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Road Accident Statistics
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list for each police force area the number of children killed or injured while travelling on school transport for each of the last five years; [40998]
(2) if he will list for each police force area the number of fatalities resulting from accidents involving heavy goods vehicles for each of the last five years. [40997]
Mr. Norris: Available information is shown in the following tables.
School pupil casualties (travelling to or from
school)
on a minibus or PSV by police region, severity and
year
|1990|1991|1992|1993|1994
----------------------------------------------------
Metropolitan Police
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |18 |10 |9 |7 |1
Slight |35 |40 |80 |43 |34
Cumbria
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |1 |0 |3 |1
Slight |9 |0 |5 |3 |3
Lancashire
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |4 |0
Slight |7 |3 |7 |35 |26
Merseyside
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |1 |1 |1
Slight |14 |9 |14 |20 |63
Greater Manchester
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |1 |2 |1 |0 |1
Slight |28 |25 |30 |21 |32
Cheshire
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Slight |6 |3 |14 |2 |3
Northumbria
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |1 |2 |0 |0 |2
Slight |12 |9 |7 |9 |31
Durham
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |1 |1 |0
Slight |21 |8 |7 |61 |5
North Yorkshire
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |1 |0 |0
Slight |15 |25 |1 |6 |6
West Yorkshire
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |3 |0 |2
Slight |19 |26 |12 |79 |35
South Yorkshire
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |1 |1 |0
Slight |10 |4 |20 |13 |25
Humberside
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |1 |0
Serious |1 |0 |0 |19 |2
Slight |5 |7 |7 |54 |2
Cleveland
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Slight |1 |3 |2 |1 |0
West Midlands
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |1 |2 |0
Slight |0 |12 |7 |23 |12
Staffordshire
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |1 |0 |1
Slight |34 |4 |5 |14 |39
West Mercia
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Slight |14 |21 |10 |27 |14
Warwickshire
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |0 |1
Slight |3 |2 |6 |0 |6
Derbyshire
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Slight |13 |4 |1 |7 |4
Nottinghamshire
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |1 |1 |0 |0 |1
Slight |11 |11 |9 |12 |18
Lincolnshire
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |1 |0
Slight |7 |17 |5 |43 |10
Leicestershire
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |3 |0 |0 |0 |0
Slight |25 |18 |28 |0 |1
Northamptonshire
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |3 |0 |0 |0 |0
Slight |1 |4 |2 |0 |4
Cambridgeshire
Fatal |0 |1 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |3 |0 |0 |0
Slight |0 |4 |8 |0 |0
Norfolk
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Slight |5 |60 |1 |5 |0
Suffolk
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |0 |1
Slight |20 |2 |25 |4 |5
Bedfordshire
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Slight |2 |7 |2 |2 |2
Hertfordshire
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |1 |0 |0 |5 |0
Slight |7 |0 |25 |9 |1
Essex
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Slight |9 |2 |4 |28 |9
Thames Valley
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |2 |0 |2 |1 |0
Slight |7 |26 |70 |35 |22
Hampshire
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |2 |0
Slight |11 |3 |16 |0 |22
Surrey
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |2 |0 |0 |0 |0
Slight |19 |3 |1 |39 |1
Kent
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |1 |0 |0
Slight |11 |2 |3 |10 |6
Sussex
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |2 |0 |1 |0 |0
Slight |8 |3 |20 |1 |14
City of London<1>
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Slight |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Devon and Cornwall
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |1 |0
Slight |46 |5 |3 |5 |7
Avon and Somerset
Fatal |0 |0 |1 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Slight |2 |7 |2 |7 |6
Gloucestershire
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |1
Serious |3 |0 |0 |0 |0
Slight |18 |0 |0 |13 |22
Wiltshire
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |1 |0
Slight |0 |4 |30 |1 |0
Dorset
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |1 |0 |0 |0 |0
Slight |20 |0 |10 |1 |10
North Wales
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |0 |6
Slight |5 |1 |5 |64 |93
Gwent
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |0 |3
Slight |15 |30 |1 |3 |17
South Wales
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |1 |0
Serious |0 |2 |1 |0 |0
Slight |13 |22 |47 |32 |21
Dyfed-Powys
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |2 |2 |0 |0 |0
Slight |30 |7 |7 |0 |23
Northern
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Slight |2 |2 |1 |2 |8
Grampian
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Slight |5 |3 |2 |3 |3
Tayside
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |1 |1 |0 |0 |0
Slight |16 |2 |1 |2 |1
Fife
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |2 |0 |1 |1 |1
Slight |30 |1 |12 |1 |4
Lothian and Borders
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |2 |0 |0 |0 |0
Slight |2 |3 |7 |11 |12
Central
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |2 |0 |0 |0
Slight |14 |20 |4 |10 |4
Strathclyde
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |1 |1
Serious |0 |4 |1 |1 |5
Slight |22 |22 |17 |11 |78
Dumfries and Galloway
Fatal |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Serious |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Slight |1 |2 |0 |6 |0
Total Fatal |0 |1 |1 |3 |2
Serious |46 |30 |26 |51 |31
Slight |630 |498 |603 |778 |766
<1 >Included in Metropolitan area.
