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Approved Development Programme
Mr. Rowe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide a breakdown of the ADP programme as between social housing and owner occupation. [21308]
Mr. Robert B. Jones: The Housing Corporation approved development programme is split into housing for rent programmes--mixed and public funded, short-life housing and miscellaneous works including major repair-- and home ownership incentives and housing for sale programmes--tenants incentive scheme do-it-yourself shared ownership and construction and rehabilitation of property for shared ownership. TIS and DIYSO encourage home ownership and release existing lettings for others in housing need.
The ADP for 1995-96 is as follows:
|Forecast
|Expenditure|lettings
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Housing for rent
Mixed and public funded |784.7 |32,700
Short life housing |23.0 |3,300
Miscellaneous works |65.0 |-
|-------- |--------
Total rent |872.7 |36,000
Incentives and housing for sale
Tenants Incentive Scheme |85.8 |7,200
DIYSO |121.9 |4,700
Shared ownership |74.7 |4,600
|-------- |--------
Total incentive sale |282.4 |16,500
Other expenditure |26.0 |-
|-------- |--------
Total gross expenditure |1,181.1 |-
Local Authority Staff
Mr. Devlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many staff are employed by each local authority in the north-east region of England, including police forces, by broad service area. [21306]
Mr. Robert B. Jones: Numbers employed in June 1994 by each local authority in England, including police forces, were published in the joint staffing watch press release. A copy of the press release and the available service area information for metropolitan districts and non-metropolitan districts in the north-east have been placed in the Library of the House.
Bridlepath, Ribble Valley
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what representations he has received about his decision to delete from the definitive maps the path and bridleway from Sawley lodge towards Gisburn in Ribble valley; [21232] (2) what was the nature of the representations made to his Department by Mrs. Patricia Lord concerning the footpath and bridleway running through her land at Sawley lodge, Ribble valley; [21233]
(3) why he has directed Lancashire county council to delete from the definitive map the path and bridleway from Sawley lodge towards Gisburn in Ribble valley. [21231]
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Mr. Atkins: The nature of representations made by Mrs. Lord and the reasons for the Secretary of State's decision were set out in the letter issued by the Government office for the north west on 21 December. I am sending the hon. Member for Pendle a copy of that letter and placing a copy in the House Library.
The Secretary of State has received one representation about his decision from Lancaster Association of Parish and Town Councils.
Avian Pest Species
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the control of avian pest species. [21181]
Sir Paul Beresford: Annual general licences issued by my Department and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food permit the year-round control by authorised persons of 13 species of pest birds. Populations of the 13 species concerned are monitored to assess their conservation status. There is no evidence to suggest that current levels of pest control are threatening the status of any of these species.
Cemfuel
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has granted full authorisation to Castle Cement to allow the burning of cemfuel at Ribblesdale. [21234]
Mr. Atkins: I refer the hon. Member to my written reply of 24 February, Official Report , column 350 . HMIP is now considering carefully all comments received as a result of the public consultation exercise, together with the results from the monitoring and the environmental impact assessment undertaken by Castle Cement. A decision on whether to allow the burning of cemfuel as currently authorised will be made by HMIP following this review.
Construction Industry
Mr. Thurnham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish his Department's consultation paper on possible legislation for construction industry contracts in accordance with the recommendations of the Latham report; and if he will make a statement. [21196]
Mr. Robert B. Jones: I refer to the answer given to the hon. Member for Coventry, South-East(Mr. Cunningham) on 21 April, Official Report, column 286.
River Tees
Mr. Devlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions have taken place between the National Rivers Authority and the Teesside development corporation about the level of the River Tees above the Tees barrage; and what conclusions have been reached. [21305]
Sir Paul Beresford: The Teesside development corporation has discussed with the National Rivers Authority whether or not the Tees Barrage has any material impact on the flood levels of the River Tees, during heavy winter flows in January and February 1995.
The TDC and NRA are now awaiting the results of studies by consultants relating to these issues.
