Order.
Mr. Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in what circumstances during the preliminary period a transfer authority will be legally allowed to prepare any budgets or plans, or to consult any person for purposes connected with the exercise on or after the reorganisation date, of any functions transferred by a structural or boundary change order made under section 17 of the Local Government Act 1992.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: The orders will remove the duties of transferor authorities where they relate to years subsequent to the reorganisation date. The orders will not prevent the authorities from continuing to work on these functions in co-operation with their successors.
Mr. Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what will be the entitlement of an existing minerals and waste planning authority affected by structural change under the Local Government Act 1992 to be consulted during the preliminary period by a shadow unitary authority, or by a continuing authority granted corresponding powers regarding the future of minerals and waste planning in the area of the new authority;
(2) what will be the entitlement of an existing structure planning authority affected by structural change under the Local Government Act 1992 to be consulted during the preliminary period by a shadow unitary authority, or by a continuing authority granted corresponding powers regarding the future of strategic planning in the area of the new authority;
(3) what will be the entitlement of an existing social services department affected by structural change under the Local Government Act 1992 to be consulted during the preliminary period by a shadow unitary authority, or by a continuing authority granted corresponding powers regarding the future provision of social services in the area of the new authority;
(4) what will be the entitlement of an existing local education authority affected by structural change under the Local Government Act 1992 to be consulted during the preliminary period by a shadow unitary authority, or by a continuing authority granted corresponding powers regarding the future provision of education in the area of the new authority.
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Mr. Robert B. Jones: Authorities which are inheriting functions will have the responsibility to prepare for the exercise of those functions. Those authorities, and the current holders of those functions, will have the duty to work and co-operate to ensure the successful transfer of functions.
Departmental Research Documents
Mr. Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a list showing for each of the past five years all research documents produced by his Department for (a) ministerial or (b) other use, showing the dates on which each piece of research was commissioned and completed and indicating whether each such piece of research was made publicly available.
Mr. Gummer: It would entail disproportionate cost to provide all the information requested since it is not at present held centrally. However, the Department's research is commissioned under the presumption that the results will be published. The RESLINE database, available through the London research centre, lists over 800 research reports and publications. Details of research programmes and sources of further information are given in the Department's contribution to "The Forward Look of Government-funded Science, Engineering and Technology" and in the Department's annual research market paper and research report which are available in the Library of the House.
Natura 2000 Network
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on what date he will publish the draft lists of sites to be proposed to the European Commission as the United Kingdom contributions to the Natura 2000 network; if he will give the estimated monthly average of candidate sites of special areas of conservation to be published between now and June 1995; and on what date he expects to publish the name or names of the first candidate site or list of sites.
Mr. Atkins: I will shortly publish for consultation a draft list of areas. Following consultation, proposed special areas of conservation will be submitted to the Commission, as required by the directive. The list will be published.
Outside Contractors
Mr. Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a list showing for each of the past five years (a) all outside bodies or individuals employed by his Department, (b) the date on which each outside body or individual commenced working for his Department, (c) the date on which each outside body or individual completed working for his Department, (d) the total amount paid to each outside body or individual, (e) what work each outside body or individual was asked to carry out, including specific titles of any reports, briefings or research commissioned and (f) whether each outside body or individual was recruited following a competitive interview or tendering process.
Mr. Gummer: The information is not held centrally by my Department and is obtainable only at disproportionate cost.
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Council Tax
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what changes he proposes to make to the council tax to help people who are severely mentally impaired.
Mr. Curry: We have recently issued a consultation paper on amendments to council tax liability, discounts and exemptions regulations which includes a proposal to exempt from council tax a dwelling which is only occupied by a person or people who are severely mentally impaired. Copies of the consultation paper have been placed in the Library of the House.
Police, Wiltshire
Mr. Faber: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations have been made to his Department by (a) Wiltshire county council or (b) the new Wiltshire police authority concerning the level of police grant for 1995 96.
Mr. Jones: No representations have been made to the Department of the Environment by Wiltshire county council or Wiltshire police authority concerning the level of police grant for 1995 96.
Deprivation, London
Mr. Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will rank each ward in Greater London by the degree and intensity of deprivation on the basis of the 1991 census.
Mr. Gummer: I am placing this information in the Library of the House.
Single Regeneration Budget
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those successful bidders in the first round of the single regeneration budget which had not, in every case, identified matching funding for the project or projects.
Mr. Curry: All successful bidders identified sources of funding for their schemes in addition to support from the single regeneration budget. Summaries of successful bids have been placed in the Library of the House. In addition, individual bids are available for inspection at the relevant Government offices for the regions, and copies of bids are available at a charge.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful local authorities and other bodies bidding in the first round of the single regeneration budget included in their submissions existing schemes and not new ones as required by the bidding guidance.
