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|1992-93 |1993-94 |1994-95
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Department of Social Security HQ |90 |97 |89.5
Benefits Agency |93 |95 |96
Contributions Agency |93 |99 |99
Resettlement Agency |96 |87 |98
Child Support Unit<1>/Child Support
Agency |95 |90 |96
Information Technology Services
Agency |96 |95 |99
War Pensions Agency |part of BA|89 |96
Departmental total |94 |94 |96
<1>child support unit did not exist post 1992-93.
Young People (Benefits)
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) 16 and (b) 17-year-olds are currently available for work and not in receipt of benefit. [40439]
Mr. Roger Evans: The latest available labour force survey for Great Britain shows that, in summer--June to August 1995--there were 180,000 16 to 17-year-olds who were unemployed . However, of these, 91,000 were still in full-time education and around a further 55,000 were either receiving benefit direct or their parents were receiving benefit on their behalf. Of the remaining 34,000, there is no information on their personal financial circumstances although many will be living as part of their parents' household. In addition, significant numbers move into youth training shortly after registering at the careers office.
Notes
The Labour Force Survey uses the International Labour Organisation's definition of "unemployed", i.e. people who were without a job, were available to start work in the next fortnight, and had either looked for work in the last four weeks, or were waiting to start a job they had already obtained.
Salaries
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the (a) lowest and (b) highest full-time salary paid to any employee in his (i) Department, (ii) agencies, (iii) non-departmental bodies in (1) 1994 95 and 2) 1995 96. [40820]
Mr. Burt: It is the Government's normal policy to publish civil servants' salaries in bands. Accordingly, the lowest full-time salaries fell within the following bands:
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|1994-95 |1995-96
|£ |£
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
(i)Department |<1>5,000-9,999|<2>5,000-9,999
(ii)Agencies |5,000-9,999 |5,000-9,999
(iii)Non-Departmental Public
Bodies<3> |5,000-9,999 |5,000-9,999
<1>There were 10 people in the Department whose salary fell just under £5,
000.
<2>There were 12 people in the Department whose salary fell just under £5,
000.
<3>Information refers to those bodies listed in "Public Bodies 1994".
The highest full-time salaries fell within the following bands:
|1994-95 |1995-96
|£ |£
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(i) Department |95,000-99,999|95,000-99,999
(ii) Agencies |85,000-89,999|80,000-84,999
(iii) Non-Departmental Public
Bodies<1> |70,000-74,999|75,000-79,999
<1>Information refers to those bodies listed in "Public Bodies 1994".
Annual Remuneration
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the number of individuals in his (a) Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies whose annual remuneration including benefits in kind exceeded (i) £100,000 (ii) £200,000 and (iii) £300,000 in (1) 1985 86, (2) 1990 91, (3) 1992 93, (4) 1994 95 and (5) 1995 96. [40819]
Mr. Burt: Other than pension contributions, benefits in kind are not normally paid to staff in the Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies. As members of the principal civil service pension scheme, staff may receive benefits in accordance with the scheme rules which had been deposited in the Library of the House. No member of staff has received remuneration above £100,000 in the years in question.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Dumped Armaments
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the locations in Northern Ireland where old armaments have been washed up on the shoreline in the past 10 years. [39643]
Mr. Moss: No old armaments are recorded as having been washed up on the shoreline in Northern Ireland in the past 10 years.
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many incidents have been reported by fishermen in Northern Ireland of catching dumped armaments in their nets in the 10 years. [39625]
Mr. Ancram: Such information is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Armaments caught in fishermen's nets may come from a number of sources other than dumping, including shipwrecks or bombing.
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Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the fish caught for consumption in Northern Ireland is caught in or around the Beaufort dyke area. [39639]
Mr. Ancram: It is estimated that, of the total quantity of fish landed into Northern Ireland in 1994, less than 4 per cent. was caught in or around the Beaufort dyke area. No information is available on how much of this is consumed in Northern Ireland.