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Equal Opportunities
Ms Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made within his Department on equal opportunities matters. [21597]
Sir Paul Beresford: The Department is committed to equality of opportunity for all employees. There are departmental action plans to achieve equality of opportunities for ethnic minorities and women based on the programmes for action in the civil service. Consultation within the Department is currently taking place on a draft departmental action plan in response to the programme for action for disabled people. Progress is reported to staff by means of an annual report which is published by the equal opportunities unit.
Ms Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which Minister in his Department has responsibility for equal opportunities issues. [21496]
Sir Paul Beresford: The Secretary of State has overall responsibility for all issues within the Department although the Viscount Ullswater has particular responsibility for women's issues.
Ms Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the gender assessment being prepared by his Department. [21498]
Sir Paul Beresford: This Department's policy, in line with guidance issued in 1992 by the ministerial group on womens' issues, is that policy proposals should ensure that unlawful or unjustifiable sex or race discrimination does not occur and that similar principles apply to people with disabilities, older people or ex-offenders. This scrutiny is part of a continuous and routine process, as part of policy advice to Ministers.
Ms Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress he hopes to make in the next three months to push forwards the declaration signed in October 1994 at the Vienna conference in preparation for the 4th UN conference on women; and if he will incorporate a section on equal opportunities in his Department's annual report. [21499]
Sir Paul Beresford: The Government are committed to the principles set out in the regional platform for action agreed at the preparatory conference in Vienna for the 4th UN world conference on women. We have taken these forward through a wide range of programmes and initiatives and will continue to do so.
The following paragraph on equal opportunities was published in the Department's annual report for 1995:
"The Department of the Environment is an equal opportunities employer. This means that all staff (whether full--or part-time), applicants for posts, and members of the public are treated on the same fair basis irrespective of sex, sexual orientation or marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, or disability."
European Social Fund
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list those projects in privatised companies which have received European social fund support since privatisation indicating (a) the level of funding and (b) the dates when it was received; [21289]
(2) if he will list those public projects which received European social fund support and were subsequently privatised over the last 10 years, indicating (a) the level of funding and (b) the dates when it was received. [21288]
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Sir Paul Beresford: None of the privatised companies for which my Department has responsibility has applied directly and received European social fund support since 1990. Information for the years before 1990 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Conflicts of Interest
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions during the last five years (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers in his Department or its agencies have declared conflicts of interest; and how many instructions have been issued about their retention, disposal or management. [21384]
Sir Paul Beresford: For the Department and agencies for which I am responsible any conflict of interest involving a civil servant would have been dealt with in accordance with established guidance. Records on the number of cases are not held centrally. In the last five years, five special advisors have declared 11 possible conflicts of interest.
Market Testing
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the cost of employing consultants in connection with market testing programmes in which his Department has been engaged since their inception. [21367]
Sir Paul Beresford: From the inception of the market testing programme in April 1992 to 31 March 1995, departmental and agency expenditure on consultancies to support the "Competing and Quality" initiative has been almost £1.6 million. As reported in the "Market Testing Bulletin Special Report," dated January 1995, total results to the end of September 1994 have achieved annual savings of £14.6 million. In addition to the cash savings, there have been a number of improvements in the quality of services delivered.
Barn Owls
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide estimates to show the change in the numbers of barn owls in England and Wales over the last 20 years. [21115]
Sir Paul Beresford: My Department's statutory scientific advisers, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, advise that the estimated population of barn owls in Great Britain and Ireland, when surveyed during 1968 72, was between 4,600 and 9,000 pairs. A survey carried out during 1982 85 estimated the population to be between 5,000 and 5,300 pairs. It is impossible to compare directly the results of different surveys, as different survey techniques may have been used.
