---

Racial Harassment

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what surveys he has conducted into the extent of racial harassment in NHS workplaces. [37139]

Mr. Malone [holding answer 12 July 1996]: The Department of Health commissioned the Policy Studies Institute report "Nursing in a multi-ethnic NHS", which was published in autumn 1995. Copies are available in the Library.

Extra-contractual Referral Scheme

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what revisions he proposed to the extra-contractual referral scheme; if he has issued a consultation paper to trusts and health authorities; and when he proposes to make a formal announcement. [37609]

Mr. Horam [holding answer 16 July 1996]: The efficiency scrutiny into the burdens of paperwork in national health service trusts and health authorities consulted trusts, health authorities and general practitioners on ways in which the extra-contractual referral system could be streamlined.

We have consulted and will continue to consult, health authorities, trusts and other interested parties as detailed proposals for implementing the recommendations are developed.

19 Jul 1996 : Column: 729

Health Authority Expenditure

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average expenditure per head for each health authority, and the average for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, in the current financial year. [37515]

Mr. Horam [holding answer 15 July 1996]: The average per capita expenditure figures for the current financial year will not be available until all health authorities have completed their annual accounts after the end of the financial year.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Economic Development (North-East)

Dr. David Clark: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much (a) his Department and (b) the European Community provided to (i) south Tyneside borough council, (ii) North Tyneside borough council, (iii) Gateshead borough council and (iv) Newcastle upon Tyne City council in terms of funding for economic development in each of the last three years. [37740]

Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 17 July 1996]: The figures are as follows: (a) Nil;

(b)

	Financial year
	1993-94	1994-95	1995-96
	£	£	£
(i) South Tyneside borough
council	2,549,274	1,533,604	224,890
(ii) North Tyneside borough
council	2,039,790	2,394,670	1,542,919
(iii) Gateshead borough
council	2,054,573	1,947,557	448,802
(iv) Newcastle-upon-Tyne
city council	4,313,249	3,115,628	1,091,056

My Department is not the primary source of funding for local authorities. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment makes provision for the local authorities in his estimates.

Supervisory Bodies

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade which of his Department's supervisory bodies have responsibility for (a) Jersey and (b) other Channel Islands. [37830]

Mr. Oppenheim: The recognised supervisory bodies for auditors and the recognised professional bodies for insolvency practitioners have no responsibility under UK law for Jersey and the other Channel Islands. However, the bodies are responsible to the Secretary of State for supervising the audit and insolvency work of their members in matters relating to the Companies Act and the Insolvency Act 1986 respectively, regardless of the location of those members.

South-West Industrial Development Board

Mr. Jamieson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 18 June, Official Report,

19 Jul 1996 : Column: 730

column 458-59, if Mr. A was a member of his Department's south-west regional office at the time of (i) the regional selective assistance grant to company L for the second project and (ii) the grants to company N since 1991; if Mr. A was a director of these companies at the time of the offers of financial assistance; and if Mr. A subsequently became a director of these companies. [35265]

Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 1 July 1996]: Mr. A's period as a member of the south-west industrial development board spans the dates of the grants mentioned. Mr. A was a director of company L when the application for assistance for the company's second project was considered and therefore saw no departmental papers relating to the application and absented himself from the relevant discussion by the industrial development board. Mr. A has also been a director of company N since 1987, but none of the grants to that company--because they were not regional selective assistance--were considered by the industrial development board.

Mr. Jamieson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list those employees and external advisers that took part in the assessment of the regional selective assistance grant offered to Porthcurno Management Company Ltd. in December 1993; how many of these subsequently acted as directors of this company; and on what date they became directors. [35221]

Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 1 July 1996]: Departmental officials principally involved in the assessment were John Bowder, Mike Twomey and Nalem Iqbal all of the south-west office; Margaret Nimmo, economics and statistics division, and Iain Osborne, industrial competitiveness division. As I explained in my answer of 29 April, Official Report, columns 363-64, Kenneth Holmes, an external accountancy adviser, was also involved in the assessment.

