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Action for Community Employment
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the present basic wage payable to ACE workers; what has been the basic wage in each year since the ACE scheme became operational; and if he will make a statement on the long-term future of the ACE programme. [16249]
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.
Letter from Ian Walters to Mr. Roy Beggs, dated 23 February 1996:
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has asked me as Chief Executive of the Training and Employment Agency to reply to your questions about the Action for Community Employment Programme (ACE).
Mr. Tony Banks:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the members of his Department who saw the report of the Scott inquiry before it was presented to the House; and when each saw the report. [16532]
Sir Patrick Mayhew
[holding reply 22 February 1996]: No member of my Department saw the report before it was presented to the House.
Mr. Madden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland at what hour and minute of which day the report of the Scott inquiry was delivered to his office. [16499]
Sir Patrick Mayhew
[holding answer 22 February 1996]: Between 3.30pm and 4.00pm on Thursday 15 February 1996.
26 Feb 1996 : Column: 380
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he first saw the report of the Scott inquiry. [16585]
Sir Patrick Mayhew
[holding answer 22 February 1996]: On Thursday 15 February 1996, after 3.30pm.
Mrs. Jane Kennedy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which Ministers in his Department entered the writing rooms of the Press Gallery on 15 February. [16488]
Sir Patrick Mayhew
[holding answer 22 February 1996]: If any Ministers did so, that is a matter for them.
Mr. Mallon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the policy of the Prison Service in relation to applications for prison transfers to prisons in the country of origin of the applicant. [16233]
Sir John Wheeler:
Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Prisons Service under its chief executive, Mr. Alan Shannon. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. D. Shannon to Mr. Seamus Mallon, dated 26 February 1996:
Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of NHS funding is now used to buy care in the private sector. [15759]
Mr. Richards:
The annual accounts submitted by health authorities and GP fundholders for 1994-95 show that 1 per cent. of expenditure by health authorities and GP fundholders was used to purchase care in the private sector.
26 Feb 1996 : Column: 381
Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the cost in Wales of the advertising campaign to promote the modern apprenticeship scheme. [15761]
Mr. Richards:
The modern apprenticeship scheme has been promoted as part of the Department for Education and Employment-funded "Free your Potential" advertising campaign. To date, the Welsh Office has contributed £53,000 for Welsh language press advertising and the provision of information and materials in Welsh.
The Welsh Office is also contributing £68,383 towards a marketing campaign organised by the training and enterprise councils in Wales to promote modern and accelerated modern apprenticeships to young people and employers.
Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidelines he has issued about the provision of care to elderly people living in the community. [15758]
Mr. Richards:
The White Paper "Caring for People", Cm 849, and the NHS and Community Care Act 1990 set the policy and legislative framework for community care.
In addition, the Welsh Office has issued policy guidance to local authorities and the NHS in Wales in respect of their responsibilities for planning, commissioning and providing services in the community. The main areas covered include social care planning, assessment and care management and NHS responsibilities for meeting continuing health care needs, complaints procedures and inspection units.
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will introduce provision to enable payments of council tax to be made in 12 monthly instalments. [16060]
Mr. Gwilym Jones:
No. Billing authorities can establish annual, biannual, weekly or up to 10 monthly instalment payment regimes for council tax.
Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many empty dwellings owned by Government Departments there were in 1995 in Alyn and Deeside. [15762]
Mr. Hague:
On 1 April 1995, the Welsh Office had 13 empty dwellings in Alyn and Deeside and the Ministry of Defence had 62 dwellings--40 of which were inside the perimeter of RAF Sealand and unable to be let.
Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many individuals between the ages of 16 and 18 years who (a) are disabled and (b) have learning difficulties are currently in (i) full-time education, (ii) Government-funded training courses, (iii) employment, (iv) none of (i) to (iii), (1) in Wales and (2) in each country. [16187]
26 Feb 1996 : Column: 382
Mr. Richards:
Information is available on a county basis for those with special needs in full-time education and is as follows:
The Training and Employment Agency does not pay ACE workers a basic wage. Sponsoring organisations receive a grant of £93 per week for each ACE worker employed. Up to £11 of this grant can be used by the sponsor to defray overhead expenses. The balance must be used as a contribution towards paying the local rate for the job being undertaken by the ACE employee. Any shortfall between the grant and the local rate must be met by the sponsor.
I feel sure you will understand therefore that it is not possible to provide details of the basic wage paid to ACE workers since the scheme became operational.
You asked also about the long term future of the ACE programme. During 1996 the Agency will undertake an in depth review of the needs of the long term unemployed which will inform the Agency about the programmes and services we currently offer. ACE will, of course, be included in the review and its future and shape will depend upon the outcome.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your parliamentary question regarding Prison Service policy in respect of repatriation of prisoners.
The repatriation of prisoners to and from the United Kingdom is governed by the Repatriation of Prisoners Act 1984. Repatriation may be considered where the country to which application is being made is a signatory to the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons or to the Commonwealth Scheme for the Transfer of Convicted Offenders or has a bilateral agreement with the United Kingdom.
To be eligible for repatriation a prisoner must have received his final sentence for an offence which must be a criminal offence under the law of the receiving country, by a national of that country or have close family ties there and as a general rule have at least 6 months of his sentence to serve at the time of application. Repatriation requires the consent of both jurisdictions and the prisoner concerned. In considering whether to consent to a repatriation request it has been the policy of Her Majesty's Government not to agree to a transfer where such a move would result in a substantial reduction in time left to serve.
| Pupils aged 16 and over with a statement of special needs (January 1995) | Students aged 16 to 18 with Special Education needs at Further Education Institutions (November 1994) | |
|---|---|---|
| Clwyd | 149 | 39 |
| Dyfed | 102 | 7 |
| Gwent | 107 | 99 |
| Gwynedd | 33 | 19 |
| Mid Glamorgan | 91 | 139 |
| Powys | 18 | 12 |
| South Glamorgan | 71 | 39 |
| West Glamorgan | 62 | 70 |
| Wales | 633 | 424 |
Sources:
LEA STATS2 return; FESR.
In addition, in December 1994, 43 students aged 16 to 18 on full-time courses at higher education institutions in Wales were recorded as having a disability.
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