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Gelatine

Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what experiments have been carried out on gelatine purified from cattle sources to indicate whether it might be contaminated with the infectious agent responsible for bovine spongiform encephalopathy. [31066]

Mrs. Browning [holding answer 4 June 1996]: Work has been published which has examined the effects of various of the several steps involved in making gelatine. This research indicates that each stage is likely to be able to reduce any infectivity. It is important to note, however, that the raw materials for gelatine production--from animals fit for human consumption and not including specified bovine materials--should not include potentially infectious material since infectivity has never been detected experimentally in any bovine tissue not covered by the current specified bovine material ban.

Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps have been taken to act on the outcome of research concerning the treatment processes of (a) heating and (b) caustic soda used in gelatine purification in respect of the inactivation of BSE infectivity, funded by his Department, carried out at the neuropathogenisis unit, Edinburgh and published in the 1994 archives of virology, Vol. 139; and if he will make a statement. [33136]

Mrs. Browning [holding answer 19 June 1996]: This experiment examined the reduction in infectivity of the BSE agent when exposed to caustic soda only and was therefore representative of one of the processes to which bone material is subjected in order to produce gelatine. A number of other steps are involved, including acid treatment, sterilisation and filtration, each of which contributed to the level of inactivation provided by the entire gelatine making process. The raw materials used to make gelatine do not include any tissues which have ever been found to harbour BSE infectivity. Information about all the processing steps was available to the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee when it prepared its advice to Ministers on the safety of gelatine.

Beef Farmers

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will match by way of a national top-up payment to farmers who have sold finished stock since 20 March, the sum agreed by EU Agriculture Ministers to be distributed to beef farmers in special difficulties. [36839]

Mrs. Browning [holding answer 11 July 1996]: I have no plans to do so at the present time.

18 Jul 1996 : Column: 639

WALES

Social Services Inspectors

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many social services inspectors were employed in each year since 1991 in Wales. [36507]

Mr. Hague: The number of social services inspectors employed by my Department for the years 1991 to date are as follows:

1991: 7
1992: 8
1993: 8
1994: 8
1995: 8
1996: 6

Three additional inspectors will be appointed as set out in my answer of 4 July 1996, Official Report, columns 507-08.

Internet

Mr. Rowe: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to ensure that major publications from his Department are accompanied by a simultaneous electronic release of the text on the Internet. [37244]

Mr. Hague: My Department already makes some use of the Internet to publish major publications, and is considering extending its use more generally.

18 Jul 1996 : Column: 640

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 26 March, Official Report, column 521, about parliamentary questions, what method would be used by his Department in collating the information requested. [37529]

Mr. Hague: The examination of over 17,000 files dated back to 1989-90.

Source:
POLIS.

Training for Work

Mr. Rowlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what sums have been allocated by his Department to each training and enterprise council in Wales in respect of (a) those starting training for work, (b) those in employment for seven days or more following training for work (i) in total (ii) in respect of the registered disabled, (c) registered disabled starting training for work, (d) weekly allowances for youth training and (e) disabled people on a training for work programme gaining a national vocational qualification level 2-3 qualification. [37385]

Mr. Jonathan Evans: The information requested for parts (a), (b), (c) and (e) is contained in the following table. The amounts paid to youth trainees for weekly allowances are not collected centrally by the Welsh Office.

18 Jul 1996 : Column: 639

Training for work expenditure 1995-96£ million

TEC	Starts	Job outcome	Disabled(14) job outcome	Disabled start(14)	Disabled(14) NVQ level 2-3
Gwent	0.786	1.704	0.325	0.151	0.035
Mid Glamorgan	0.539	1.943	0.242	0.094	0.082
North-east Wales	0.182	0.987	0.187	0.047	0.046
Powys	0.222	0.463	0.169	0.087	0.047
South Glamorgan	0.578	1.922	0.378	0.178	0.093
Targed	0.886	1.743	0.519	0.262	0.137
West Wales	1.026	3.755	1.240	0.386	0.307
Total Wales	4.219	12.517	3.059	1.205	0.747

Source:

TEC105B provisional 1995-96 out-turn.

