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periods. The normal maximum length of loan for ship conversions will be 10 years.Loans for up to 8.5 years at an interest rate of 7.5 per cent. will continue to be available. If a loan of more than 8.5 years is guaranteed, the component of the lending which represents an 8.5 year loan will carry the 7.5 per cent. interest rate. The additional lending resulting from the extended term will be at the commercial interest reference rate applicable to comparable export credit transactions. This arrangement is necessary to retain present interest rate subsidies while complying with EC requirements. The premium for 12-year finance will be 1 per cent. of the capital sum guaranteed, and for 10-year finance will be 0.8 per cent. of the capital sum guaranteed. A revised premium of two thirds of 1 per cent. of the capital sum guaranteed will apply in respect of finance of 8.5 years or less, for which application is made on or after 1 April 1995.
The arrangements have been authorised by the EC Commission as consistent with the seventh EC shipbuilding directive. However, the Commission has ruled that guarantees of lending for more than 8.5 years should be considered to carry a subsidy level of 1 per cent. of contract value, for the purposes of the ceilings on shipbuilding support laid down in the directive. The size of this adjustment to the subsidy level is under discussion with the Commission. Guarantees of lending of 8.5 years duration or less are unaffected by the ruling.
These arrangements will apply until the end of 1995, when the OECD agreement on the elimination of shipbuilding subsidies comes into force. The future of the scheme, after the end of the year, is subject to review.
Electricity Prices
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the President of the Board of Trade at what time and on what day the proposals of Professor Littlechild to regulate energy prices further were first drawn to the attention of departmental officials or Ministers.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 13 March 1995]: There has been a growing public debate in recent months about whether the price control for the regional electricity companies' distribution businesses struck a fair balance between the interests of consumers and shareholders. The Trafalgar House bid for Northern Electric which was announced on 19 December 1994 and Northern Electric's defence added substantially to the concerns being expressed. A wide range of options were canvassed during this debate. There are regular contacts between the Department and Offer on all regulatory matters. Offer kept the Department regularly informed on Professor Littlechild's thinking from 27 February. The decision to consider further a review of the proposals for the new price controls was taken by Professor Littlechild on 6 March 1995.
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the President of the Board of Trade at what time and on what day departmental officials or Ministers first saw either the statement or a synopsis of the statement made by Professor Littlechild on the question of the further regulation of electricity prices.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 13 March 1995]: At circa 16.45 on Monday 6 March, my officials first saw a draft of the statement Professor Littlechild planned to make the
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following day about the price controls on the distribution businesses of the regional electricity companies.Mr. Harvey: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions his Department had with the Director General of Electricity Supply prior to his announcement about prices of electricity.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 13 March 1995]: There has been a growing public debate in recent months about whether the price control for the regional electricity companies' distribution businesses struck a fair balance between the interests of consumers and shareholders. The Trafalgar House bid for Northern Electric which was announced on 19 December 1994 and Northern Electric's defence added substantially to the concerns being expressed. A wide range of options were canvassed during this debate. Offer kept the Department regularly informed on the way Professor Littlechild's thinking was developing throughout the period from 27 February 1995 until his announcement on 7 March.
Monopolies and Mergers
Mr. David Evans: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what powers he or the Director General of Fair Trading have to require divestment.
Mr. Jonathan Evans: Under the Fair Trading Act 1973, my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has powers to require divestment to remedy adverse findings of reports by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission on monopoly or mergers situations. He can also require divestment where an undertaking to divest which has been accepted in lieu of a reference to the commission has not been fulfilled.
Patent Office
Mr. Flynn: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what changes have taken place in the numbers of staff employed in the Patent Office since last year in (a) established staff, (b) fixed-term appointees, (c) agency staff and (d) consultants; and if he will explain the reasons for the changes.
Mr. Ian Taylor: On 28 February 1994, there were 902 established staff in the Patent Office; 59 fixed-term appointees; 31 Manpower agency staff; and 27 non-established IT specialists, working in the office on individual contracts. Comparable figures at 28 February 1995 were 839; 49; 45; and 31.
The decline in overall numbers, including numbers of established staff and fixed-term appointees, reflects efficiency improvements and changes in work volumes, and was accommodated as part of normal staff turnover. At the same time, use of IT in the office has grown, and a major systems development has been necessary to implement new trade marks legislation. The increase in the number of agency staff reflects the outcome of a market testing programme in the previous year.
Power Generating Companies
Mr. Harvey: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions his Department had with the Director General of Electricity Supply about the sale of publicly owned shares in the power generating companies.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 13 March 1995]: There were a number of discussions between my Department and Offer about the sale of publicly owned shares in the
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generating companies during the preparation of the prospectuses and prior to the float.Assisted Areas
Mrs. Lait: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to reduce from 60 working days the target for approval of assisted area status applications.