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of armaments washed up on the shoreline in Northern Ireland can be identified as having drifted out of the Beaufort dyke munitions dump in the last 10 years. [39638]
Mr. Moss: No armaments are recorded as having been washed up on the shoreline in Northern Ireland in the past 10 years.
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many phosphorus incendiary bombs have been washed up on the Antrim coast in the past 10 years. [39641]
Mr. Moss: The Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland has no record of phosphorous incendiary bombs having been washing up on any part of the Northern Ireland coast in the past 10 years. However, early in May 1993, the Department began to receive reports that a number of unidentified phosphorous canisters were being washed ashore, mainly in County Antrim.
Although there is no record of the number washed ashore, the Department has arranged for the recovery and safe disposal of 84 such objects in 1993, six in 1994 and one to date in 1995.
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many fishermen in Northern Ireland have reported injuries caused to themselves or crew members of their trawlers due to handling weapons and dumped armaments which have become caught up in their fishing nets in the past 10 years. [39640]
Mr. Ancram: We are not aware of any such cases.
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many fishermen in Northern Ireland fish in or around the Beaufort dyke area. [39642]
Mr. Ancram: It is estimated that 33 Northern Ireland fishing vessels employing about 150 fishermen fished in and around Beaufort dyke in 1994.
Electricity Prices
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the cost per unit of electricity in Northern Ireland for (a) domestic users and (b) business users. [39636]
Mr. Ancram: Information on unit electricity charges for domestic and business users is set out in the monthly and quarterly billed tariffs booklets published by Northern Ireland Electricity plc. I have arranged for copies of the April 1995 booklet to be placed in the Library of the House.
Column 340
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the differential between electricity prices in Northern Ireland and Great Britain. [39631]
Mr. Ancram: My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State said in his statement to the Northern Ireland Committee on 21 June that the Northern Ireland electricity system, because it was small, dispersed and isolated, was inherently high cost by British isles standards, but that the growing divergence currently being experienced is more due to falling prices in Great Britain than to rising prices in Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland electricity supply industry is at present in transition, but it is making steady progress towards mirroring the characteristics of the lower cost industry in Great Britain. Recent developments which will help reduce the differential include the reallocation of sulphur quotas and the decision of British Gas to support the development of a natural gas industry in Northern Ireland, as this will reduce the cost of the gas supply to the Ballylumford power station. The 1997 Northern Ireland Electricity price reviews and the introduction of more competition should also have a favourable impact on prices. The latest comprehensive statements on the size of price differential is based on 1994 95 data and are contained in the Director General of Electricity Supply for Northern Ireland's memorandum submitted to the Northern Ireland Committee earlier this year and the paper published in June 1994 entitled "Northern Ireland and Great Britain's Electricity Prices". Copies of these are available in the Library of the House.
Drug Addicts
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many registered drug addicts in Northern Ireland are under the age of 18 years. [39632]
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the number of registered drug addicts in Northern Ireland in each of the past 10 years. [39635]
Mr. Moss: The number of registered drug addicts in Northern Ireland as at 31 December of each of the past 10 years was as follows:
1985: 29
1986: 36
1987: 32
1988: 35
1989: 38
1990: 48
1991: 51
1992: 60
1993: 80
1994: 87
Gas supplies
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the availability of gas in Northern Ireland to (a) domestic users and (b) industrial users. [39630]
Mr. Ancram: British Gas is in the process of laying an undersea pipeline from Scotland to Northern Ireland to supply its Ballylumford power station and it has recently
Column 341
announced plans to lay a pipeline from there which will enable it to supply natural gas to consumers in the greater Belfast area. A gas supply to industrial, commercial and domestic consumers is expected to be available at the end of 1996. I intend to present legislation at the beginning of 1996 to facilitate this development.Drug-related Offences
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will list the number and nature of arrests for drug-related offences in Northern Ireland in each of the past five years; [39627] (2) if he will list the number of arrests in each of the last 10 years for offences regarding the possession and selling of (a) heroine, (b) cocaine, (c) ecstasy and (d) cannabis in Northern Ireland. [39634]
Sir John Wheeler: The Government, together with the Royal Ulster Constabulary, are committed to tackling all aspects of the drug problem in Northern Ireland. During the past year, the number of officers in the RUC drugs squad has increased by 15 per cent. and the post of head of drugs squad has been upgraded to detective superintendent. There are now more than three times the number of drugs liaison officers as there were last year, an increase from 18 to 60.
