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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 30 March 1995
EMPLOYMENT
Employment Service
Mr. Simon Coombs: To ask the Secretary ofState for Employment when the Employment Service annual performance agreement for 1995 96 will be published. [17944]
Mr. Portillo: I have today placed copies of the 1995 96 Employment Service annual performance agreement in the Library. The new targets will require the ES to build on this year's extremely good performance and will challenge it to improve its effectiveness in the coming year. I have set a demanding target of placing a record 1.9 million unemployed people in jobs in the 12 months from April. Related targets for placing long-term claimants and people with disabilities will also call for even higher levels of achievement.
Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service
Mr. Simon Coombs: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects to receive the annual report for the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service. [17945]
Mr. Oppenheim: I have received the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service report for 1994, which will be laid before both Houses on Monday 3 April 1995. The report will be released to the public on 4 April 1995--copies will then be available from the Vote Office.
Gloucestershire TEC
Mr. John Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress Gloucestershire training and enterprise council is making in meeting the criteria for the award of a three-year licence. [18052]
Mr. Paice: I am pleased to announce that the Gloucestershire training and enterprise council has now completed the process of meeting the rigorous standard we set for the award of the new three year licences. Its licence will be effective from April 1995.
Child Care
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the child care or nursery facilities within his Department; and what is the breakdown in their use (a) by grade and (b) by gender. [15244]
Miss Widdecombe: The Employment Department group currently supports six workplace nurseries run either solely or in partnership with other Government Departments or outside organisations and has bought a number of places in other nurseries. The ED group is also involved in over 50 holiday playschemes and provides financial help with additional child care costs incurred
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through attending training courses and other work-based events. The information requested about those using the provision is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.Health and Safety Commission
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will place in the Library the memorandum of evidence which was produced for the preparation of HSC report 92/129. [17334]
Mr. Oppenheim: No. The memorandum of evidence and the report itself are internal, confidential, management advice prepared by the Health and Safety Executive for the Health and Safety Commission.
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he met (a) the TUC or (b) the CBI to consider HSC report 92/129 and how many times the HSC has met to consider the report since its completion.
Mr. Oppenheim: I have not met either the TUC or the CBI to discuss the Health and Safety Commission's report 92/129. I understand that the HSC has considered the report on two occasions since its completion.
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will place in the Library, Health and Safety Executive's paper HSC 92/129 relating to the privatisation and contractorisation of the Health and Safety Executive functions. [17327]
Mr. Oppenheim: No. The Health and Safety Commission report 91/129 is internal, confidential, management advice prepared by the Health and Safety Executive for the HSC.
Health and Safety Executive
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many Department of Employment group-wide promotion panel hearings have been held in each of the last 10 years for the purpose of appointing Health and Safety Executive executive officers. [17323]
Mr. Oppenheim: None. All group-wide panels for promotion to executive officer have been arranged to fill vacancies throughout the Employment Department group.
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many current executive officers in the Health and Safety Executive have entered the executive officer grade without going before a Department of Employment group-wide formal promotion panel hearing. [17324]
Mr. Oppenheim: Thirty-six current executive officers in the Health and Safety Executive entered the executive officer grade without going before an Employment Department group-wide formal promotion panel.
Entry to the executive officer grade can be by direct entry on the basis of educational qualifications and passing an interview, or by appearing before a properly constituted promotion board.
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 24 January, Official Report , column 180 , if he can confirm (a) that the information requested on 19 January is contained in the Health and Safety Executive's SHIELD computer database and (b) that similar requests for information tabled by the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr. Bennett) have previously been answered. [17328]
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Mr. Oppenheim: Some of the information to which I referred in my reply of 24 January, Official Report , column 180, will for the Health and Safety Executive's field operations division, be on the SHIELD database; the rest will be kept in paper files. Inspectorates in other HSE divisions will keep information both on separate database and in paper files.
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish details of (a) the Health and Safety Executives's contracted- out advice helpline planned to commence in September, (b) the cost of the helpline in a full financial year and (c) details of the company awarded the contract. [17325]
Mr. Oppenheim: The Heath and Safety Executive is currently advertising for firms which are interested in providing a telephone information line. The firms which may wish to participate, details of the way that the service will operate and the costs will be established only by responses to the advertisement and the subsequent contracting process.
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment pursuant to his answer of 24 January, Official Report , column 184 , if he will publish details of the value of the contract between the Health and Safety Executive and the Norwich offshore safety division of Manpower. [17330]
Mr. Oppenheim: The offshore safety division of the Health and Safety Executive has placed a contract for six clerical support posts at its Norwich office with Manpower plc. The value of the contract is commercially confidential.
