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GCSE Point Scores

Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 27 June, Official Report, column 212, and the answer of the Secretary of State for Education and Employment of 19 June to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) on GCSE point scores, Official Report, column 479, what factors specific to his Department led to his conclusion that to provide a substantive answer would involve disproportionate cost. [36119]

Mr. Jonathan Evans: The Welsh Office holds summary examination data at school level, drawn from the Welsh examination database and specified to meet the requirements of the school and college performance

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booklets. To provide the information previously requested, a special analysis of the pupil level data held on WED would need to be commissioned.

Beef

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to help re-establish the market position of Welsh beef; and if he will make a statement. [36053]

Mr. Jonathan Evans: The Government are seeking to have the export ban on British beef lifted. Once this is achieved, the position of Welsh beef in the export market can be re-established.

The Meat and Livestock Commission is working with Welsh Lamb and Beef Promotions Ltd. and Welsh Food Promotions Ltd. to promote Welsh select beef in the UK market. Additionally, Welsh beef will be promoted throughout the Royal Welsh agricultural show 22 to 25 July.

Agriculture

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated, on comparative costing of (i) organic, (ii) bio-dynamic, (iii) permaculture and (iv) conventional intensive agricultural systems where the external costs have been internalised; and if he will make a statement. [36055]

Mr. Jonathan Evans: No research of this specific type has been commissioned in Wales.

Youth Training

Mr. Rowlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the percentage of youths undergoing training who enjoyed employed status on the last date of their training in each of the training and enterprise council areas in Wales in 1995. [36581]

Mr. Jonathan Evans: Information is not available on the number of young people with employed status on the last day of their training. Employed status statistics are collected for those in training on the last day of each period. The percentage of young people with employed status who were in training in each TEC area at 31 December 1995 is shown in the following table:

Percentage of young people with employed status in training(18) at 31 December 1995 (provisional)

TEC	Per cent.
Gwent	66
Mid Glamorgan	63
North-east Wales	64
Powys	44
South Glamorgan	62
TARGED	69
West Wales	46
Wales total	59

(18) Includes Youth Training, Youth Credits, Modern Apprenticeships and Accelerated Modern Apprenticeships.

Mr. Rowlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many individuals started youth training in each year since 1990-91. [36585]

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Mr. Evans: The number of young people in training in each year since 1990-91 is shown in the following table:

Year	Starts
1990-91	18,231
1991-92	17,955
1992-93	16,911
1993-94	17,567
1994-95	(19)17,179
1995-96	(19)(20)18,939

(19) Includes modern apprenticeship first-time entrants

(20) Provisional.

Education and Training

Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if his Department receives notification of applications made to the European Union for financial support for education and training projects. [36113]

Mr. Jonathan Evans: The Welsh Office is aware of applications made under the structural funds and some Community actions. Other applications, made to the European Commission either directly or through an intermediary, are not automatically notified to the Welsh Office.

Unemployment

Mr. Rowlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the percentage of (a) males and (b) females currently unemployed in the (i) 16-19 years, (ii) 20-29 years, (iii) 30-39 years, (iv) 40-49 years, (v) 50-59 years and (vi) 60 years and over age groups; and what were the figures in (1) 1979, (2) 1984, (3) 1986, (4) 1989, (5) 1990 and (6) 1992. [36667]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: Unemployment rates by age are available from the labour force survey, which was carried out annually up to 1992 and quarterly from 1992 onwards. Estimates in the following table relate to spring (March to May) for years up to 1992; the latest estimate is taken from the winter quarter (December to February) for 1995-96. Data for 1979 are not available on a comparable basis.

ILO unemployment rates, percentage by age and sex, Wales(21)

Age	1984	1986	1989	1990	1992	1995-96
Males
16-19	25.9	24.3	n/a	18.6	21.3	n/a
20-29	21.5	23.0	11.3	11.9	15.1	15.5
30-39	12.6	11.2	9.0	7.0	11.2	9.4
40-49	10.5	11.5	6.4	n/a	7.7	7.5
50-59	9.8	9.4	n/a	n/a	9.4	n/a
60 and over	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Females
16-19	32.0	27.4	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
20-29	17.6	18.4	10.1	9.5	8.6	10.5
30--39	12.9	12.2	8.8	9.1	n/a	7.2
40-49	n/a	9.7	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
50-59	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
60 and over	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

(21) Percentages based on estimates below 10,000 cannot be quoted as they are thought to be unreliable--these estimates are marked n/a.

ILO = International Labour office.

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Mr. Roy Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the level of male unemployment in (a) Newport and (b) Wales. [35533]

Mr. Jones: In May 1996, the unadjusted number of males on the claimant unemployment count in the Newport travel-to-work-area was 5,619, that is 10.4 per cent. of the male work force. The corresponding figures for Wales were 79,696 and 11.2 per cent.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Dr. Marek: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 4 July, Official Report column 507, what assessment he has made of the incidence of clusters of CJD in Wales. [37459]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: There is no statistically significant evidence of clustering of CJD in Wales of the rest of the UK.

Dr. Marek: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 4 July, Official Report, column 507, if he will (a) draw up and (b) place in the Library a map, adopting the model produced by the CJD surveillance unit in Edinburgh for 1995, of definite and probable cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in Wales for the period May 1990 to April 1996. [37456]

Mr. Jones: This information will be contained in the fifth annual report from the CJD unit. The unit anticipates that it will be publishing this report in the late autumn. Copies will be placed in the Library of the House.

Abattoir, Marchwiel

Dr. Marek: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what controls he exercises over (a) the disposal of (i) solid waste and (ii) open running liquid waste and (b) the spraying of blood from the Marchwiel abattoir, near Wrexham. [37455]

Mr. Jonathan Evans: Controls on slaughterhouses for disposal of waste materials are covered by the specified Bovine Materials (No 2) Order 1996, the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 and the Fresh

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Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) (Amendment) Regulations 1995. The Specified Bovine Material Order has the effect of separating specified bovine material from other waste materials. This specified bovine material is then rendered and the remaining waste material incinerated. As indicated in the latest progress report on bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Great Britain (May 1996), a copy of which is in the Library of the House, the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee has advised Ministers that the current and proposed methods of dealing with waste material from the slaughter of cattle are safe. Minor amendments to the Specified Bovine Material Order are currently being considered to reflect SEAC's recommendations.

The Government are required by the EC framework directive on waste to take the measures necessary to ensure that waste is disposed of without endangering human health and without using processes or methods which could harm the environment. The main requirements of the directive are given effect in Great Britain in the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and related regulations. The Environment Agency (England and Wales) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency are responsible for the enforcement of the regulatory systems. Local authorities are responsible for the enforcement of some air pollution controls.

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