Notes:
1. The Police do not record the purpose for which
the vehicle is being used when involved in injury
accidents. Consequently the table includes all
minibuses and PSV's where a school pupil travelling
to or from school was killed or injured.
2. School pupils have been classified as those aged
fifteen and under.
Fatalities from accidents involving HGVs by police area and year
Police Force Code |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993 |1994
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Metropolitan Police |58 |37 |39 |44 |41
Cumbria |33 |14 |18 |17 |11
Lancashire |23 |8 |11 |11 |13
Merseyside |9 |6 |7 |10 |7
Greater Manchester |23 |24 |24 |22 |11
Cheshire |20 |32 |16 |18 |19
Northumbria |17 |14 |13 |5 |6
Durham |11 |12 |8 |7 |3
North Yorkshire |23 |36 |21 |23 |18
West Yorkshire |25 |24 |16 |25 |18
South Yorkshire |13 |10 |12 |20 |8
Humberside |11 |11 |19 |15 |15
Cleveland |1 |8 |2 |0 |1
West Midlands |35 |14 |23 |12 |14
Staffordshire |18 |12 |12 |8 |19
West Mercia |31 |18 |23 |30 |31
Warwickshire |3 |7 |16 |22 |8
Derbyshire |13 |22 |17 |23 |13
Nottinghamshire |22 |21 |12 |9 |15
Lincolnshire |39 |16 |20 |18 |18
Leicestershire |15 |20 |24 |20 |13
Northamptonshire |24 |23 |11 |12 |6
Cambridgeshire |30 |18 |15 |10 |18
Norfolk |17 |15 |22 |18 |22
Suffolk |9 |6 |9 |10 |9
Bedfordshire |12 |8 |20 |15 |7
Hertfordshire |17 |11 |8 |11 |8
Essex |28 |28 |21 |17 |6
Thames Valley |46 |35 |34 |24 |25
Hampshire |34 |21 |17 |18 |16
Surrey |13 |11 |4 |5 |5
Kent |17 |21 |27 |22 |14
Sussex |17 |12 |16 |14 |7
City of London<1> |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Devon and Cornwall |11 |11 |13 |17 |8
Avon and Somerset |18 |25 |21 |15 |11
Gloucestershire |17 |12 |10 |4 |13
Wiltshire |14 |15 |18 |14 |16
Dorset |6 |13 |8 |4 |14
North Wales |10 |18 |4 |12 |10
Gwent |3 |2 |6 |1 |5
South Wales |9 |5 |9 |7 |11
Dyfed-Powys |17 |13 |11 |9 |14
Northern |7 |8 |5 |7 |7
Grampian |9 |9 |11 |9 |12
Tayside |7 |13 |11 |9 |7
Fife |5 |2 |2 |4 |5
Lothian and Borders |15 |11 |15 |9 |6
Central |5 |3 |3 |3 |3
Strathclyde |22 |36 |27 |27 |26
Dumfries and Galloway |3 |11 |11 |13 |7
Total |885 |782 |742 |699 |620
<1> Included in Metropolitan area.