Falconry
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many permits have been issued to falconers to take protected species of birds as quarry in each year since 1988; what were the species in respect of which such permits were issued; and what were the numbers of each species taken. [21245]
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Sir Paul Beresford: Details of licences issued to take protected species in the course of falconry in England for
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the period 1988 1993 are as listed. Figures are not yet available for 1994.Table file CW950501.014 not available
Species |Number of |Birds killed |Year
|licences<1>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aluda arvensis |46 |1773 (Total number of all species killed)|1988
Turdus merula
Turdus philomelos
Turdus pilaris
Turdus iliacus
Turdus viscivorous
Anthus pratensis
Larus ridibundas
Aluda arvensis |60 |No figures on the numbers of birds |1989
|killed available
Turdus merula
Turdus philomelos
Turdus pilaris
Anthus pratensis
Turdus iliacus
Larus ridibundas
Lagopus lagopus
Perdix perdix
Gallinula chlorpus
Anas crecca
Anas platyrhynchos
Aluda arvensis |61 |236 |1990
Turdus merula |132
Turdus philomelos |20
Anthus pratensis |27
Larus ridibundas |2
Aluda arvensis |59 |259 |1991
Turdus merula |132
Turdus philomelos |20
Anthus pratensis |35
Larus ridibundas |2
Aluda arvensis |59 |137 |1992
Turdus merula |158
Turdus philomelos |25
Anthus pratensis |42
Larus ridibundas |0
Aluda arvensis |72 |171 |1993
Turdus merula |51
Turdus philomelos |9
Anthus pratensis |18
Larus ridibundas |10
<1> Licences covered all or some of the named species.
Birds of Prey
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many licences have been issued in each year since 1988 to possess birds of prey, and what were the numbers of birds in each species held under such licences. [21249]
Sir Paul Beresford: The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 permits a series of licences to be issued to take wild birds for a variety of purposes. Since 1988 my Department has not issued any licenses to take birds of prey from the wild.
Wild Birds
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking to ensure the
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adequate protection of migrating birds of protected species. [21116]Sir Paul Beresford: Wild birds in the United Kingdom are protected by the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act which enacts our obligations under the EC directive on the conservation of wild birds. The Act does not permit migratory species to be hunted during their breeding or migration seasons.
The birds directive requires member states to take special conservation measures for certain vulnerable species, including the establishment of a network of special protection areas. To date 104 SPAs have been designated and more are planned.
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has made to his counterpart Ministers in the EEC concerning the shooting and trapping of protected species during migration and if he
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will seek to persuade them to enforce in full the provisions of the appropriate European legislation. [21117]Sir Paul Beresford: The European Commission has proposed an amendment to the birds directive to give guidance on the hunting of migratory birds. The proposal has been considered by the Council of Ministers and has been referred to the European Parliament for an opinion. When that opinion is received, the Council of Ministers will consider its implications for the hunting of migratory birds.
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is the number of sites which meet the criteria for designation and protection under the European Community directive on the conservation of wild birds, the number of sites so designated, the name of the site next to be designated and the date he expects to designate it; [21118]
(2) when he last designated an area underthe Ramsar convention on the conservation ofwetlands of international importance, which area is
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next to be designated and when he expects to designate it; [21119] (3) if he will list those special protection areas, under the EC birds directive, as well as those Ramsar sites and areas with dual designation for the protection of birds. [21120/95]Sir Paul Beresford: The list of those areas identified on the basis of scientific evidence as potentially qualifying for classification as special protection areas is currently under review. The list will be published in due course and a copy will be placed in the Library. The next English site to be designated is expected to be placed in the Blackwater estuary in Essex. It is a SPA and Ramsar site. An announcement will be made shortly.
We announced the listing of two Ramsar sites at the end of March 1995: River Crouch marshes, Essex, was listed on 24 March and Coll, Strathclyde, was listed on 31 March.