Mr. Eggar: Targets vary in relation to the size band of project. These targets are kept under regular review.
Competitiveness
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he last received from Her Majesty's embassies in Washington, Bonn, and Tokyo an assessment of each host nation's trade competitiveness at home and abroad.
Mr. Eggar: Embassies have standing orders to cover competitiveness issues in their regular economic reports.
Newsagents
Mr. Spellar: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on carriage charges by news wholesalers to newsagents.
Mr. Jonathan Evans: The Monopolies and Mergers Commission's 1993 report on the supply of newspapers in England and Wales included no adverse public interest findings in respect of carriage charges, and therefore no power arose to act on them.
However, carriage charges in respect of new entrants are covered by the voluntary code of practice to govern the supply of national newspapers, agreed with the industry following publication of the MMC report. This provides that such charges should be set at an economic level in order that they are not used as a means of circumventing the prohibition on refusal to supply by making supply economically unattractive to new applicants.
If new retailers feel that their carriage charges are incorrect they should take the matter up in the first instance with the wholesaler. If this does not resolve the dispute, the retailer should make use of the arbitration process set out in the code of practice.
Indonesia
Mr. Worthington: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish the undertaking given by the Indonesian Government about the proposed use of the Scorpion tanks and light armoured vehicles for which he has given export licence approval.
Mr. Heseltine: The assurances are precisely as given in my answer on 2 March 1995 to my hon. Friend the Member for Teignbridge (Mr. Nicholls), Official Report, column 716.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Probation Hostels
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) male and (b) female juveniles are kept in probation hostels.
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Mr. Nicholas Baker: The figures requested are not held centrally and are not readily available.
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many places are available in probation hostels.
Mr. Nicholas Baker: The number of places currently available in approved hostels is 2,464.
Solvent Abuse
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions his Department regularly holds with organisations dealing with solvent abuse; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth: There are a number of Government Departments which have responsibilities covering volatile substance abuse. They have periodic contacts with interested organisations rather than regular discussions. I understand that Department of Health officials last met representatives Re-Solv, the Society for the Prevention of Solvent and Volatile Substance Abuse, on 24 October.
Safer Cities
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will consider safer city status for Stoke-on-Trent.
Sir Paul Beresford: I have been asked to reply.
Stoke-on-Trent was one of a number of areas considered for inclusion in the latest wave of safer cities projects announced in July of last year. However, the 20 areas selected were deemed to have a stronger claim to a project at that time.
Decisions about a further wave of safer cities projects have not yet been taken.
Temporary Contracts
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many employees in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies supervised by his Department have been employed on temporary contracts of (a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks
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duration for this year and each of the past five years, in each case specifying what percentage of the respective total workforce these employees constitute;(2) how many people he expects to employ in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies for which he is responsible on temporary contracts of (a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks duration in the next three years, in each case specifying the number of employees who had previously been employed in a similar position on the same contract;
(3) for the current year and each of the past five years, how many employees in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies for which his Department is responsible who have been employed on temporary contracts of (a) 51 weeks, or (b) less than 51 weeks duration are re-employed in the same or similar position at a later date.
(4) what positions in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies for which his Department is responsible are filled by employees who are employed on temporary contracts of (a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks duration;
(5) what guidance has been issued in respect of the recruitment and appointment of non-permanent employees in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies supervised by his Department;
(6) if he will publish the full terms of employment as specified to employees in his Department and all executive agencies for which he is responsible who are employed on a temporary contract of (a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks duration.
Mr. Michael Forsyth: The Home Office and its agencies employ casual staff to meet short-term or seasonal needs. No central record is available of casual staff employed in recent years, or of the duration of their contracts. The number of casual staff currently employed is set out in the following table. Contracts normally set out the expected period of employment; none of the above staff have been engaged on contracts of 51 weeks.
The appointment and conditions of employment of casual staff are in accordance with the provisions of the civil service management code. It is not possible to anticipate the number of casual staff likely to be required in the next three years.
