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£ million
Circuit |Case type |1988-89 |1989-90 |1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South Easter |Trials |57.698 |63.183 |75.129 |88.749 |106.848 |111.546
|Appeals |0.686 |0.739 |1.381 |1.141 |1.181 |1.367
|Sentencing|0.481 |0.580 |0.604 |0.780 |0.776 |0.615
Midland and Oxon |Trials |14.843 |17.723 |20.643 |22.520 |27.695 |31.719
|Appeals |0.367 |0.631 |0.477 |0.495 |0.528 |0.704
|Sentencing|0.285 |0.285 |0.359 |0.460 |0.392 |0.277
Northern |Trials |13.700 |16.412 |18.286 |23.225 |28.359 |28.664
|Appeals |0.360 |0.436 |0.474 |0.640 |0.666 |0.713
|Sentencing|0.172 |0.192 |0.257 |0.343 |0.310 |0.242
North Eastern |Trials |12.472 |12.955 |14.469 |18.151 |19.890 |22.697
|Appeals |0.292 |0.319 |0.334 |0.420 |0.458 |0.532
|Sentencing|0.189 |0.222 |0.238 |0.288 |0.294 |0.247
Wales and Chester |Trials |6.071 |6.743 |7.444 |9.866 |10.916 |14.097
|Appeals |0.127 |0.121 |0.144 |0.208 |0.194 |0.201
|Sentencing|0.073 |0.073 |0.094 |0.125 |0.127 |0.097
Western |Trials |9.444 |12.072 |13.960 |16.124 |18.459 |18.710
|Appeals |0.262 |0.264 |0.363 |0.422 |0.453 |0.438
|Sentencing|0.134 |0.140 |0.190 |0.224 |0.212 |0.163
Details of gross criminal legal aid expenditure in the magistrates courst, by region, are given in table general 6 of the Legal Aid Board's annual reports for the years 1990-91 to 1993-94, and in appendix 4D of the annual report of the Law Society for 1988-89 and appendix 4D of the Legal Aid Board's annual report for 1989-90, copies of which are available in the Library. A breakdown of expenditure in each year by type of case is not available.
Mr. Boateng: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary,Lord Chancellor's Department what was the level of civil legal aid expenditure (a) by region (b) by type of case for each of the last six financial years. [24523]
Mr. John M. Taylor: Details of gross expenditure on civil legal aid, by region, and giving a limited breakdown of type of case, are given in table general 6 of the Legal Aid Board's annual reports for the years 1990 91 to 1993 94, and in appendix 4D of the annual report of the Law Society for 1988 89 and appendix 4D of the Legal Aid Board's annual report for 1989 90, copies of which are available in the Library.
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Woolf Review
Mr. Boateng: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he expects to implement those reforms to the civil justice system recommended by Lord Woolf and accepted by the Government; and if (a) primary legislation, (b) statutory instruments and (c) practice directions will be require to implement those recommendations. [24517]
Mr. John M. Taylor: Lord Woolf expects to present his interim report to the Lord Chancellor in June and to complete his inquiry by this time next year. When Lord Woolf's proposals are received the Lord Chancellor will consider how best to take matters forward.
Mr. Boateng: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he expects (a) to receive and (b) to publish the interim report of Lord Woolf's civil justice review. [24578]
Mr. John M. Taylor: Lord Woolf expects to publish his interim report in June.
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WALES
Suicide
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the suicide rates for persons employed in agriculture in each county of Wales. [23407]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: The latest available information is for deaths registered as suicide in 1993 and is given in the following table:
Suicide of farmers and farm workers in Wales, 1993
|Number |Rate per 1,000
|farmers and farm
|workers<1>
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |1 |0.14
Dyfed |5 |0.28
Gwent |1 |0.26
Gwynedd |- |-
Mid Glamorgan |- |-
Powys |4 |0.39
South Glamorgan |- |-
West Glamorgan |- |-
|-------- |--------
Wales |11 |0.22
Source:
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys and June Agricultural
Census.
Note:
<1> At June 1993, as estimated by the Agricultural Census which
excludes very small holdings with very little or no agricultural
activity.