The United Kingdom has designated 104 special protection areas and listed 88 Ramsar sites. The following 62 sites have dual SPA/Ramsar designation:
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UK sites classified as special protection areas under EC birds directive and wetlands of International importance
under the Ramsar Convention
Name |County/region |Date designated |Area (ha)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Loch Druidibeg, A'Machair |Western Isles |31 August 1982 |1,043.0
2. Ribble Estuary |Lancashire |31 August 1982 |2,182.0
3. The Swale |Kent |31 August 1982 |113.0
|extended |17 July 1985 |5,722.0
|further extended |15 December 1993 |421.7
4. Chesil Beach and The Fleet |Dorset |17 July 1985 |763.0
5. The Dee Estuary |Merseyside, Cheshire and Clwyd |17 July 1985 |13,055.0
6. Derwent Ings (part of Lower Derwent Valley) |North Yorkshire |17 July 1985 |783.0
7. Holburn Moss |Northumberland |17 July 1985 |22.0
8. Alt Estuary |Merseyside |28 November 1985 |1,160.0
9. Leighton Moss |Lancashire |28 November 1985 |124.0
10. Martin Mere |Lancashire |28 November 1985 |119.0
11. Loch Eye |Highland |23 September 1986 |195.0
12. Loch of Skene |Grampian |23 September 1986 |125.0
13. Rockliffe Marshes (Pt Upper Solway Flats and Marshes) |Cumbria |23 September 1986 |1,897.0
14. Chichester and Langstone Harbours |Hampshire/Sussex |28 October 1987 |5,764.0
15. Upper Severn Estuary |Gloucestershire |5 February 1988 |1,357.0
16. The Wash |Lincs/Norfolk |30 March 1988 |63,124.0
17. Pagham Harbour |West Sussex |30 March 1988 |615.0
18. Din Moss-Hoselaw Loch |Borders |14 July 1988 |45.7
19. Gladhouse Reservoir |Lothian |14 July 1988 |186.5
20. Bridgend Flats, Islay |Strathclyde |14 July 1988 |331.0
21. Duich Moss, Islay |Strathclyde |14 July 1988 |574.0
22. Gruinart Flats, Islay |Strathclyde |14 July 1988 |3,170.0
23. North Norfolk Coast |Norfolk |20 January 1989 |7,700.0
24. Fala Flow |Midlothian |25 April 1990 |323.0
25. Glac-na-Criche |Islay |25 April 1990 |265.0
26. Feur Lochain |Islay |25 April 1990 |384.1
27. Rutland Water |Leics |4 October 1991 |1,540.0
28. Abberton Reservoir |Essex |5 December 1991 |716.3
29. Walmore Common |Gloucs |5 December 1991 |51.4
30. Exe Estuary |Devon |11 March 1992 |2,388.6
31. Lindisfarne |Northumberland |11 March 1992 |3,625.2
32. Old Hall Marshes |Essex |11 March 1992 |627.1
33. Minsmere-Walberswick |Suffolk |19 May 1992 |2,000.3
34. Burry Inlet |Dyfed/W Glam |14 July 1992 |6,660.0
35. Loch Ken and Dee Marshes |Dumfries and Galloway |31 August 1992 |773.4
36. Loch Spynie |Grampian |31 August 1992 |93.0
37. Upper Solway Flats and Marshes |Cumbria, Dumfries and Galloway |30 November 1992 |28,053.0
38. Nene Washes |Cambs |5 March 1993 |1,310.0
39. Ouse Washes |Cambs/Norfolk |5 March 1993 |2,372.0
40. Gibraltar Point (Wash Phase II) |Lincolnshire |5 March 1993 |414.0
41. South Tayside Goose Roosts |Tayside |22 April 1993 |408.7
42. Hamford Water |Essex |8 June 1993 |2,179.3
43. Lower Derwent Valley |N Yorks and Humberside |8 June 1993 |306.4
44. New Forest |Hampshire |22 September 1993 |28,001.2
45. Medway Estuary |Kent |15 December 1993 |4,681.8
46. Stodmarsh |Kent |16 December 1993 |481.3
47. Benfleet and Southend Marshes |Essex |14 February 1994 |2,251.3
48. Thursley, Hankley and Frensham Commons (Wealden Heaths Phase I) |Surrey/Hants |14 February 1994 |1,869.9
49. Cameron Reservoir |Fife |14 March 1994 |64.4
50. Dengie (Mid-Essex Coast Phase I) |Essex |24 March 1994 |3,127.2
51. Loch of Kinnordy |Tayside |29 March 1994 |86.0
52. Stour and Orwell |Essex/Suffolk |13 July 1994 |3,334.1
53. Humber Flats and Marshes |Humberside and Lincs |28 July 1994 |15,230.3
54. Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay |Kent |28 July 1994 |1,877.0
55. Colne (Mid-Essex Coast Phase II) |Essex |28 July 1994 |2,701.4
56. Loch Maree |Highland |19 September 1994 |3,100.0
57. Broadland |Norfolk/Suffolk |21 September 1994 |4,645.9
58. Montrose Basin |Tayside |3 February 1995 |987.0
59. Ribble and Alt Estuaries Phase II |Lancashire/Merseyside |16 February 1995 |8,768.4
60. Portsmouth Harbour |Hampshire |28 February 1995 |1,248.4
61. River Crouch Marshes |Essex |24 March 1995 |905.7
62. Coll |Strathclyde |31 March 1995 |2,291.9
|--------
Total |250,735.0
Hospitality
Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much was spent on official hospitality by his Department in 1994 95. [21212]
Sir Paul Beresford: Expenditure on official hospitality by my Department, including Property Holdings and the Department's agencies, was approximately £121,000 in 1994 95.