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Casual staff employed in the Home Office and its Agencies on 13 March 1995
Grade SGB 2 Admin. assts. Admin. officers Exec. officers Other grade(s) Total staff
|Number |Percentage|Number |Percentage|Number |Percentage|Number |Percentage|Number |Percentage|Number |Percentage
|of casuals|grade |of casuals|of grade |of casuals|of grade |of casuals|of grade |of casuals|of grade |of casuals|of grade
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Home
Office |20 |5.6 |74 |8.9 |13 |1 |2 |0.2 |13 |3.4 |122 |1.4
UK Passport
Agency |18 |22.5 |287 |44.7 |nil |nil |nil |nil |2 |9.5 |307 |19.6
Fire Service
College |nil |nil |1 |10 |2 |6.5 |1 |7.7 |1 |100 |5 |2.6
Forensic
Science
Service |1 |2.5 |5 |12.5 |1 |3.3 |2 |15.4 |1 |1.7 |10 |1.4
The Prison Service does not maintain a central record of casual appointments, some of which are made locally in establishments.
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Domestic Violence Units
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those police authorities which have set up police domestic violence units; how
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many units there are per police authority; and what is the location of the units.Mr. Maclean: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The
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establishment of domestic violence units is an operational matter for the chief officers of police.Female Juveniles
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many female juveniles at present are kept in adult women prisons.
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 Mr. Alan Simpson, dated 15 March 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking how many female juveniles at present are kept in adult women prisons.
The latest available provisional information is for 31 January 1995. On that date 29 females (14 remand and 15 sentenced) aged under 18 years of age were held in adult female Prison Service establishments (local prisons, closed training prisons or open prisons) in England and Wales.
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what establishments are currently being used for detention of asylum seekers; how many are held in each one; and what is their country of origin;
(2) how many asylum seekers are currently held in custody; and what is the comparative figure for each month of the past year.
Mr. Nicholas Baker: As at 8 March 1995, a total of 587 persons 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 applications were under consideration or subject to appeal. Information on the nationality of those detained is given in the table.
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, Central (Mr. Fisher) on 2 March, column 660 , which gave the available information on the location of those persons who had sought asylum detained as at 23 February 1995. Information on the numbers detained over the last year, by month, is not available.
Table 1
Number of people detained on 8 March 1995 who had
sought
asylum, by nationality
Country |Number detained
--------------------------------------------------
Angola |13
Albania |9
Algeria |58
Armenia |1
Bangladesh |18
Benin |1
Brazil |6
Bulgaria |2
Burma |3
Cameroon |3
China |19
Colombia |7
Dominica |1
Ecuador |3
Eritrea |1
Gambia |3
Georgia |5
Ghana |65
India |69
Iran |4
Ivory Coast |6
Jamaica |5
Kenya |4
Lebanon |4
Liberia |3
Libya |6
Sri Lanka |22
Moldavia |1
Morocco |8
Mozambique |1
Nigeria |109
Pakistan |26
Philippines |1
Poland |1
Romania |9
Russia |3
Sudan |2
Sierra Leone |8
Somalia |2
Slovakia |1
South Africa |3
Sudan |2
Thailand |1
Togo |1
Tunisia |1
Turkey |25
Uganda |1
Former Yugoslavia |14
Zaire |11
Zambia |1
Total |587
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) 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;
(2) how many asylum seekers were detained under Immigration Act powers in each month in 1993 and 1994.
Mr. Nicholas Baker: As at 8 March 1995, a total of 587 persons 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 applications were under consideration or subject to appeal. Of this figure, 153 had been in detention less than one month, 104 between one and two months, 230 between two and six months, and 100 had been in detention longer than six months.
Information on the gender, immigration status and nationality of those detained is given in tables 1 and 2.
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, Central (Mr. Fisher) on 2 March, column 660 , which gave the available information on the location of those persons who had sought asylum detained as at 23 February 1995. Information on the numbers detained during 1993 and 1994, by month, is not available.
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Table 1: Number of people detained on 8 March 1995 who had
sought asylum, by immigration status and gender
Immigration Status |Male |Female |Total
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Port case |247 |26 |273
Illegal entrant case |240 |9 |249
Deportation case |57 |8 |65
Total |544 |43 |587
Table 2: Number of people detained on 8 March
1995 who had
sought asylum, by nationality
Country |Number detained
--------------------------------------------------
Angola |13
Albania |9
Algeria |58
Armenia |1
Bangladesh |18
Benin |1
Brazil |6
Bulgaria |2
Burma |3
Cameroon |3
China |19
Columbia |7
Dominica |1
Ecuador |3
Eritrea |1
Gambia |3
Georgia |5
Ghana |65
India |69
Iran |4
Ivory Coast |6
Jamaica |5
Kenya |4
Lebanon |4
Liberia |3
Libya |6
Sri Lanka |22
Moldavia |1
Morocco |8
Mozambique |1
Nigeria |109
Pakistan |26
Philippines |1
Poland |1
Romania |9
Russia |3
Sudan |2
Sierra Leone |8
Somalia |2
Slovakia |1
South Africa |3
Sudan |2
Thailand |1
Togo |1
Tunisia |1
Turkey |25
Uganda |1
Former Yugoslavia |14
Zaire |11
Zambia |1
Total |587
HEALTH
Secure Units
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many places are available in secure units;
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(2) how many juveniles are kept in secure units.Mr. Bowis: The most recent figures available centrally relate to 31 March 1994 when there were 289 places available in secure units and 244 juveniles accommodated.