The case was also considered by the south-west industrial development board.

Of the individuals named, one--Mr. Holmes--subsequently became a director of the company on 22 February 1994.

Mr. Jamieson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade on what dates his Department's south-west industrial development board has met since 1990. [37641]

Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 17 July 1996]: The south-west industrial development board has met on the following dates:

1990
30 January
27 February
27 March
24 April
22 May
26 June
30 October
27 November

19 Jul 1996 : Column: 731

1991
19 March
30 April
25 June
30 July
24 September
26 November
1992
31 March
28 April
30 June
27 October
15 December
1993
23 February
30 March
27 April
25 May
29 June
27 July
28 September
26 October
30 November
21 December
1994
26 January
23 February
23 March
27 April
25 May
29 June
27 July
11 August
28 September
26 October
16 and 30 November
30 November
21 December
1995
25 January
22 February
12 April
28 June
26 July
30 August
27 September
25 October
29 November
20 December
1996
10 and 24 April
26 June

19 Jul 1996 : Column: 732

Mr. Jamieson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 18 June, Official Report, columns 461-64, what potential conflict of interest obliged Messrs Jordan and Harris to absent themselves from the meeting of his Department's south-west industrial development board discussing the application of Magrathea (Pendennis) Ltd. for financial assistance.[37648]

Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 17 July 1996]: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 16 July, Official Report, column 463.

Insolvency Practitioners

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many complaints against insolvency practitioners were received by his Department and the regulatory bodies sponsored by his Department since 1990 if he will indicated the outcome of each complaint. [37338]

Mr. Oppenheim: Detailed information about the number of complaints to my Department and the recognised professional bodies about insolvency practitioners is not available prior to 1992. Since that date, the figures are as follows:

Year	Complaints
1992	391
1993	532
1994	587
1995	567

Information about the outcome of each complaint is not available. However, in the period from 1 January 1992 to 31 December 1995, 21 insolvency practitioners had their authorisations revoked or their application for renewal of their authorisation refused. The recognised professional bodies also took appropriate regulatory action in other cases, but the majority of complaints, after investigation, revealed no evidence of misconduct.

Footwear Industry

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list for (a) 1975, (b) 1979 and (c) 1995 in terms of current and constant values United Kingdom imports and exports of footwear with (i) leather soles and (ii) uppers of leather or composition leather. [38174]

Mr. Oppenheim: The information requested is not available.

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the effect of the change in the real value of sterling since the second half of 1973 on the reduction in output and employment in the footwear industry. [38173]

Mr. Oppenheim: To isolate the effects of currency movements from other influences on the output and employment of individual industries would be a major research task, which the Department has not undertaken.

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the value in constant prices of United Kingdom imports and exports of footwear in 1975, 1979 and 1995. [38172]

19 Jul 1996 : Column: 733

Mr. Oppenheim: Information in constant prices is not available. Current price figures for United Kingdom imports and exports of footwear are published by HM Customs and Excise in "overseas trade statistics of the United Kingdom" which is available in the Library of the House.

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will estimate the effect on the level of (a) imports and (b) exports of footwear of the change in real value of the pound since the second quarter of 1993. [38175]

Mr. Oppenheim: Information on the levels of United Kingdom trade in footwear, and the real effective exchange rate since the second quarter of 1993 are given in the table. To isolate the effect of exchange rate movements from other major influences on UK trade would be a major research tasks, which the Department has not undertaken.

UK trade in Footwear

	Imports £ million	Exports current price	Real effective exchange rate (1990=100)
1993
Q1	323	97	86.6
Q2	278	84	88.7
Q3	310	107	90.2
Q4	323	131	90.2
1994
Q1	395	130	90.7
Q2	335	107	89.1
Q3	363	122	87.9
Q4	348	117	89.1
1995
Q1	409	130	87.2
Q2	345	107	84.3
Q3	389	143	84.3
Q4	385	130	83.5
1996
Q1	470	156	83.5

Sources:

Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom, HM Customs and Excise.

Economic Trends, Office for National Statistics.

---