Heathrow Airport (Emergency Calls)
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the numbers and categories of Mayday emergency calls made to Heathrow airport in each of the last 10 years. [42114]
Mr. Norris: The Mayday call is used where there is a serious and/or imminent danger and immediate assistance is required. Mayday calls are normally made to air traffic control centres rather than to airports. Mayday calls made by aircraft bound for Heathrow airport for the last 10 years are as follows:
Years |Mayday calls ------------------------------------------------- 1985 to 1989 inclusive |0 1990 |2 1991 |0 1992 |0 1993 |1 1994 |1 1995 |1
Hidden Report
Mr. Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the legal obligation on the British Railways
Column 777
Board to implement the recent recommendation of the Hidden report, following the Clapham accident, is also binding on Railtrack. [42082]Mr. Watts: Railtrack, like the British Railways Board, implements railway accident inquiry recommendations relating to its responsibilities according to the principles of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974. The Act is based on reducing risks as low as reasonably practicable, taking into account costs and safety benefits.
All the Hidden report recommendations addressed to British Rail and the British Transport police have either been implemented, or have alternative actions in hand, or are on-going. The position on outstanding recommendations is recorded in my reply to a question by the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms Walley) on 16 October 1995, columns 86 87 .
A350
Mr. Faber: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate of future traffic flows has been made by his Department for the A350 between the M4 and Warminster in both directions. [41856]
Mr. Watts: This is an operational matter for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member. Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. David Faber, dated 7 November 1995:
As you know, the Minister for Railways and Roads, Mr. John Watts, has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate of future traffic flows has been made by his Department for the A350 between the M4 and Warminster in both directions.
The A350 is a principal road for which Wiltshire County Council is the highways authority. However, the Highways Agency have carried out limited traffic survey work on the A350 at West Aston to the east of Trowbridge, in connection with our trunk road proposals for the A36 East of Bath- Beckington Improvement scheme. The annual average two-way daily flow forecast for the year 2018 at West Aston is in the range 27,000 35,000 if there is no improvement to the A36, and in the 18,000 24,000 if the A36 East of Bath Beckington Improvement scheme is built to dual carriageway standard on the preferred route.
International Marine Safety Corps
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his policy towards re-establishing an international marine safety corps to inspect vessels globally. [41595]
Mr. Norris: The original international marine safety corps was set up in 1978 primarily to provide expert advice to developing countries in the formulation of regulations and survey procedure.
International co-operation in maritime safety has now advanced to a point where re-establishment of such a corps would no longer be appropriate or necessary.
Roads Expenditure
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list total Government spending on roads in each year for the last 10 years. [41808]
Mr. Watts: The information requested regarding total Government spending on roads, in cash terms in each year for the last 10 years is set out below in £ million:
Column 778
1985 86: 1,317.81986 87: 1,391.8
1987 88: 1,476.6
1988 89: 1,599.3
1989 90: 1,852.5
1990 91: 2,435.4
1991 92: 2,623.8
1992 93: 2,919.3
1993 94: 3,084.6
1994 95: 2,929.2
European Court Decisions
Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the oral answer of the Attorney-General of 30 October, Official Report , column 12, relating to decisions of the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights, if he will list those European Court decisions relating to responsibilities of his Department over the past two years; and what was the estimated annual cost to public funds of each decision. [41217]
Mr. Watts [holding answer 2 November 1995]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given today by my hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Foreign Office.
PRIME MINISTER
Engagements
Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 7 November. [40299]
Sir Peter Tapsell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 7 November. [40300]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I have been asked to reply. My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister is travelling to New Zealand to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral answer of the 31 October 1995, Official Report , column 96, regarding membership of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, if he will make a further statement. [41994]
The Prime Minister: I understand that the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) was a member of Parliamentary Labour CND in the 1980s. I would be delighted if he has since recanted his views.