Housing Stock
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish data relating to the Welsh housing stock that is comparable to the energy supplement to the 1991 "English House Condition Survey". [23671]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: Data for the housing stock in Wales comparable to the energy supplement to the 1991 "English House Condition Survey" are not available. The 1993 "Welsh House Condition Survey" did not cover energy consumption or related matters.
Countryside Council for Wales
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales to what extent the action plan he has agreed with the board and chairman of the Countryside Council for Wales differs from the conclusions of his departmental financial management policy review; and if he will make a statement on the principal components. [24478]
Mr. Redwood: The financial management policy review of the Countryside Council for Wales was overtaken by the review of the council's functions which I announced in response to the question by my right hon. Friend the Member for Conwy (Sir W. Roberts) on3 November 1994. The action plan reflects the conclusions of the review of these functions.
Employment
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people are currently in full-time employment in Wales; and how many were employed full-time in 1987. [24193]
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Mr. Redwood: According to the Employment Department, the number of full-time employees in employment in Wales was 677,000 in December 1994 and 704,000 in September 1987.
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will list the numbers of long-term unemployed people in each of the constituencies of Wales. [24195]
Mr. Redwood: The data requested are available from the NOMIS database, which can be accessed by the staff of the Library of the House.
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people in the Deeside constituency are self-employed; and how many were self-employed in 1987. [24192]
Mr. Redwood: According to the 1991 census of population, the number of self-employed residents aged 16 and over in the Alyn and Deeside constituency was 3,629. Data for 1987 are not available.
Business Expenditure
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what initiatives he has taken to encourage business expenditure on research and development in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [24338]
Mr. Redwood: My Department actively encourages business expenditure on research and development through the promotion of a number of Government initiatives to encourage innovation, including the SMART and SPUR schemes.
Play Areas
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidelines he has issued to local authorities to encourage the provision of safety surfacing on play areas; what special financial provision he has made available to local authorities to encourage and enable them to meet this need; and if he will make a statement. [24087]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: In January 1992 a joint publication, "Playground Safety Guidelines", was issued by the Department of Education and Science, the National Children's Play and Recreation unit, and the Welsh Office to Welsh local authorities, interested voluntary organisations, the Sports Council for Wales, the Welsh Trades Union Congress, trade unions in the education field and church education authorities.
Local authorities fund the provision of safety surfacing on play areas from resources made available through the annual revenue and capital settlements. It is for individual authorities to determine the priority they give to this provision when apportioning resources between services. Central Government support is provided by way of grant to help meet the costs of Play Wales, an advisory body made up of representatives from county and district councils and the voluntary sector.
Smoking
Mr. Peter Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what facilities are provided and arrangements made for the well-being and comfort of staff who (a) smoke and (b) do not wish to be affected by smoking, at (i) the work
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station and (ii) rest, recreation and refreshment facilities at Gwydyr house, Whitehall, London. [24198]Mr. Redwood: The general rule is that staff in Gwydyr house are not allowed to smoke at their work station, unless they are the sole occupier of a room, through smoking is allowed in the locker room for security staff and messengers, which is also used as the work station for the drivers of official cars.
Smoking is not allowed in the room designated as the
refreshment-rest room for the building.
Hospital Visits, Clwyd
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will visit (a) Dobbs Hill hospital, (b) Deeside hospital and (c) Meadowsleigh hospital.
Mr. Redwood: I have no current plans to visit these hospitals.
Public Bodies
Mr. Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish his guidelines concerning the declaration of interests of quango board members when dealing with agenda items which may involve pecuniary interests; and what are the Welsh Office guidelines concerning public access to such information. [24339]
Mr. Redwood: Guidance on the treatment of the financial interests of board members is included in the "Code of Best Practice for Board Members of Public Bodies" published by H M Treasury in June 1994. All Welsh executive non-departmental public bodies are establishing registers of members' interests which will be published or made available for inspection.