In addition, I recently established the central co-ordinating group for action against drugs of which I am chairman. This group comprises top level representatives from Northern Ireland Government Departments, the medical profession and the RUC and will co-ordinate Government action on all aspects of the campaign against drugs. The RUC collate figures showing the number of persons arrested for drugs offences. A breakdown by drugs trafficking, possession, or type of drugs is not available.
The number of persons arrested for drugs offences, and the number of persons proceeded against at court for drugs offences, are set out in the tables.
Number of persons
arrested in Northern
Ireland for drugs
offences
1985-1994
|Numbers
------------------------
1985 |316
1986 |304
1987 |223
1988 |432
1989 |440
1990 |429
1991 |453
1992 |610
1993 |976
1994 |1,196
Persons proceeded
against at court for
drugs offences
Northern
Ireland 1993 and 1994
|1993|1994
-----------------------
Males |471 |573
Females |25 |37
Total |496 |610
"Persons proceeded
against" refers to
persons prosecuted for
drugs offences at
Juvenile, Magistrates'
or Crown Courts and
for whom a result has
been obtained ie
guilty or not guilty.
Figures cannot be provided prior to 1993 on grounds of disproportionate cost.
Executive Agency Staff Costs
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list by grade the number of staff and their cost for (a) the financial year 1994 95 and (b) the estimated figures for the financial year 1995 96, for each executive agency for which he is responsible. [39519]
Sir John Wheeler: Estimated outturn for 1994 95 and plans for 1995 96 for civil service manpower and pay bill are set out in the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments' annual report, Cm 2816, copies of which are available in the Library. A breakdown by grade and individual agency could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Electricity Generation
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list (a) the companies who run electricity generating power stations in Northern Ireland and (b) the names of the power stations run by each company. [39629]
Mr. Ancram: The information requested is as follows:
(a) |(b)
----------------------------------------------------
Premier Power Limited |Ballylumford
Coolkeeragh Power Limited |Coolkeeragh
NIGEN Limited |Kilroot
|Belfast West
Dental Health Education
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provisions are in place to educate children about dental health in schools in Northern Ireland. [39644]
Mr. Ancram: The statutory Northern Ireland curriculum makes provision for health through the health education cross-curricular theme and the programme of study for science, which all pupils of compulsory school age must follow. The objectives of the cross-curricular theme include the teaching of the skills necessary to make informed decisions about health. The science programme of study requires pupils at key stage I --age four to eight--to be taught about personal hygiene, of which oral hygiene is a part.
In addition, the staff of the health boards' community dental service, which is responsible for screening pupils at intervals during their school careers, take the opportunities offered by their school visits to talk to pupils and teachers about dental health generally.
Nuclear Waste
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assistance he will give the European Commissioner for the Environment and Nuclear Safety, Ms Ritt Bjerregard, in her investigation into
Column 343
allegations that nuclear waste was dumped in the seas off the Irish and Scottish coasts in 1981 by the British Government. [39626]Mr. Moss: There is no nuclear industry in Northern Ireland, and no radioactive waste from Northern Ireland has been dumped into the seas off the Irish and Scottish coasts at any time under an authorisation from the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland. There is, therefore, no assistance which could be afforded to the European Commissioner.
Drug Education
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to educate schoolchildren in Northern Ireland on the dangers of drug abuse. [39633]
Mr. Ancram: In schools, the statutory Northern Ireland curriculum make provision for drugs education through the programme of study for science and health education cross-curricular theme. Both of these are compulsory and apply to pupils throughout their period of compulsory schooling from age four to 16. The Department of Education issued guidance on dealing with drug-related incidents in the form of a circular in 1992.
