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Vocational Qualifications
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of the Northern Ireland work force has no vocational qualifications. [4639]
Mr. Ancram: It is not possible to identify a definitive list of qualifications which are purely vocational as many--for example, higher and first degrees--come in both vocational and academic form. At winter 1995-96, the latest date for which figures are available, approximately 24 per cent. of the Northern Ireland work force had no formal qualifications of any kind.
Employment Statistics
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of people work in Northern Ireland are in part-time employment; and of these, what percentage are (a) women, (b) men and (c) aged between 18 and 25 years. [5026]
Mr. Ancram: A total of 22 per cent. of people working in Northern Ireland are in part-time employment. Of these, 85 per cent. are women, 15 per cent. are men and 14 per cent. are aged between 18 and 25 years.
Qualifications
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland have no qualifications; and of these, how many are aged between 18 and 25 years. [5022]
Mr. Ancram: Information obtained from the spring 1996 labour force survey shows that there are approximately 299,000 people of working age in Northern Ireland with no formal qualifications. Of these almost 29,000 are between 18 and 25 years of age.
Unemployment
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many 18 to 25-year-old (a) men and (b) women in Northern Ireland have been unemployed for (i) more than six months and (ii) more than one year. [5028]
Mr. Ancram: The latest available information relates to 10 October 1996 and is as follows:
| Claimants aged 18-24 | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployed for six months or more | 6,677 | 2,158 |
| Unemployed for one year or more | 4,261 | 1,285 |
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the population of Northern Ireland who are without any qualifications are unemployed. [5023]
Mr. Ancram: Information obtained from the spring 1996 labour force survey shows that approximately 10 per cent. of the Northern Ireland population of working age who have no qualifications are unemployed--International Labour Organisation definition.
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Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many 18 to 25-year-olds in Northern Ireland are (a) men and (b) women; and how many in, and what percentage of, each group are unemployed. [5029]
Mr. Ancram: The latest available information is as follows:
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| (i) Number of 18 to 24-year-olds (1995 mid-year estimates) | 91,223 | 83,998 |
| (ii) Number of 18 to 24-year-olds unemployed on 10 October 1996 | 13,792 | 6,615 |
| (iii) (ii) as a percentage of (i) | 15.1 per cent. | 7.9 per cent. |
Resource Accounting
Mr. Tim Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress his Department is making with the introduction of resource accounting and budgeting; and in respect of which financial year he expects to publish the first set of resource accounts. [4989]
Sir John Wheeler: Northern Ireland Departments and the Northern Ireland Office continue to progress their plans for the implementation of the changes necessary to support the introduction of resource accounting and budgeting. The Departments are in the course of introducing systems which will enable resource accounts to be published and laid before Parliament for the year 1999-2000.
Grammar Schools
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what sums were spent on the preparatory departments of voluntary and other grammar schools in the most recent year of which figures are available; and for what purposes such money was provided. [4917]
Mr. Ancram: The most recent year for which figures are available is the 1995-96 financial year and the table details the sums spent:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Voluntary grammar schools | 1,316,162 |
| Controlled grammar schools | 172,060 |
Under the local management of schools formula funding arrangements, financial contributions to preparatory departments are restricted to 40 per cent. of the teaching costs. All other costs are met by parental contribution.
Mr. Worthington:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what activities of voluntary grammar schools are funded by the Department of Education through its funding formulae that are not funded by education and library boards in their funding formulae. [4918]
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Mr. Ancram:
The funding arrangements for voluntary grammar schools allow for all expenditure relating to maintenance and equipment to be delegated to schools whereas education and library boards handle some of the costs centrally for controlled and maintained schools. The voluntary grammar school arrangements also allow for the payment of VAT and some other costs such as insurance which do not arise in controlled and maintained schools.
Mr. Worthington:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff are employed and how much money is spent by the Department of Education in administering (a) higher education and (b) further education. [4919]
Mr. Ancram:
I will write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Worthington:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pupils there are at (a) controlled and (b) maintained schools, at (i) primary and (ii) secondary level (1) currently, (2) in five and (3) in 10 years' time. [4920]
Mr. Ancram:
Details of the enrolments for (a) controlled and (b) maintained schools at (i) primary and (ii) secondary level are as follows:
| Controlled | Maintained | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | 89,674 | 92,769 |
| Secondary | 55,289 | 49,199 |
Note:
Voluntary grammar schools are excluded.
School population projections are not available by school management type.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Resource Accounting
Mr. Tim Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress his Department is making with the introduction of resource accounting and budgeting; and in respect of which financial year he expects to publish the first set of resource accounts. [4991]
Mr. Willetts: The Cabinet Office will be introducing its resource accounting system on 1 April 1998. The Department, in common with others, is preparing to implement resource budgeting in time to form the basis for the year 2000 survey. As set out in Cm 2929, the first published resource accounts for the Department and all other departments will be in respect of 1999-2000.
Government Opportunities Report
Mr. Sweeney: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the 1996 Government opportunities special report will be published. [5773]
Mr. Freeman: The 1996 Government opportunities special report is being published today. The report shows that opening up government activities to competition and private sector involvement under the competing for
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quality programme has led to savings to the taxpayer of over £700 million each year. A copy has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what information is collated centrally on (a) the long-term revenue commitments and (b) any other commitments arising as a result of private finance initiative projects agreed by (i) his Department and (ii) agencies accountable to his Department. [5089]
Mr. Willetts [holding answer 20 November 1996]: The Government response to the Treasury Committee report on the private finance initiative agreed on the importance of collecting and monitoring information on future spending commitments arising from contracts under the private finance initiative. Such information is now being collected. The response stated that aggregate projections of the level of expenditure that is anticipated to arise from signed contracts under the initiative would be published in the 1997-98 Financial Statement and Budget Report.
Civil Service (Nationality Restrictions)
Mr. Derek Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what were the Government's objectives in introducing nationality restrictions on employment in the civil service in June 1996; [5248]
- (2) if the Government will scrap the nationality bar and restore the rights of Irish and Commonwealth citizens in applying for civil service posts; [5249]
(3) what legal provisions govern the rights of Irish and Commonwealth citizens to apply for posts in the UK civil service. [5250]
Mr. Freeman: The changes announced in my written answer to the hon. Member for Taunton (Mr. Nicholson) on 1 March 1996, Official Report, column 771, took effect on 1 June 1996 and I have no plans to reverse them.
The legal provisions governing the rights of Irish and Commonwealth citizens to apply for posts in the UK civil service are as follows. The Aliens' Restriction (Amendment) Act 1919 prohibits the appointment of any alien.
"to any office or place in the Civil Service of the State".
Because of Great Britain's historic connections with Ireland and the Commonwealth, the definition of "alien" did not include British protected persons or the Irish, even when the Republic of Ireland left the Commonwealth in 1948. Civil service posts were accordingly open to Commonwealth nationals and citizens of the Republic of Ireland. Having regard to the conditions at the time of their enactment, the concept of "alien" in the 1919 Act included those who are now nationals of European Economic Area member states. Under the British Nationality Act 1981, an "alien" is
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The June 1996 changes were made under the Minister's powers in the Civil Service Order in Council in order to protect the UK's right, which every other EEA member state has, to be able to reserve its core posts for its own nationals.
"a person who is neither a Community citizen nor a British protected person nor a citizen of the Republic of Ireland".
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