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will (a) publish or (b) place in the Library the EMAS feasibility study; and when the prior options study of EMAS activities will be published. [17336]
Mr. Oppenheim: The employment medical advisory service feasibility and the prior options studies are one and the same thing. The EMAS feasibility study, when complete, will be internal, confidential, management advice to the Health and Safety Executive and the commission, and will not be published or placed in the Library.
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will (a) publish the proposed salary to be awarded to the new director general of the Health and Safety Executive, (b) state what percentage increase the gross salary awarded will be in relation to the current director general's gross salary and (c) state whether the proposed award breaches the Health and Safety Executive's declared pay norm for staff of 1.5 per cent. in the financial years 1994 95 and 1995 96. [17329]
Mr. Oppenheim: The salaries of the current director general for the period after 1 April 1995 and of a new appointee have not yet been determined, but they will be made publicly available in the normal way. There has been no declaration of a pay norm of 1.5 per cent. for Health and Safety Executive staff in the financial years 1994 95 and 1995 96.
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement about the future of the Health and Safety Executive library in Buxton, Derbyshire. [17326]
Mr. Oppenheim: The Health and Safety Executive does not have a library in Buxton, Derbyshire.
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Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 24 January, Official Report , column 178 (a) how many of the 60 principal inspector's posts have been advertised for each of the Health and Safety Executive regions; and (b) by what dates he expects all posts to be advertised and filled. [17331]
Mr. Oppenheim: Further to my answer of 24 January 1995, Official Report , column 178 , no principal inspector's posts have been advertised.
Investors in People " Award
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if the Health and Safety Executive application to receive an "Investors in People" award has been successful. [17335]
Mr. Oppenheim: The Health and Safety Executive is working towards gaining accreditation as an investor in people.
Greenwich Refugee and Training Project
Mr. Austin-Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if money provided by the Home Secretary in pursuance of his statutory powers can be appropriated to meet a debt due to him under other statutory provisions; and if he will make a statement on the matters relating to the Greenwich refugee and training project raised in a recent letter from the hon. Member for Woolwich. [17338]
Mr. Paice: It is for the receiver to decide whether the Home Office ethnic minority grant funding is part of the assets held by him and to determine the correct course of action. If it is part of the assets available for the payment of creditors it is for the receiver to determine how these assets will be used to pay creditors in accordance with his statutory duties.
South Thames TEC
Mr. Austin-Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, what sums are due to Woolwich college for contracts entered into with South Thames TEC; and if he will make a statement. [17339]
Mr. Paice: The amount of money owing to any individual contractors for work carried out under contract to South Thames training and enterprise council is a matter for the receiver.
Mr. Austin-Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders will be fully reimbursed for any extension of contract authorised by the receiver or the Government office for London for provision of training by the new careers project; and if he will make a statement. [17337]
Mr. Paice: The Government office for London has asked the receiver of South Thames training and enterprise council to continue to provide training services until 24 April 1995. How this will be arranged is a matter for the receiver. All training for work and youth training credits providers were sent a letter by the receiver on 21 and 22 March 1995 outlining the new arrangements and enclosing new contracts where appropriate.
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OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION
Commonwealth Aid Programmes
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he supplies training and technical assistance to Commonwealth countries for the purpose of enforcement of CITES as part of the Commonwealth aid programmes; and if he will make a statement. [16938]
Mr. Baldry: The Overseas Development Administration supports a number of development activities which promote the conservation of endangered species and the strengthening of customs authorities in developing countries. However, it has no projects with the specific objective of assisting the enforcement of CITES.
Yemen
Mr. Hicks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those projects together with the financial amounts that the Overseas Development Agency funded in Yemen prior to the suspension of aid; and if he will make a statement. [16742]
Mr. Baldry: Projects on which expenditure was continuing when our aid personnel were withdrawn from Yemen on the outbreak of civil war in May 1994 were:
|Planned |Total
|duration |commitment
|year |£
------------------------------------------------------------------
National Veterinary Service
Development Project: phase IV |1990-1995 |8,500,000
Public Electricity Corporation:
management assistance and
training: |1992-1995 |2,750,000
Sana'a University Professional
English Teaching: |1991-1994 |1,360,000
English for Development:
English Language Teaching: |1993-1994 |118,000
Aden University:
training of English
Teachers: |1991-1994 |490,000
Mr. Hicks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has to restore Overseas Development Agency funding for the Yemen with specific reference to the Sana'a university English training project; and if he will make astatement. [16743]
Mr. Baldry: In my reply to the hon. Member for Surrey East, (Mr. Ainsworth) on 20 March, Official Report , column 86 , I announced that we would be resuming our aid programme in Yemen. We shall review with the Government of Yemen how best to use the available funds. Possible further funding for the Sana'a university professional English training project is amongst the small projects to be included in this review.