Giant Hogweed
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he plans to require the owners of land to which the public may have access to eradicate heracleum manteggazzianum; if he will give local authorities a duty to control heracleum manteggazzianum; and if he will make a statement about the dangers associated with this plant. [24100]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: Controls on the spread of the plant already exist. It is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to introduce the plant into the wild. There is, however, no evidence to show that it is widespread or that it causes a particular problem in Wales. The control of the plant is a matter for relevant local authorities if there is a perceived threat to public health. Direct contact with the plant can cause severe irritation to the skin as well as swelling and painful blistering.
Planning Policy Guidance
Mr. Gareth Wardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the future of policy planning guidance in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [24497]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: I refer the hon.Member to the reply I gave him on 24 April 1995 at column 371.
Sheep
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the estimated sheep population in Wales
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in 1980, 1985, 1990, and 1994; and what percentage of the United Kingdom flock they formed. [24558]Mr. Gwilym Jones: The information requested is given in the following table:
Sheep population in Wales
|Total sheep and|Total as a
|percentage
|lambs (000s)<1>|of the UK flock
----------------------------------------------------------------
1980 |8,013.8 |25.5
1985 |9,129.7 |25.6
1990 |10,935.3 |25.0
1994 |11,092.6 |25.6
Source:
June Agricultural Census and Minor Holdings Census.
Note:
<1> At 1 June.
Operations Cancelled
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will set up a system for the collection of data on (a) cancellations and (b) double cancellations of hospital operations; and if he will make a statement. [24718]
Mr. Redwood: As part of monitoring the patient's charter, information on cancelled operations is reported regularly to the Welsh Office. Between 1 April and 31 December 1994, 18 patients were admitted to a Welsh hospital more than one month after the second cancellation of a non -urgent operation.
From January 1995 the information collected on cancellations was altered to reflect the tightening of the related charter standard to focus on the number of patients who experience a delay of more than a month after the cancellation of just one non-urgent operation. During the three months to 31 March 1995, Welsh hospitals reported that 27 patients had experienced such a delay during the same quarter hospitals in Wales treated 189,059 as in-patients and day cases.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what rights under the patient's charter patients whose operations have been cancelled twice, due to shortage of intensive care beds, after they have been prepared for surgery have.
Mr. Redwood: The latest edition of the Patient's Charter for Wales, which was published in October 1994, makes it clear that patients should receive priority treatment within a month if they have had to face the cancellation of a non-urgent operation. Hospital performance against the new standard is monitored quarterly by my Department.
Intensive Care Beds
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff Royal Infirmary trust concerning patients with liver cancer who have had their operation cancelled twice due to a lack of intensive care beds after being prepared for surgery. [24719]
Mr. Redwood: I have not discussed these specific cases with the chairman of the NHS trust involved. However, on 4 April my Department asked all health authorities and hospitals in Wales to review urgently the
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need for intensive care beds and to ensure adequate provision is available.Policy Reviews
Mr. Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements he has made for publishing the conclusion of the 1991 92 financial management and policy reviews of the Welsh development agency, the Development Board for Rural Wales and the Land Authority for Wales. [24869]
Mr. Redwood: I have today arranged for copies of the conclusions of all three reviews, and of the action taken in response, to be placed in the Library of the House.
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Government thinking and policy on these three bodies has evolved since these reviews, as I have explained to the House.Morbidity Rates
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the average morbidity in terms of annual admissions to hospital per 100, 000 population in each district health authority in (a) 1980, (b) 1984, (c) 1985 and (d) each year since 1990 91.
Mr. Gwilym Jones [holding answer 14 March 1995]: Latest estimates of the number of in-patient cases and day cases per 100,000 population are given in the following table.
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Number of in-patient cases and day cases per 100,000 population<1>
Health authority Discharges and Completed
residence deaths consultant
episodes<2>
|1980 |1984-85 |1985-86 |1990-91<3>|1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |10,945 |13,800 |14,027 |12,590 |19,106 |20,283 |21,908
East Dyfed |10,746 |13,892 |14,430 |15,929 |21,244 |27,123 |27,623
Gwent |9,897 |14,022 |15,053 |17,514 |18,149 |20,286 |21,000
Gwynedd |11,893 |15,280 |17,046 |17,760 |21,124 |17,274 |21,036
Mid Glamorgan |11,727 |16,553 |18,131 |21,504 |25,064 |25,530 |26,821
Pembrokeshire |11,337 |13,164 |14,358 |15,684 |21,361 |25,381 |24,738
Powys |6,303 |8,085 |8,765 |10,122 |12,977 |14,222 |15,435
South Glamorgan |10,762 |16,342 |17,433 |18,063 |20,768 |21,737 |22,193
West Glamorgan |10,329 |14,305 |15,045 |14,212 |18,326 |18,434 |21,527
1> Excluding patients treated outside Wales.