Council of Europe and Western European Union
Mr. Peter Atkinson: To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of the information bulletin on the activities of the United Kingdom delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Assembly of the Western European Union covering the period March to September 1995. [42215]
The Prime Minister: I have done so today.
Column 779
NORTHERN IRELAND
Terrorist Offences
Mr. Robert McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were first prosecuted for terrorist type offences (a) in the year prior to the 1 September 1994 in respect of crimes occurring before 1 September 1993 and (b) in the year prior to 1 September 1995 in respect of crimes occurring over a year before that date. [38483]
Sir John Wheeler: I will write to the hon. and learned Gentleman as soon as possible.
Occupational Health and Safety
Mr. Robert McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what public funds have been made available to the Northern Ireland occupational health and safety group over the last three years. [40887]
Sir John Wheeler: Since 1 April 1992 the Health and Safety Agency for Northern Ireland has contributed £11,226 to initiatives involving the Northern Ireland occupational health and safety group. Details are provided in the table.
Financial year |Purpose of payment |Amount
|£
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1992-93 |Purchase of display stand space at |130
| Group conference
1993-94 |Contribution towards costs of Group |5,500
| safety quiz and three Group safety
| awareness seminars
1994-95 |Contribution towards costs of Group |4,450
| safety quiz, school leavers'
| seminars and school video project
1995-96<1> |Costs of advertising occupational |1,146
| safety awards scheme
Total | |11,226
<1> To date.
Child Support Agency
Mr. Robert McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what consideration is given in the rules relating to the Child Support Agency to pre-existing debts owned by the absent parent; what assessment he has made as to whether the regulations are leading to bankruptcies; and what evidence he has as to the relationship between claims for incapacity benefit and the agency's financial demands. [40890]
Mr. Moss: At present no allowance is made for pre-existing debts in the child support maintenance formula. Such debts will, however, be considered under the proposed departure system, which it is anticipated will come into force towards the end of 1996. While we have undertaken no formal evaluation, there is no indication that child support regulations have led to bankruptcies; nor is there any evidence of a relationship between claims for incapacity benefits and the requirements to pay child support maintenance.
Column 780
Temporary and Part-time Staff
Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff are currently employed in his Department and in related agencies on (a) temporary or casual employment contracts and (b) part-time employment contracts, given as an actual figure and as a proportion of the total workforce; and what were the corresponding figures for five years ago. [41118]
Sir John Wheeler: The information requested is listed:
|Temporary/|Percentage |Percentage
|casual |of total |Part-time |of total
|employment|workforce |employment|workforce
------------------------------------------------------------------
1995 |1,365 |5.21 |1,910 |7.29
1990 |1,137 |4.18 |754 |2.77
The 1990 figures for civilian staff of the Prison Service are not included as the information is not held in the format requested.
Official Inquiries
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list all the official inquiries he and his Department have undertaken over the last five years indicating the dates they were initiated and the dates when findings were released to the public. [41449]
Sir John Wheeler: The information is as follows:
Official enquiries |Date initiated |Date findings
|released
|to public
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Stormont Fire and Fire |January 1995 |April 1995
Safety in Crown Buildings
Inquiry
`An Abuse of Trust' an |November 1992 |January 1994
investigation by the Social
Services Inspectorate
Review of the Operational |December 1991 |March 1992
Policy in Belfast Prison for
the Management of Paramilitary Prisoners from
opposing factions.
Business Assistance
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people who have been helped to return to business in Northern Ireland by the local enterprise development unit, have also received assistance from (a) Industrial research and technology unit and (b) the Training and Employment Agency. [41896]
Sir John Wheeler: One company which was established following the original launch of LEDU's "Making it Back Home" campaign in 1991 has received assistance from both the Training and Employment Agency and the industrial research and technology unit.
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many businesses in Northern Ireland have (a) applied for assistance from the export marketing research scheme and (b) been granted
Column 781
assistance by the export marketing research scheme in the past five years in Northern Ireland. [41904]Sir John Wheeler: Since March 1990, 11 Northern Ireland companies have applied for assistance under the export marketing research scheme. Of these, eight applications were successful and three were rejected.