Mr. Curry: The bidding guidance for the single regeneration budget, published in April 1994, copies of which are in the Library of the House, set out the criteria to be followed by those bidding for support from the SRB for the financial year 1995 96. There was no requirement on bidders to specify whether the whole or part of their bid consisted of existing or new schemes. Paragraph 16 and annexe A of the bidding guidance stated that bids should show how SRB resources would reinforce or enhance main programmes and other existing public or private sector initiatives in ways which help the process of regeneration and secure value for money.
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Waste, Manchester
Mr. Alred Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has had from the Greater Manchester waste regulation and disposal authority in regard to the allocation of capital resources; what reply he is sending; what action he is taking; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Robert B. Jones [holding answer 31 January 1995]: I wrote to the hon. Member on 2 February about this matter. A copy of my letter has been placed in the Library.
EMPLOYMENT
Next Steps Agencies
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will set out for each of the next steps agencies in his Department, whether they have acquired their own headquarters buildings and, if so, at what purchase cost or annual rental; how many support staff they have required which were not required when their operations were within his Department; how many of them publish periodical journals and at what annual cost; how many have fleets of executive cars or single executive cars and at what annual cost; how many have specially designed logos and at what cost; how many have corporate clothing and at what cost; and what is the cost of specially designed and printed corporate stationery.
Miss Widdecombe: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has asked the chief executive of the Employment Service to write with a detailed response on these particular matters. More generally, the record shows that, making allowance for work load changes, there has been a continuing real-terms reduction in the ES's running costs since it became an agency, while its performance levels and impact on the labour market have increased. These are clear benefits arising from its management as an agency which have been combined with a real-terms fall in the Department's own running costs.
A recent evaluation of ES concluded that the establishment of ES as an executive agency had created a performance-driven organisation, clearly focused on achievement of its key objectives. The agency's performance against targets has improved significantly since its creation. For example, annual efficiency savings have risen from £13.6 million to £21.2 million over the period 1990 94 and the proportion of long-term unemployed people placed into jobs has increased from 14.9 per cent. to 28.2 per cent. over the same period. I will send the right hon. Member a copy of the report, a copy of which is also available in the Library.
Letter from M.E.G. Fogden to Mr. Gerald Kaufman, dated 3 February 1995:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about certain specific costs incurred by the Employment Service (ES) since it was established as a Next Steps Agency.
The ES Head Office is spread across eleven small to medium buildings, utilising property previously leased to the Department of Employment (ED) or Property Services Agency/Property Holdings. Each building is occupied under a commercial lease negotiated to meet changing operational requirements. Total rental costs are
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currently £3.7 million, with planned reductions of at least 10% being achieved by the end of the 1995/96 financial year.Following the establishment of ES, support staff (security, messengers and typing services) continued to be managed by the Manpower Services Commission (now ED). In April 1991 ES took responsibility for their own Head Office support grade staff, with the exception of those based in London. This involved the pro rata transfer of 42 employees from ED. The number now employed in the support area has reduced to 36.
The ES does not publish periodical journals for external audiences.
Although the ES has no executive cars, we do have approximately 1800 vehicles which are used by individuals or groups of ES employees in order to achieve savings over alternative methods of transport. The ES utilises the logo developed by the ED and as such does not incur any design costs. In addition, the ES does not use any specially designed corporate stationery.
In an effort to present a professional appearance and assist the public in identifying ES staff in open plan offices, a corporate tie or neck scarf is made available to employees. The cost of setting up this initiative in 1991 was £125,000. Ongoing costs relating primarily to staff turnover and wear and tear amount to £15,000 pa. I hope this is helpful.
Incomes
Ms Rachel Squire: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will list the percentage of men in part-time employment who earn less than (a) £4.15 per hour, (b) £5.53 per hour and (c) £5.88 per hour; and if he will list the average weekly earnings, including and excluding overtime, for part-time workers in (i) Great Britain and (ii) Scotland for the categories (1) manual employment, (2) non-manual employment and (3) all men;
(2) if he will list the percentage of women in part-time employment who earn less than (a) £4.15 per hour, (b) £5.53 per hour and (c) £5.88 per hour; and if he will list average weekly earnings, including and excluding overtime, for part-time workers in (i) Great Britain, (ii) Scotland and (iii) the regions of Scotland for the categories (1) manual employment, (2) non-manual employment and (3) all women.
Mr. Oppenheim: Information on part-time employees is limited because many part-timers whose weekly earnings are below the tax threshold are excluded from the new earnings survey. I will write to the hon. Member with the information which is available, and place a copy of my reply in the Library.