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DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Child Care
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the child care or nursery facilities within his Department; and what is the breakdown in their use (a) by grade and (b) by gender. [15241]
Mr. Horam: The child care and nursery facilities within the Departments and agencies for which my right hon. Friend is responsible and other areas which fall to the Cabinet Office vote are as follows. Workplace nurseries are available to staff at the Civil Service college and Chessington computer centre. HMSO staff use a nursery in partnership with a local college. Holiday playschemes are available to all staff working in Departmental buildings in London and in Norwich.
Following is a breakdown by grade and gender of staff who use the nursery facilities.
Agency |Grade/band |Gender
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Civil Service College |1 x Grade 6 |All Female
|1 x Grade 7
|1 x SEO
|2 x HEO
|5 x EO
|3 x AO
|1 x PS
HMSO |1 x 11 |Male
|2 x 10 |2 Female
|4 x 9 |2 Male: 2 Female
|5 x 8 |1 Male: 4 Female
|9 x 7 |5 Male: 4 Female
|2 x 6 |2 Female
|5 x 5 |2 Male: 3 Female
Chessington |1 x SHO |Male
Computer Centre |5 x HWO |1 Male: 4 Female
|10 x EO |5 Male: 5 Female
|5 x AO |1 Male: 4 Female
|1 x AA |Female
Information Technology Advisory Board
Mr. Byers: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the membership of the Information Technology Advisory Board at the time of its disbanding in March 1994; and for which companies each member was employed. [17318]
Mr. Horam: Following are the names of the members of the board at the time of its disbanding.
Name of Member |Company
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Professor J. M. Brady |Department of Engineering Science,
| Oxford University
Professor M. Atkinson |Department of Computer Science,
| Glasgow University
Dr. K. Baughan |Nokia Mobile Phones
Professor M. J. Cardwell |Department of Electrical Engineering
| and Applied Physics, Aston
| University
Professor M. Denham |Department of Computing, University
| of Plymouth
Professor W. Eccleston |Department of Electronics and
| Engineering, Liverpool University
Mr. G. Hayes |TSB Bank plc
Professor J. J. O'Reilly |School of Engineering and Science,
Professor R. H. Perrott |School of Electrical and Computer
| Science, Queen's University of
| Belfast
Dr. I. L. Robertson |Electronics and Information
| Technology Division, British
| Technology Group
Dr. J. Taylor |Hewlett Packard Laboratories
Mr. M. Thomas |Praxis, plc
Ms J. E. Tozer |Softwright
Mr. A. O. Ward |British Aerospace Military Aircraft
| Ltd.
Civil Service (Equality of Opportunity)
Mr. Sykes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the progress towards achieving equality of opportunity for women staff in the civil service. [17803]
Mr. David Hunt: Considerable progress has been made since the first programme for action to achieve equality of opportunity for women in the civil service was launched in 1984. Women now represent 51.3 per cent. of staff in the non-industrial home civil service compared with 47.7 per cent. in 1984. Women's participation is also increasing in the management grades, with almost 10 per cent. at grades 1 to 3 compared with under 5 per cent. 10 years ago. Nearly half of executive officer level posts--the first step in the management rung--are now held by women. Indeed, a huge range of complex jobs is being carried out by ambitious, committed women in all grades up to the very top.
A report on the progress made since 1984 towards achieving equality of opportunity for women in the civil service was published yesterday. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Obsolete Restrictive Covenants
Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how the Government have responded to the Law Commission report on obsolete restrictive covenants of 16 July 1991, Law Com 201; and if he intends to respond further. [16158]
Mr. John M. Taylor: The Government have received a number of comments on this report, and are discussing these with the Law Commission. An announcement will be made when those discussions are concluded.
Child Care
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what are thechild care or nursery facilities within his Department; andwhat is the breakdown in their use (a) by grade and (b) by gender. [15229]
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Mr. John M. Taylor: The Lord Chancellor's Department has access to 12 nursery facilities for pre-school children and 18 holiday playschemes for children of primary school age. A breakdown of the staff using these facilities, by grade and gender is shown in the following table:
Breakdown of staff using Departmental child care facilities Grade |Male |Female ---------------------------------------- Grade 5 |1 |0 Grade 6 |0 |1 Grade 7 |3 |2 SEO |1 |4 HEO |4 |10 EO |1 |20 AO |4 |27 AA |0 |3 Personal Secretary |0 |1 Typist |0 |7 Bailiff |1 |0 Support Grades |0 |3
Legal Aid
Ms Corston: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what are the total sums of money (a) recouped and (b) charged against properties by the Legal Aid Board in matrimonial cases, for the last five years for which figures are available. [16114]
Mr. John M. Taylor: The total amounts retained by the Legal Aid Board in respect of charges under section 16(6) of the Legal Aid Act 1988 in matrimonial proceedings were as follows:
1989 90: £24.2 million
1990 91: £24.7 million
1991 92: £27.9 million
1992 93: £34.6 million
1993 94: £37.1 million
These figures include money received in satisfaction of registered charges during each year.