<2> Where there is more than one completed consultant episode during a patient's spell in hospital,
only the first of these episodes is counted.
<3> Data for 1990-91 are incomplete in some areas.
EDUCATION
Stratford Grant-maintained School
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington) of 5 May, Official Report , column 338 , on Stratford grant-maintained school, what is the latest date she expects to receive the strategy adopted by the new governing body and the period over which it will be subject to appraisal; [23872]
(2) if she will name all the governors of Stratford
grant-maintained school; when and at what meeting Mrs. Marinda Bailey was elected chairman of the school's governing body; when she was appointed to the governors; and what qualifications, experience or local knowledge she possesses relevant to this post. [23874]
Mr. Forth: My right hon. Friend announced on 5 May four new appointments to the governing body of Stratford school. She expects the newly constituted governing body to begin work immediately on a range of strategies to improve the standards of education on offer. Ofsted will be undertaking another monitoring visit to the school in the autumn term and my right hon. Friend expects there to be significant signs of improvement by then.
I understand that Mrs. Merinda Bailey was elected chairman of governors at the governing body meeting on the 4 May 1995. She was previously vice- chairman and is a parent of a pupil at the school. The names of all the governors can be obtained from the school.
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the maximum planned intake in September at Stratford grant-maintained school and the
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number of forms this represents; how many (a) pupils and (b) forms had entered each September since the school attained grant-maintained status; how many other pupils joined during each academic year as a grant-maintained school; and how many are entered to join in September 1995. [23873]Mr. Robin Squire: Stratford school's approved admissions number at the time of the decision on grant-maintained status was 180, indicating six forms of entry. The Department does not collect information in the precise form requested. Returns from the school indicate the following first-year intakes, organised in each case in five forms:
September 1991: 124 pupils
September 1992: 116 pupils
September 1993: 129 pupils
September 1994: 111 pupils
An estimated figure for the 1995 intake can be provided by the school.
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington) of 5 May, Official Report , column 338 , on Stratford grant-maintained school, what consultancy help the school has received; for what purpose; at what cost and from whom; and what further grants it has received from the Funding Agency for Schools and for what purposes. [23875]
Mr. Forth: Decisions on the appointment of consultants in a grant- maintained school are the responsibility of the school's governing body. The cost of consultancies is met from within a school's normal recurrent funding, plus any additional grants which may have been agreed.
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The funding of Stratford school is a matter for the Funding Agency for Schools. I have asked the chairman of the funding agency to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.Mathematics and English Teachers
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many qualified (a) mathematics and (b) English teachers there were in secondary schools in each year since 1979; and what proportion of the total of teachers of each subject they represent. [23982]
Mr. Robin Squire: The information requested is available only for 1984, 1988 and 1992 from the secondary school staffing surveys. In those years the number of full-time teachers who were teaching mathematics and English in maintained secondary schools in England and who had post A-level qualifications in the subject were as follows:
Year |Number of Maths |Number with Maths |Percentage with --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1984 |40.5 |30.0 |74 1988 |35.5 |26.1 |73 1992 |31.0 |23.5 |76
Year |Number of English |Number with English|Percentage with ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1984 |42.8 |30.8 |72 1988 |36.3 |26.1 |72 1992 |30.8 |22.4 |73
The total number of full-time teachers with post A-level qualifications in mathematics and English, including those not teaching the subjects, are as follows.
Thousands Year |Mathematics|English ------------------------------------------------ 1984 |47.9 |54.6 1988 |42.0 |45.7 1992 |38.1 |40.1
School Transport, Brent
Mr. Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration she gave to issuing a section 68 or 99 direction to Brent borough council in relation to its school transport policy for denominational schools; and if she will make a statement. [24597]
Mr. Forth: My right hon. Friend is currently considering whether in her view Brent local education authority is acting unreasonably or unlawfully when dealing with applications for free transport to denominational schools.