Training Courses
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list each training and tuition course with a total cost exceeding £5,000 paid for by (a) his Department and (b) his agencies during the last 12 months, showing the title and objectives of each course, the name of the organisations engaged, the total cost of each course, a summary of the responsibilities of staff members taking part and the process for course evaluation by the Department or agency.
Miss Widdecombe: The Employment Department and its agency, the Employment Service, have central budgets to deliver the training and development priorities set by their management boards.
In the last 12 months, ES has funded one training course costing in excess of £5,000 per capita head:
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certified "NetWare" engineering training, delivered by Azlan Training. The total cost was £25,000--£6,250 per trainee. Its objective is to enable the staff responsible for ES's computer network to become fully competent and qualified in installing and managing it. Evaluation is through examination and by line management.The Department and ES have devolved authority for other training needed in individual commands to local management. Information on this is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Career Services
Ms Estelle Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many local authorities had not been informed by 30 January of the name of the successful bidder for providing career services for their area from April 1995.
Mr. Paice: No local authorities have yet been notified of the names of successful bidders because no contracts have yet been concluded. Both preferred and unsuccessful bidders in the south-east region were notified on 17 January 1995 and preferred and unsuccessful bidders in other areas were notified on 20 December 1994.
Ms Estelle Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 20 January, Official Report , column 726 , if he will list the names of the organisations which have been awarded the contract for careers services in local authority areas where the decision has been announced.
Mr. Paice: This information is not yet available as no contracts have been awarded. Preferred bidders have been selected for post-tender negotiation and the contracts will be announced after negotiations are complete.
Ms Estelle Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many bids to provide the careers service for the metropolitan borough of Solihull had been received by the advertised closing date in the prospectus for the provision of career services from April 1995.
Mr. Paice: This information is commercial in confidence.
Training and Enterprise Councils
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what facilities were available to (a) Government and (b) training providers to check the changing credit rating assessments of TECs;
(2) who offered credit rating assessments of TECs;
(3) when the Government checked the credit ratings of TECs.
Mr. Paice: The Government do not check the credit ratings of training and enterprise councils. They keep in touch with TEC's own statements of their financial position through regular scrutiny of their management accounts, which they receive on a commercial in confidence basis.
The Government TECs' annual statutory accounts, which they are required to lodge with this Department by 31 July and with Companies House by the end of the January following each financial year. Until the date by which the statutory accounts have to be lodged at Companies House, they are commercial in confidence. But as the Department receives them, copies are placed in the Library.
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Disabled People
Mrs. Mahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many disabled people were placed in work and/or training as a result of intervention by placing assessment counselling teams and disability employment advisers in the last year (a) nationally and (b) in West Yorkshire.
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 Mrs. Alice Mahon, dated 3 February 1995:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the number of disabled people placed in work and/or training as a result of the intervention by Placing, Assessment and Counselling Teams and Disability Employment Advisers.
In Great Britain, 13,400 disabled people were placed into jobs by Placing Assessment and Counselling Teams (PACTs) between 1 April 1993 and 31 March 1994.
West Yorkshire is covered by three PACTs. These are Leeds PACT, part of Wakefield, Barnsley and Doncaster PACT, and most of Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees PACT. In those PACTs, 476 disabled people were placed into jobs by Disability Employment Advisers between 1 April 1993 and 31 March 1994.
9737 disabled people started vocational training between 1 April 1993 and 31 March 1994 in Great Britain following referral by PACTs. Of these, 460 were in the PACTs covering West Yorkshire.
I hope this is helpful.
Benefits (Refusal)
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people have been refused benefit under section 28(5) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefit Act 1992, on the grounds that they have refused a job because of the rate of pay.
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 Harriet Harman, dated 3 February 1995:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the number of people who have been disqualified from receiving unemployment benefit on the grounds that they have refused a job because of the rate of pay.
Unfortunately we do not collect the information you have requested. We record the number of adjudication decisions for all the main entitlement questions arising on claims, including those following refusal of employment, but we do not record the reasons for the decisions.
Information on the number of adjudication officers' decisions, and disallowance rates, is contained in a published document entitled "Analysis of Adjudication Officers' Decisions". Copies of this document are held in the Library of the House. The latest available information relates to the quarter and a half year ending 30 September 1994.
I hope this is helpful.
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of people who will be refused benefit by virtue of their answer to question 18 of the draft jobsearch plan.
Miss Widdecombe: The jobsearch plan is not designed as a test of availability for work but will enable jobseekers to set out information to help them prepare for the discussions with an employment adviser about their jobseekers agreement.
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Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to issue guidance about question 18 of the draft jobsearch plan.
