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Minimum Wage (Hairdressing)

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will re-introduce a minimum wage in occupations where the service provided is not traded internationally, with particular reference to hairdressing. [2081]

Mr. John M. Taylor: No. The Government have no intention of introducing minimum wage legislation. Statutory wage fixing would lead to increased costs and job losses in hairdressing as in any other industry.

Trade Deficit (Germany)

Mr. Renton: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the trade deficit with the Federal Republic of Germany in (a) visibles and (b) invisibles for 1996; and what were the equivalent figures for (i) 1995 and (ii) 1994. [3868]

13 Nov 1996 : Column: 231

Mr. Lang: The UK current account balances with unified Germany, for 1994, 1995 and the first eight months of 1996, are given in the table.

£ million

	1994	1995	1996 (January-August)
Goods	-4,669	-5,960	-4,392
Services	+462	+638	n/a
Investment income	+46	+293	n/a
Transfers	+28	+35	n/a

Sources:

1. Geographic Analysis of the Current Account of the Balance of Balance of Payments, Economic Trends, October 1996, Office of National Statistics.

2. Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics, August 1996, Office for National Statistics.

Note:

n/a = not available.

Joint Equipment Initiative

Mr. Ingram: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the eligibility criteria for the provision of funds for capital expenditure under the joint equipment initiative; and if he will make a statement. [3690]

Mr. Ian Taylor: The eligibility criteria can be found in the guidelines for the initiative, which were issued on 26 February 1996. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Ingram: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what support has been provided to universities under the joint equipment initiative; what were the targets set for the initiative; and if he will make a statement. [3689]

Mr. Taylor: The awards to be made under the joint research equipment initiative have yet to be announced, so no figure is currently available for the support provided to universities under the initiative. The objectives of the scheme were as follows:

To enable high-quality research relevant to the foresight generic science and technology priorities to be conducted with the equipment;


To contribute more generally to the physical research infrastructure in higher education institutions;


To promote partnership between higher education institutions and external sponsors of research, such as industry/commerce, charities, Government Departments, agencies and NHS trusts;


To assist the funding councils, the Department of Education Northern Ireland and research councils in taking a strategic overview of the equipment needs of the UK higher education sector.

Research Councils Procurement Officer

Mr. Ingram: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what annual savings targets have been set for the newly appointed central procurement officer for the research councils. [3691]

Mr. Ian Taylor: The procurement adviser has been set a number of key objectives for his first year, including an impact on the procurement bill. During the first three calendar months he will assess the current state of procurement practices and performance within the

13 Nov 1996 : Column: 232

councils and on that basis will propose targets and define the parameters for savings taking account of both purchase price and where applicable life-cycle cost.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Female Detainees

Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women were detained in prisons, under Immigration Act powers, at the end of (a) July, (b) August and (c) September; what were the nationalities of those detained; how many were deported; and in which prison establishments they were detained. [1043]

Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Richard Tilt to Dr. Lynne Jones, dated 13 November 1996:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking, how many women were detained in prison, under Immigration Act powers, at the end of (a) July, (b) August and (c) September; what were the nationalities of those detained; how many were deported; and in which prison establishments they were detained.
The information requested on those detained is given in the attached table. Provisional information shows that between July and September 4 persons were recorded as being discharged for removal by the Immigration Service.
Population of female Immigration Act detainees(1) in prison service establishments in England and Wales on last day of month, July to September 1966; by nationality(2)

Nationality	Number
July 1996
HMP Holloway
Jamaica	6
Nigeria	5
Zimbabwe	2
Others	8
HMP Risley
Other	2
Total	23
August 1996
HMP Holloway
Jamaica	4
Nigeria	5
Zimbabwe	3
Others	12
HMP Risley
Other	1
HMP Styal
Other	1
Total	26
September 1996
HMP Holloway
Jamaica	7
Nigeria	3
Zimbabwe	3
Other	9
HMP Risley
Other	1
HMP Styal
Other	1
HMP New Hall
Other	1
Total	25




(1) Provisional figures.

(2) Nationalities with only one prisoner are included in "Other".