Mr. John D. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what public funds were invested in the Rath Mor community business centre in Creggan, Londonderry; what assistance was given to the project by the International Fund for Ireland; what plans there are for the location of a Wellworths supermarket in the centre; and if he will make a statement about the availability of public funds for supermarket chains from (a) Great Britain; and (b) the Republic of Ireland locating in Northern Ireland. [41947]
Mr. Moss: The public sector contribution to the Rath Mor centre comprised a grant of £1.08 million and a loan of £0.27 million paid by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland together with an amount of £12,500 paid by the local enterprise development unit of the Department of Economic Development.
I understand that the International Fund for Ireland has assisted the development. The fund is administered by an independent board appointed jointly by the two Governments. All disbursements are a matter for that Board and questions regarding them should be directed to the fund's chairman, Mr. William T. McCarter, PO Box 2000, Belfast BT4 3SA.
Wellworths has occupied the supermarket unit in the Rath Mor centre since it opened.
There are no public funds available for supermarket chains from Great Britain or the Republic of Ireland wishing to locate in Northern Ireland.
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money will be available in total every year for the "Making it Back Home" scheme. [41898]
Sir John Wheeler: The initial budget will be £2 million next year. Experience from that year will help set future budgets.
Jobskills Programme
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will list the names of the Training and Employment Agency approved providers of the jobskills programme in Northern Ireland; [41900]
(2) how many people are currently participating in jobskills programmes in Northern Ireland (a) in the 16 24 year age group, (b) in the 25 60 year age group, (c) who have never been in employment and (d) who have been unemployed for more than one year; [41902]
(3) how many of the participants in the jobskills programme in Northern Ireland are currently on a jobskills access course. [41901]
Mr. Ancram: Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Training and Employment Agency under its chief executive, Mr. Ian Walters. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Column 782
A list of organisations approved by the Training and Employment Agency to provide training for the jobskills programme has been placed in the library.Letter from Ian Walters to Ms Marjorie Mowlam, dated 6 November 1995 :
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has asked me, as the Chief Executive of the Training and Employment Agency, to reply to your questions about Jobskills.
1. Question No 1683
Attached is a list of the organisations approved by the Training and Employment Agency to provide training for the Jobskills programme.
2. Question No 1696
The numbers of participants in Jobskills Access from the latest information available at 13 October 1995 is 1,496.
3. Question No 1691
From the latest information available the number of people participating in the Jobskills programme at 13 October 1995: (a) in the 16 24 year age group is 9,104;
(b) in the 25 60 year age group is 1,477.
The eligibility conditions for entry to Jobskills do not require information from participants which would provide answers to questions (c) and (d).
I hope you find this helpful.
Investors (Visits)
Mr. John D. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many investors visited the (a) district of Down (b) borough of Castlereagh (c) borough of Ards at the request of the industrial development board in each of the past 10 years and if he will make a statement about the number of new jobs promoted by the IDB in each of these areas. [41908]
Sir John Wheeler: The information requested on the number of visits by investors is not available for all of the period specified and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The table shows the number of IDB sponsored visits by potential investors to the areas concerned between April 1993 and September 1995.
Visits by investors
|1995-96 (to
District Council |1993-94 |1994-95 |30 September) |Total
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newtownards |10 |3 |1 |14
Castlereagh |5 |3 |5 |13
Down |2 |10 |3 |15
In the past 10 years IDB has promoted a total of 2,863 jobs in the areas concerned as follows:
District
council area |Down |Castlereagh |Ards |Total
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1985-86 |10 |141 |155 |306
1986-87 |67 |168 |247 |482
1987-88 |108 |124 |298 |530
1988-89 |318 |95 |164 |577
1989-90 |24 |404 |67 |495
1990-91 |- |68 |50 |118
1991-92 |- |84 |149 |233
1992-93 |- |18 |49 |67
1993-94 |- |- |41 |41
1994-95 |- |- |14 |14
Total |527 |1,102 |1,234 |2,863
European Regional Funds
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if private sector funding is admissible to match funding available under the European Union objective 1 funding programmes for Northern Ireland; [41889]
(2) if private sector funding is admissible to match funding available under European Union objective 2 funding programmes for Northern Ireland. [41890]
Sir John Wheeler: Northern Ireland is entirely an objective 1 region and as such the Government welcome private sector contributions to projects which the structural funds support. Where activities merit and are eligible for support under approved programmes in Northern Ireland private sector contributions are admissible as matching funding.