Civil Service Appointments
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many civil service appointments were made to administrative assistant and administrative officer posts in his Department and the agencies for which he is accountable in each quarter from September 1993 until April 1995. [21769]
Sir Paul Beresford: The following information covers permanent administrative staff in my Department, excluding Ordnance Survey and PSA Services.
Q4 1993: 6
Q1 1994: 1
Q2 1994: 5
Q3 1994: 2
Q4 1994: 8
Q1 1995: 4
EMPLOYMENT
Female Work Force
Mrs. Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of women in the United Kingdom have jobs; and what are the figures for other major European countries. [16521]
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Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 27 March 1995]: The most recent comparable estimates between the United Kingdom and other major European countries are for 1992 and are given in the following table.
The most recent information for the United Kingdom is for spring 1994, when the rate was 65 per cent.
Total female employment as a percentage of the female population ages 15-59 Country |1992 ------------------------------- Sweden* |76 Denmark |74 United Kingdom |64 Finland* |63 Germany |60 Portugal |58 Austria* |56 France |55 Netherlands |54 Luxembourg |50 Belgium |49 Italy |39 Greece |38 Ireland |38 Spain |33 Source: Labour Force Survey. * ages 15-64.
Redundancies
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list those companies reporting redundancies where the number of redundancies was fewer than 20; and what was the total number of redundancies reported by those firms where the number of redundancies was fewer than 20, in each case breaking the data down by industrial sector, gender and region. [21047]
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Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 26 April 1995]: Information supplied by individual employers under the statutory redundancy notification arrangements is given in
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confidence. No analysis is kept by gender. The remaining information requested is in the following table, which relates to 1994.Column 31
Redundancies of <20 employees notified under s193 trade union and labour relations (consolidation) act 1992:1994
|East
|Midlands |Yorkshire
|South |West |and |North |and
Sector |West |Midlands |Eastern |North |West |Humberside|Wales |Scotland |Total
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Agriculture, forestry, fishing |40 |28 |50 |13 |27 |- |- |10 |- |168
Energy and water supply |243 |75 |30 |314 |77 |- |- |12 |- |751
Minerals, ores, metals, chemicals |104 |39 |167 |200 |102 |43 |177 |86 |222 |1,140
Metal goods, engineering, vehicles |1,377 |430 |557 |580 |164 |674 |486 |227 |572 |5,067
Other manufacturing industries |689 |283 |814 |827 |320 |845 |490 |183 |587 |5,038
Construction |483 |150 |288 |380 |345 |626 |288 |106 |1,041 |3,707
Distribution, hotels and catering, repairs |1,548 |673 |704 |854 |199 |968 |384 |276 |403 |6,009
Transport and communication |589 |182 |129 |250 |81 |240 |213 |34 |260 |1,978
Banking, finance, business services, leasing |1,991 |418 |288 |350 |105 |589 |225 |39 |333 |4,338
Other services |1,622 |490 |530 |371 |318 |607 |393 |74 |314 |4,719
Total |8,686 |2,768 |3,557 |4,139 |1,738 |4,592 |2,656 |1,047 |3,732 |32,915
Note:
Under s193 of the TULR(C) Act 1992, an employer is required to notify the Secretary of State for Employment of 10 or more proposed redundancies occurring at one
establishment within a period of 30 days or less.