Public Bodies
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people work for (a) the Higher Education Funding Council, (b) the Funding Agency for Schools, (c) the Further Education Funding Council and (d) the Teacher Training Agency; and how much was spent on (i) administration and (ii) salaries in respect of each, in the last financial year. [23983]
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Mr. Boswell: The information requested is given in the following table:
|Staff (fte) |Administration
|£000 |£000
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HEFCE |193.5 |6,635 |5,113
FAS<3> |261.8 |6,712 |4,215
FEFC |390 |13,200 |10,600
TTA<4> |48.2 |1,106 |536
<1> Excludes salary costs.
<2> Includes employers national insurance and superannuation costs.
<3> The FAS was established with effect from 1 April 1994. Staff numbers have
built up over the year.
<4> The TTA was established on 21 September 1994. Staff numbers have increased
gradually over the 6 month period.
Vocational Training and Education
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will make a statement on the priority she attaches to the involvement of industry in vocational training and education. [24493]
Mr. Boswell: The Govnerment attach high priority to the involvement of industry in vocational training and education. In the case of general national vocational qualifications, for which my Department is responsible, industry is involved in the preparation, development and, through work placements, the delivery of the qualifications.
Student Funding
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will announce the postgraduate bursary and studentship rates payable by this Department for the academic year 1995 96. [24873]
Mr. Boswell: The main maintenance rates under the Department's own postgraduate awards scheme for certain professional and vocational courses in the academic year 1995 96 will be as follows. 1994 95 rates are shown in brackets:
|1995-96
------------------------------------------
Bursaries
London |3,375 (3,295)
Elsewhere |2,665 (2,600)
Parental home |2,015 (1,965)
Studentship
London |5,695 (5,555)
Elsewhere |4,525 (4,415)
Parental home |3,335 (3,255)
These represent increases of 2.5 per cent. on the current year's rates. The relevant supplementary allowances will be increased broadly in line.
Capital Spending, Northamptonshire
Mr. William Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list the capital spending approvals allowed for Northamptonshire schools in each year since 1987 88. [23940]
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Mr. Robin Squire: Credit approvals for building work at county and voluntary controlled schools in Northamptonshire are as follows:
Year |Amount ---------------------- 1987-88 |1,460 1988-89 |2,823 1989-90 |3,676 1990-91 |5,218 1991-92 |7,887 1992-93 |4,107 1993-94 |4,558 1994-95 |3,404 1995-96 |3,454
Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list the applications she has received to open new grant-maintained schools. [23664]
Mr. Robin Squire: Applications to establish new grant-maintained schools have been received from three independent schools: Oak Hill school, Avon, to establish an all age interdenominational Christian school;
St. Anselm's college, Wirral, to establish an 11 18 Roman Catholic grammar school for boys; and
Upton Hall convent school, Wirral, to establish an 11 18 Roman Catholic grammar school for girls.
A fourth application, for the establishment of a new grant-maintained Jewish high school in Leeds, has been withdrawn. A number of prospective promoters of new grant-maintained schools are currently in consultation with the Funding Agency for Schools.
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what are the arrangements within her
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Department for monitoring complaints about grant-maintained schools; and how many complaints have been received to date over (a) admissions, (b) exclusions and (c) the conduct of the schools. [23665]Mr. Robin Squire: The Department receives a variety of complaints about schools of all kinds--independent, local authority maintained and grant maintained--which are followed up as appropriate. Details are not aggregated, nor recorded by school type.
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list for each application from a grant-maintained school for a change of character to (a) add whole or partial selection of pupils and (b) to add or extend a sixth form (i) the number of objections submitted to the Secretary of State, (ii) the number of objections submitted by the governing bodies of other schools and (iii) if an objection was submitted by the local education authority. [23125]
Mr. Robin Squire [holding answer 9 May 1995]: The information requested has been placed in the Library. The table includes only statutory objections. Some cases were supported by a large a number of signatories.
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