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Prisoners (Drugs Tests)

Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list (a) the number of prisoners tested for drugs each month since March 1996, (b) the number of prisoners who have tested positive for each type of drug in each month since March 1996 and (c) the number of prisons testing for drugs each month since March 1996. [1499]

13 Nov 1996 : Column: 234

Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. George Howarth, dated 13 November 1996:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the numbers of prisoners tested for drugs, the number of prisons testing and the number of prisoners testing positive for each drug type since March 1996.
The attached table sets out the numbers tested and the numbers testing positive for each drug under all forms of Drug Strategy testing. These comprise the random, on suspicion, risk assessment, frequent testing and on reception types of mandatory drug test, and voluntary testing. Since forms of targeted testing of drug misusers are included in these figures and because multiple drug positives from a single sample have all been counted, these figures indicate higher levels of drug misuse than those for random mandatory drug testing previously published in Hansard. Since the end of March this year all prison establishments have been testing for drugs.

13 Nov 1996 : Column: 233

Mandatory and voluntary drug testing: numbers of prisoners tested and numbers positive for each drug group, March 1996 to September 1996Number positive for each drug

Number tested	Can	Opi	Ben	Coc	Amph	Meth	Bar	LSD
March
6,482	1,869	472	116	13	16	17	2	0
April
6,419	1,488	483	140	17	15	24	2	0
May
6,960	1,495	515	209	22	21	32	3	1
June
6,777	1,384	517	189	25	12	23	4	0
July
7,448	1,623	675	173	17	10	29	4	0
August
6,596	1,404	534	143	32	15	19	1	0
September(3)
6,743	1,413	570	143	21	17	33	4	1




(3) Figures for September are provisional.

Key:

Can = cannabis

Opi = opiates

Ben = benzodiazepines

Coc = cocaine

Amph = amphetamines

Meth = methadone

Bar = barbiturates

LSD = lysergic acid diethylamide

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13 Nov 1996 : Column: 233

Prisoners (Earnings)

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the rules which govern the earnings of prisoners in United Kingdom prisons and the discretion given to individual prison governors. [1420]

Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter in so far as it relates to England and Wales has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given. The rules

13 Nov 1996 : Column: 234

governing the earnings of prisoners in Scotland are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. Martyn Jones, dated 13 November 1996:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the rules which govern the earnings of prisoners within the United Kingdom. The rules governing prisoners' earnings in Scotland are a matter for the Secretary of State for Scotland, so this reply only relates to England and Wales.

13 Nov 1996 : Column: 235

Under Rule 28(6) of the prison Rules 1964 (as amended) relating to England and Wales, prisoners may be paid for their work at rates approved by the Secretary of State, either generally or in relation to particular cases. The present Prison Service pay scheme for prisoners, introduced in 1992, is designed to encourage prisoners to engage in purposeful activity (work, education or other purposeful activity); to allow governors flexibility to use pay to meet their local priorities; and to ensure a reasonable degree of uniformity in rates of pay for similar work in different establishments.
Under the scheme prisoners willing to engage in purposeful activity but who cannot be offered a place receive a wage sufficient to meet their basic needs (the basic rate). Prisoners who engage in purposeful activity and perform to an acceptable level of quality and effort receive a higher wage designed to meet their reasonable needs and to provide a real incentive to engage in such activity (the employed rate). These two rates of pay are set nationally, and currently stand at £2.50 and £4 per week respectively.
In addition, governors may set rates of pay above these amounts for prisoners engaged in purposeful activity to acceptable levels of quality and effort measured against targets made known to each prisoner in advance.
Within these parameters, governors will establish a standard working week for each activity according to the needs of the establishment; and they may establish differentials between activities in recognition of regime priorities, the regular working of long hours, environmental conditions, and any other factors which in the governor's view merit financial recognition. Governors therefore calculate their budgets for prisoner pay on the basis on an average of £7 per week (£8 per week in dispersal prisons).
Some prisons are able to operate schemes under which prisoners may earn higher amounts for higher productivity. Such schemes must be self-financing. Average earnings under the schemes currently running is about £15 per week, although a few prisoners have been able to boost their earnings to £30 in some weeks.
The Prisoners' Earnings Act 1996, which receive Royal Assent in July, provides a framework by which governors can make deductions from the wages of a prisoner earning enhanced wages in a prison operating the enhanced wages scheme. This allows for payments to be made in respect of a prisoner's own maintenance and accommodation, to support their dependants, towards organisations involved with victims and crime prevention and towards savings against release. It is intended that the Act will be implemented in spring next year.

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