Stockport Training and Enterprise Council
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many of the directors of Stockport TEC have received payments from TEC funds for services provided to the TEC; what these were and when; and if such payments will continue in 1995 96. [21176]
Mr. Paice: I understand from Stockport and High Peak training and enterprise council that none of the TEC's directors has ever received payment from TEC funds for services provided to the TEC. TEC directors receive no payment from the TEC for their services.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennet: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment on how many occasions the hotel owned by a Stockport TEC director has been used by the Stockport TEC for training or other purposes, for which that director's hotel has received payment; how much was paid; and when and how many of these hotel bookings were the subject of competitive tenders. [21175]
Mr. Paice: I understand from Stockport and High Peak training and enterprise council that one of their directors owns a hotel which has been used by the TEC. The occasions on which the hotel has been used by the TEC since its inception in 1991 are shown in the following table:
Year |Occasions|£ ---------------------------------------- 1991 |Three |3,537.14 1992 |Three |2,098.47 1993 |Four |1,764.27 1994 |One |63.83 1995 |One |126.74
The TEC uses a wide range of venues throughout its area and does not normally use competitive tendering for these bookings. However, in cases of significant
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expenditure the TEC will seek out comparative prices. TECs are required to comply with published guidelines on the business interest of directors.Equal Opportunities
Ms Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how he intends to consult on the Vienna declaration prior to the UN conference on women in Beijing; to which interested groups the Vienna declaration has been circulated for comment; and what steps he has taken to progress the implementation of the Vienna declaration signed in October 1994. [21309]
Miss Widdecombe: Throughout the preparatory phase for the fourth world conference on women, the Government have been in continuous dialogue with women's non-governmental organisations and other interested groups. More than 500 copies of the regional platform for action agreed at the preparatory conference in Vienna have been circulated to NGOs, local authorities, academic institutions, trade unions, businesses and all members and associate members of the Women's National Commission. The Government are committed to the principles set out in the regional platform for action and are taking these forward through a wide range of programmes and initiatives.
Ms Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress he hopes to achieve in his Department over the next three months to push forward the declaration signed in October 1994 at the Vienna Conference in preparation for the fourth UN conference on women; and if he will agree to incorporate a section on equal opportunities in his Department's annual report. [21463]
Miss Widdecombe: The Government are committed to the principles set out in the regional platform for action agreed at the preparatory conference in Vienna for the
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fourth UN conference on women. We have taken these forward through a wide range of programmes and initiatives and will continue to do so.In line with the Government White Paper, "Taking Forward Continuity and Change", the Department will publish actions and progress on equal opportunities in its annual report from 1995 96.
Ms Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress has been made within his Department on equal opportunities matters. [21461]
Miss Widdecombe: Good progress is being made towards the numerical benchmarks for the employment of women, ethnic minorities and disabled people in the Employment Department Group for the year 2000, and towards implementing the agreed recommendations of a report which investigated the causes of the under-representation of women at senior levels in the group. A number of initiatives to help staff combine work and domestic responsibilities have been introduced, including part-time and alternative working arrangements; homeworking; career breaks and special leave arrangements. There is support for child care through six workplace nurseries and 35 holiday play schemes. A programme has recently been introduced for staff from ethnic minorities to enable them to compete more effectively for jobs in areas where they are under-represented. An advisory group on women has been set up to advise on how policies and practices in the ED group impact on women.
Ms Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the gender assessment being prepared by his Department. [21460]
Miss Widdecombe: This Department's policy, in line with guidance issued in 1992 by the ministerial group on women's issues, is that policy proposals should ensure that unlawful or unjustifiable sex or race discrimination does not occur and that similar principles apply to people with disabilities, older people or ex-offenders. This scrutiny is part of a continuous and routine process, as part of policy advice to Ministers.
Training Expenditure
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the total amount of spending on training for the last available year, indicating the proportion of spending accounted for by finance from the European Union for the United Kingdom as a whole and for each standard region. [20375]
Mr. Paice: It is estimated that British employers currently spend over £20,000 million a year on training and developing their employees. The total amount of European social fund spent on training in Great Britain in the 1993 calendar year was £580 million. Responsibility for training matters in Northern Ireland lies with my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Apprenticeships
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in constant prices the average annual earnings of apprentices, and average length of
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apprenticeships, for the United Kingdom and foreach standard employment region for (a) 1975, (b) 1979, (c) 1985, (d) 1990 and (e) the last three available years. [20378]
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