A new and comprehensive package of advice and guidance will be issued to schools in the spring of 1996. The pack will contain an expanded circular, guidance on preparing drugs policies and on the place of drugs education in the curriculum, and a detailed working manual for schools on dealing with drug-related incidents.
Fluoridation
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what evidence he has of public support for the fluoridation of the water supply in Northern Ireland. [39619]
Mr. Moss: Health and social services boards are required to consult their resident populations about any proposal to fluoridate a water supply. In four of the five consultations they have carried out to date, a clear majority of the responses received were in favour of fluoridation. Further consultations will be carried out in the near future.
Late Payment (Small Businesses)
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how often his Department and each agency within it has failed to pay invoices due to small businesses within 30 days in each of the past five years. [40510]
Sir John Wheeler: The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Departments, however, are required to provide details of their annual performance in their departmental reports. For 1993 94 and 1994 95, the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments paid 95 per cent. and 94.7 per cent. respectively of their bills in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual conditions existed, within 30 days of receipt of goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice.
Column 344
Forestry
Mrs. Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list all Forestry Commission woods currently for sale in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the targets for the disposal of land by (a) area and (b) projected income. [40673]
Mr. Ancram: State forestry in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the forest service of the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland. In the current year, the following woods have been on offer for sale:
Bann Woods South
Castleward (Ballynacraig)
Castleward (Castleward)
Ecclesville.
The forest service is currently undergoing a prior options study under the Government's "next steps" initiative. Future disposals policy and targets will be determined by the outcome of that study.
Royal Mail (Redundancies)
Ms Mowlam: to ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the number of redundancies in Northern Ireland Royal Mail for each of the past five years. [39628]
Mr. Oppenheim: I have been asked to reply.
The Post Office tells me that the number of redundancies in Royal Mail Northern Ireland, all of which have been achieved on a voluntary basis, in each of the past five years are as follows:
Year
1991 92: 5
1992 93: 21
1993 94: 23
1994 95: 20
1995 96: 7 (to date)
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Industrial Prospects
17. Ms Quin: To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he last met representatives of the Confederation of British Industry to discuss Britain's industrial prospects. [38666]
Mr. Lang: My ministerial colleagues and I meet representatives of the CBI from time to time to discuss a variety of matters.
Trans-channel Electricity Link
19. Dr. Michael Clark: To ask the President of the Board of Trade to what extent the trans-channel electricity link has been used in the last 10 years to import from and export to France. [38669]
Mr. Eggar: Since it was commissioned in 1986 the interconnector has normally supplied baseload electricity from France to England.
Ministerial Responsibilities
20. Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on his governmental
responsibilities. [38670]
Column 345
Mr. Lang: My Department's objective is to help United Kingdom business compete successfully at home and abroad. It also aims, through the Office of Science and Technology, to strengthen the UK's science engineering and technology capability and to maximise its contribution to national economic performance and quality of life. The drive to enhance the UK'S international competitiveness, to which the whole Government is committed, is central to the Department's work.
Vehicle Industry (Investment)
21. Mr. Miller: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what support his Department gives to inward investment from the vehicle industry. [38671]
Mr. Oppenheim: Inward investment by vehicle companies may be eligible for a variety of forms of support, depending on the circumstances and proposed location, in common with inward investment by companies in other sectors.
Small Businesses
22. Mr. Butler: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what initiatives he is taking to assist small business. [38672]
Mr. Ian Taylor: A complete outline of the range of initiatives introduced is published in "Small Firms in Britain 1995", copies of which are in the Library of the House.
The business link network is the single most important industrial initiative to be introduced by any UK Government. The national launch of the network took place on 31 October and by the end of the year every business in England will have access to the wide range of services available to assist their prosperity and growth.
24. Mr. Evennett: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many small businesses have been established since 1992. [38674]
Mr. Taylor: Estimates for business starts in England and Wales are produced by Barclays and Natwest banks. These show that in the two and a half years to end June 1995 approximately 1 million new businesses started up.
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