Miss Widdecombe: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will issue guidance to Employment Service staff on the use of the jobsearch plan in helping jobseekers prepare for discussions about their jobseeker's agreement.
Training
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many fewer trainees will go on to the training for work scheme following the reduction in expenditure on training for work announced in the Budget.
Mr. Paice [holding answer 2 February 1995]: In1994 95 we expect 280,000 starts on training for work and 100,000 ex-trainees to obtain jobs. In 1995 96, we expect 225,000 to start on the programme and that 104,000 ex-trainees will get jobs.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Cash Limits
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on cash and running cost limits for the Northern Ireland Office, Northern Ireland departmental services, the independent living fund and certain national agricultural schemes for 1994 95.
Sir John Wheeler: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, it is proposed that the cash limit for class XVI, vote 1--the Northern Ireland Office--will be increased by £1,580,000 from £927,325,000 to £928,905,000.
The cash limit which covers Northern Ireland departmental services will be increased by £23,360,000 from £3,812,842,000 to £3,836,202, 000. This increase reflects the take-up of entitlement to end-year flexibility on capital and departmental running costs and other technical changes.
The cash limit for the independent living fund will decrease by £1, 554,000 to reflect a reduction in provision earlier in the year. The cash limit covering national agricultural capital grant schemes and certain assistance for production, marketing and processing and the fishing industry will decrease by £486,000 from £10,515,000 to £10,029,000 mainly as a result of technical changes.
The combined gross running cost for the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments will be increased by £18,476,000 from £787,031,000 to £805,507,000. This reflects the take-up of £13,324, 000 of end year flexibility entitlement announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 14 July 1994, Official Report, columns 730-34 , and an increase of £5,152,000 from the Department of Social Security, in respect of agency services. Of the revised gross running cost provision, £177,699,000 is for the NIO and £627,808,000 is for NI Departments.
These changes will not add to the planned total of public expenditure.
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Armed Forces (Murder Charges)
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the members of the armed forces
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charged (a) with murder and (b) with manslaughter as a result of offences committed while on duty in Northern Ireland during the last five years; and what was the outcome in each case.Sir John Wheeler: The information is as follows:
t
|Month and year
Name of person |Charge |charged |Outcome |Names of deceased
charged
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lee Clegg |Murder |July 1991 |Guilty |Martin Peake and
| Karen Reilly
Richard Elkington |Murder |February 1992 |Not Guilty |Fergal Caraher
Andrew M. Callaghan |Murder |February 1992 |Not Guilty |Fergal Caraher
Mark D. Wright |Murder |September 1992 |Judgement Reserved|Peter McBride
James Fisher |Murder |September 1992 |Judgement Reserved|Peter McBride
Soldiers (Firearms Offences)
Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many soldiers were convicted during the last 10 years in Northern Ireland (a) charged with and (b) convicted of offences involving firearms;
(2) in what format information relating to the number of soldiers (a) charged with and (b) committed with offences involving firearms in Northern Ireland in the last 10 years is available to him; and if he will make a statement.
Sir John Wheeler [holding answer 31 January 1995]: The available information is as follows:
Members of the armed forces charged with firearms offences in
Northern Ireland 1990 to 1994
Name of person |Main charge |Month and year
charged |charged
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Clegg<1> |Murder |July 1991
Aindow<1> |Attempted Murder|July 1991
Boustead<1> |Attempted Murder|July 1991
Elkington<1> |Murder |February 1992
Callaghan<1> |Murder |February 1992
Wright<1> |Murder |September 1992
Fisher<1> |Murder |September 1992
Clarke<1> |Attempted Murder|October 1993
Hansell |Possession of
| Firearms |January 1994
<1> The above members of the armed forces were charged with
firearms offences as well as murder or attempted murder.
Members of the armed forces convicted of firearms offences in Northern Ireland 1990 to 1994
Number of persons
receiving
Year Scheduled Non-scheduled custodial
offences offences sentence
|Regular Army|UDR/RIR |Regular Army|UDR/RIR |Regular Army|UDR/RIR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1990 |1 |1 |0 |0 |1 |1
1991 |1 |0 |0 |7 |0 |1
1992 |0 |1 |1 |0 |0 |0
1993 |0 |1 |1 |0 |0 |0
1994 |0 |1 |0 |2 |0 |1
Note:
These figures refer to primary offences.
Maryfield Secretariat
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the annual Christmas party was held by the Maryfield secretariat; how many members of the Northern Ireland (a) judiciary and (b) legal profession were present; and who was responsible for the invitation list.
Sir Patrick Mayhew: No annual Christmas party is held by the Anglo- Irish secretariat at Maryfield. The Irish side of the secretariat offers seasonable hospitality on its own behalf.
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