Smoking, Richmond House
Mr. Peter Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what facilities are provided and arrangements made for the comfort and well- being of staff who (a) smoke and (b) do not wish to be affected by smoking at (i) the work station and (ii) rest, recreation and refreshment facilities at Richmond house, Whitehall.
Mr. Sackville: No smoking is allowed in Richmond house except in the six rooms specifically set aside for that purpose.
NHS Openness
Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish the open government code for the health service and the accompanying guidance.
Mr. Malone: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is considering the outcome of the consultation on the draft code of practice on openness in the national health service. We intend to publish the code shortly, together with the arrangements for its implementation.
Chemotherapy
Mr. Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what research her Department is conducting into high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell treatment as a treatment for breast cancer; and if she will make a statement;
(2) what reports she has sought from the United States of America about the effectiveness of high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell treatment as a treatment for breast cancer; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville: The Department is not conducting research into the use of high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell support but we are aware of research both in this country and abroad. In some quite rare tumours, the technique of peripheral stem cell harvesting and high-dose chemotherapy is becoming well established. It is however, a relatively new procedure and for the most common cancers, treatment should be given only as part of a properly designed clinical trial.
Surgery Costs
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will update her answer of 1 December 1993 to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett), Official Report , column 578 , on the average costs of NHS procedures in the categories in the previous answer.
Mr. Sackville: The costing systems in the national health service are currently under review to enable the methodologies used to be standardised in all hospitals.
Minor Accident Treatment
Sir John Gorst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department gives as to the opening hours of a minor accident treatment service unit.
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Mr. Sackville: Opening times for minor conditions centres are determined by individual hospital trusts according to local needs.
Social Workers
Mr. Hinchcliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the implications of the results of the recent survey in "Care Weekly" on violence towards social workers, a copy of which has been sent to her, in respect of her policy on the national recording of such incidents; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Bowis: The full survey has not yet been received by my right hon. Friend. However, local authorities and other employers are responsible for identifying any problem and for taking any action needed to provide a safe working environment for all their staff, including social work staff. This includes collecting any information they need to enable them to carry out this responsibility effectively.
Barnet Health Authority
Sir John Gorst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many additional ambulances will be assigned to the Barnet health authority in 1995; and what plans there are to increase their number in the future.
Mr. Sackville: My hon. Friend may wish to contact the chief executive of the London ambulance service, Mr. Martin Gorham, for details.
Hospital Beds, Barnet
Sir John Gorst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the current number of hospital beds and their location in the borough of Barnet; and how many are planned between now and 1997.
Mr. Sackville: My hon. Friend may wish to contact the chairman of Barnet health authority, Mr. Brian Salinger, for details.
Services for the Blind
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to fund the RNIB to promote services for the blind and partially-sighted, with special reference to the elderly in nursing homes, hospices and home care.
Mr. Bowis: The Royal National Institute for the Blind has not applied for funding for the promotion of services for visually impaired elderly people in nursing homes, hospices and home care services.
Temporary Contracts
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for the current year and each of the past five years, how many employees in (i) her Department and (ii) all executive agencies for which her Department is responsible who have been employed on temporary contracts of (a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks duration are re-employed in the same or similar position at a later date.
Mr. Sackville: The Department and its executive agencies do not keep records on this issue. The Department does not usually issue contracts of 51 weeks.
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There are five casual staff in the Department and five in its executive agencies on temporary contracts of less than 51 weeks who have been re-employed since 1 April 1994.Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employees in (i) her Department and (ii) all executive agencies supervised by her Department have been employed on temporary contracts of (a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks duration for the current year and each of the past five years, in each case specifying what percentage of the respective total workforce these employees constituted.
Mr. Sackville: The Department does not keep records on those employed on temporary contracts before 1 April 1994. The Department and its executive agencies do not usually issue contracts of 51 weeks. Since 1 April 1994, 207 staff in the Department--4 per cent.--and 47 in its executive agencies--3 per cent.--have been employed on temporary contracts of less than 51 weeks.
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people she expects to employ in (i) her Department and (ii) all executive agencies for which she is responsible on temporary contracts of (a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks duration in the next three years, in each case specifying the number of employees who had previously been employed in a similar position on the same contract.
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