Radioactivity
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what systems are in place to monitor levels of radioactivity in the seas surrounding Northern Ireland and how often such monitoring is carried out. [41891]
Mr. Moss: In Northern Ireland the Department of the Environment's chief inspector, appointed under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993, monitors levels of radioactivity in the Irish sea and the Northern Ireland coastal environment.
The inspectorate arranges for samples of seaweed, sediment, fish, nephrops and winkles to be collected and forwarded for analysis by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food's fisheries research laboratory at Lowestoft. Samples are taken quarterly except in the case of sediments, where the frequency is six monthly. The Northern Ireland results are published annually in the MAFF report "Radioactivity in Surface and Coastal Waters of the British Isles" and in the Northern Ireland abstract of statistics.
In addition to this programme the inspectorate monitors the gamma dose rate in air over intertidal sediments in each district council in Northern Ireland with a coastline.
Peace and Reconciliation Programme
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what have been the administration costs to date to the Northern Ireland Office for the management and distribution of the European special support programme for peace and reconciliation. [41894]
Sir John Wheeler: To date, the administration of the European special support programme for peace and reconciliation has been undertaken by the Department of Finance and Personnel and other Northern Ireland Departments from within their existing resources. This activity is undertaken alongside other activities and has not been separately costed. As is the case with other structural fund programmes, the costs of this administration will not be scored against the programme.
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if private sector funding is admissible to match funding available under the European Union programme for peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland. [41888]
Column 784
Sir John Wheeler: The Government welcome private sector contributions to projects which the structural funds support. As is the case with all other European programmes, there is scope for the private sector and private finance to play their part in the special support programme for peace and reconciliation.
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much of the funding allocated under the European Union special support programme for peace and reconciliation has been distributed to organisations in Northern Ireland to date; and what percentage this is of the total planned spending for the first year of the programme. [41893]
Sir John Wheeler: To date, no funding from the special support programme for peace and reconciliation has been distributed to organisations outside central Government in Northern Ireland, though provisional allocations have been determined for all measures. It is hoped that payments under the technical assistance sub-programme and for some projects can be made in November 1995. This reflects the need to establish the novel delivery mechanisms envisaged in the programme, including the need to develop contracts between the European Commission, Northern Ireland departments and intermediary funding bodies. In addition, the Government recognise that small organisations, which would not usually apply for funding, must be given time to submit an application. Any funds unspent in the first year of the programme will be carried forward to future years.
Asbestos Pipes
Mr. John D. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of (a) the presence and (b) the effects on health of asbestos fibres in water systems using asbestos cement pipes; what proposals exist to monitor the presence of asbestos fibres in the proposed Mourne to Belfast water supply pipelines; what is the estimated cost of monitoring the pipeline during its working lifetime; and if he will make a statement about the use of asbestos cement pipes for water supply systems. [41906]
Mr. Moss: The Department has commissioned a study by the water research centre to advise on the use of asbestos cement pipes for public water supply. The questions asked by the right hon. Gentleman are being considered as part of the study. I will let him know the outcome of the study in due course.
Community Work Programmes
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is (a) the target number of trainees set for the pilot projects under the community work programme in (i) Fermanagh, (ii) Strabane and (iii) west Belfast and (b) the target date for completion of the pilot projects; [41895]
(2) how many trainees have been placed to date under the community work programme pilot project in (a) Strabane, (b) Fermanagh and (c) west Belfast. [41905]
Mr. Ancram: Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Training and Employment Agency under its chief executive, Mr. Ian Walters. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
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