The total amounts registered against properties in respect of all proceedings were as follows:
1989 90: £9.2 million
1990 91: £11.6 million
1991 92: £16.9 million
1992 93: £25.6 million
1993 94: £26.7 million
Ms Corston: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what sums of money are allocated by the Legal Aid Board for matrimonial and ancillary relief cases, for the last five years for which figures are available. [16113]
Mr. John M. Taylor: It is not possible to provide net expenditure figures in respect of ancillary relief matters alone. Net expenditure in respect of matrimonial cases, including ancillary relief, for the last five years are as follows.
1989 90: £87.5 million
1990 91: £108.6 million
1991 92: £150.5 million
1992 93: £207.2 million
1993 94: £266.7 million
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Courts Service
Mr. Nick Hawkins: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when theCourt Service is to be established as an executiveagency. [18008]
Mr. John M. Taylor: Further to my answer of 27 May 1993 to my hon. Friend the Member for Shoreham (Mr. Stephen), Official Report , 27 May 1993, column 657 , I am please to confirm that the Lord Chancellor will establish the Court Service as an executive agency on 3 April 1995. I will arrange for a copy of the framework document for the Court Service to be placed in the Library. The following table sets out the key performance targets which the Lord Chancellor has set for the Court Service for 1995 96:
The Court Service-key performance targets for 1995-96
Business area |Performance |Target
|indicator
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crown Court |1. Percentage of defendants |70 per cent.
|committed for trial
|waiting 16 weeks or less
|2. Unit cost of a productive|£462.40
|courtroom hour
County Courts |3. Percentage of |90 per cent.
|administrative process
|dealt with within target
|time
|4. Unit cost of an hour of |£53.39
|administrative work as
|measured by the
|Business Management
|System
High Court |5. Percentage of |93 per cent.
|administrative process
|dealt with within target
|time
Enforcement |6. Number of warrants paid |65 per cent.
|as a percentage of
|number of correctly
|directed warrants
Quality |7. Percentage of courts |95 per cent.
|meeting all Courts
|Charter Standards
Cost recovery |8. Percentage of the costs |75 per cent.
|of civil business
|recovered
HEALTH
Departmental Staff
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total number of people directly employed by her Department and by executive agencies accountable to her Department, expressed as full-time equivalent posts for (a) 1990 91, (b) 1991 92, (c) 1992 93 and (d) 1993 94; and if she will give theprojected figures for (i) 1994 95, (ii) 1995 96 and (iii) 1996 97. [16091]
Mr. Sackville: The information requested is shown in the tables.
Column 712
Years |Total DH |Non agency|Agencies
--------------------------------------------------------------
Previous Figures
April 1990<1> |5,388 |5,134 |254
April 1991<1> |4,651 |4,339 |312
April 1992<1> |4,803 |4,172 |631
April 1993<1> |4,846 |3,682 |1,164
April 1994<1> |4,672 |3,283 |1,389
Projected Figures
April 1995 |4,550 |3,113 |1,437
April 1996 |4,294 |2,881 |1,413
April 1997 |4,039 |2,677 |1,362
Source:
<1> Department of Health Staff in Post Data.
Subject to Parliament's consent to the Health Authorities
Bill, 1,100 staff from the current regional health
authorities will transfer into the Department on 1 April
1996.
Departmental Annual Report
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what was the cost of producing and circulating the last departmental annual report; what was the circulation list; how many copies were produced; how many copies were sold; and at what price; [16644] (2) what was the cost of producing and circulating the departmental annual report for each of the last 10 years in real terms. [16645]
Mr. Sackville: Departmental reports were published for the first time in 1991. The five reports to date of the Department of Health and the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys have been published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, which has borne the main printing and publication costs with the aim of recovering these from the sales revenue.
The table shows the additional costs incurred by the Department of Health, in relation to the associated artwork.
?
|Artwork costs of
|Departmental
Year |Report (£-in 1994-95
|prices)
---------------------------------------------------------------
1991 |852
1992 |1,541
1993 |1,081
1994 |1,132
1995 |1,969
Some 3,150 copies of the 1995 departmental report, Cm 2812, have been printed and published.
Copies have been laid before Parliament and circulated to regional and district health authorities, family health services authorities, national health service trusts, social services departments, and members of the press.
HMSO has produced just over 1,300 further copies at a price of £18.40 net; sales of these are a matter for it.
Special Needs
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking to implement facilities for orthoptists to deal with special needs children in conjunction with education authorities. [16594]
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