Note:

(14) These figures are for all disabled persons not only those"registered".

18 Jul 1996 : Column: 639

Mr. Rowlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what sums have been allocated by his Department to each TEC in Wales for those on training for work who gain an NVQ level 2/3 qualification (a) in total and (b) for youth trainees. [37386]

Mr. Evans: The information requested is contained in the following table:

	Expenditure 1995-96 £ million
TEC	Youth training NVQ level 2-3	Training for work NVQ level 2-3
Gwent	1.381	0.289
Mid Glamorgan	1.718	0.410
North East Wales	1.562	0.140
Powys	0.306	0.141
South Glamorgan	0.902	0.473
Targed	0.895	0.522
West Wales	2.536	0.916
Total Wales	9.300	2.890

Source:

TEC105B provisional 1995-96 out-turn.

18 Jul 1996 : Column: 640

Obesity

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the estimated percentage of (a) men and (b) women, aged (i) 16 to 64 years and (ii) 64 years and over, who were obese for each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement. [37369]

18 Jul 1996 : Column: 641

Mr. Gwilym Jones: Health Promotion Wales carried out surveys concerning obesity in 18 to 64-year-olds in 1985, 1988, 1990 and 1993 and for 65 to 75-year-olds in 1993. The information is given in the following table. The 1996 survey is currently being undertaken and results should be available next spring.

Per cent. of the population who were obese(15)

	1985	1988	1990	1993
Residents aged 18 to 64:
Men	7.2	7.3	7.9	10.8
Women	14.5	15.3	16.7	18.3
	Residents aged 65 to 74:
Men	(16)--	(16)--	(16)--	10.1
Women	(16)--	(16)--	(16)--	21.0

(15) Overweight or obese is defined as body mass index (weight (Kg)/(height (m))

(16) of 30 or more for males, 28 or more for females based on self reported weight and height.

(17) Not available.

Bus Drivers and Conductors (Assaults)

Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will set up a study of incidents of public service bus drivers and conductors in Wales suffering from assault in the course of their work, with a view to publishing guidelines to improve their safety. [37117]

Mr. Hague: There is already a programme of research into assaults on bus staff and passengers which covers Wales together with England and Scotland. The programme is overseen by a standing panel on assaults on bus staff.

Guidance for bus operators is provided in the recently revised booklet "Protecting Bus Crews", published by the Department of Transport.

Inward Investment

Mr. Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the 10 largest industrial or commercial developments in Wales which resulted from inward investment since 1993; and, in each case, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs created and the average cost to public funds for each of these jobs. [37635]

Mr. Hague: All our dealings with inward investors are undertaken on a commercially confidential basis and we do not therefore publish details of individual projects except in cases where details of the project have been announced by the company itself. The following table contains details of the 10 largest inward investment projects, in terms of planned new jobs, which have been attracted to Wales since 1 January 1993 and which have been the subject of public announcements:

	Published figures for:
	Planned investment	Planned new	RSA
Company	(£ million)	jobs	(£ million)
LG	1,700	6,100	(18)--
ASAT	42	1,000	17
Newport Wafer-Fab	230	768	(18)--
Ocean Technical Glass	193	750	(18)--
Aiwa	25	480	5
Ford Motor Company	300+	480	(18)--
Legal and General	(18)--	463	(18)--
Matsushita	(18)--	453	(18)--
Fenner	12	377	(18)--
Midland Bank	(18)--	370	No support

(18) Not published.

18 Jul 1996 : Column: 642

Details of the financial assistance offered to inward investors are commercially confidential. All such assistance complies with the rules of the relevant schemes and with EC state aid rules. The principal form of assistance offered in support of inward investment projects is regional selective assistance and where the amount offered is £75,000 or more, the total amount offered is published in "Labour Market Trends" in the quarter after the first instalment of grant is paid. Where such publication has already taken place, the relevant figure is included in the table.

Most of the above projects are still in the process of being implemented and up-to-date information on the number of new jobs so far created by them is not held centrally.

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