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Beef

Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which health trusts in Wales purchase beef from Wales or elsewhere in the United Kingdom for consumption by hospital patients. [5987]

Mr. Win Griffiths: The information requested is not held centrally. Decisions on the purchase of food lie with each NHS Trust in Wales.

Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many local education authorities allow beef to be included on school menus; and what is the policy of each local education authority in Wales on the purchase of British beef for school meals. [5988]

Mr. Hain: The information requested is not held centrally, but I am, of course, keen to see the highest nutritional standards in school meals. Local education authorities and schools will wish to take into account parents' views and to offer a choice of dishes whenever possible.

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NORTHERN IRELAND

Drugs

Mr. Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list by type of drug the number of persons for each police authority in England and Wales (a) cautioned, (b) proceeded against in a Magistrate's Court and (c) tried at the Crown Court for possession of a proscribed drug in (i) 1994, (ii) 1995 and (iii) the last 12-month period for which figures are available. [4795]

Mr. Ingram: The information is not available in the format requested and would incur disproportionate cost to provide.

However, the number of persons who were cautioned for the possession of controlled drugs in 1994 and 1995 was 363 and 286 respectively. Figures will not be available for 1996 until the end of July 1997.

The following table sets out the number of persons proceeded against for possession of a controlled drug in a Magistrate's Court and in a Crown Court between 1994 and 1996.

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Persons proceeded against for possession of a controlled drug in a Magistrate's Court or in a Crown Court 1994-96

	Persons proceeded against
	1994		1995		1996
Offence	Magistrate's Court	Crown Court	Magistrate's Court	Crown Court	Magistrate's Court	Crown Court
Possessing controlled drug (inc. attempts)	397	9	492	18	379	39
Possessing controlled drug with intent to supply (inc. attempts)	54	23	90	48	45	158
Total	451	32	582	66	424	197

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Unemployment

Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if she will make a statement on the costs of implementing her Department's proposals to deal with long-term unemployment assuming a scheme to cover 40,000 persons; [5141]

(2) if she will list the measures available for unemployed people to seek (a) training and (b) retraining.[5139]

Mr. Worthington: Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Training and Employment Agency under its Chief Executive, Mr. Ian Walters. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from Ian Walters to Rev. Martin Smyth, dated 27 June 1997:

Parliamentary Question No. 5141
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has asked me as Chief Executive of the Training and Employment Agency to reply to your question regarding the costs of implementing proposals to deal with long-term unemployment.
In the current financial year the Agency will be spending over £37 million to assist people unemployed for at least a year, back to work through the Action for Community Employment programme, the pilot Community Work Programme and Enterprise Ulster. These three measures provide over 6,700 places for the long-term unemployed.

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In order to ensure the most effective and efficient use of existing resources the Agency is currently engaged in a review of its measures. The results of the initial stages of the review, which involved a public consultation process, are currently being assessed. Our work is continuing within the wider context of the Government's Welfare to Work proposals and the priority attached to them.
With regard to projected costs, we are of course currently committed to plan within the limits set by the 1996 Public Expenditure Survey.
I hope that you find this reply useful.

Letter from Ian Walters to Rev. Martin Smyth, dated 27 June 1997:

Parliamentary Question No. 5139
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has asked me, as Chief Executive of the Training and Employment Agency, to reply to your question about the measures available for unemployed people seeking training and retraining.
The Agency administers a broad range of programmes to assist the unemployed who are seeking training or retraining. These are:
Jobskills Programme
Jobskills is an integrated programme which provides high quality NVQ based training to unemployed persons aged between 16 and 59. There are approximately 15,000 places available during 1997/98.
Young people aged 16 and 17 are guaranteed a Jobskills training place. Places are available also for adults seeking training or retraining.

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Training Centre Network
The Agency's network of Training Centres provides for young people and adults full-time training and re-training leading to NVQ level 2 in a chosen skill or trade. On completion of the training, which usually lasts for 12 months, trainees are normally placed with employers to continue their training towards the achievement of NVQ level 3 under the guidance of Training Centre staff. The Centre also provides tailored pre-employment training in connection with new inward investment projects, usually for a period of 6-10 weeks, to enable unemployed people to improve their prospects of getting a job.
Open Learning Centres
The Agency also supports the work of 12 Open Learning Access Centres which provide flexible job-related training for those for whom traditional forms of education and training are inappropriate. The main client groups for these Centres are the unemployed, women returning to the labour market and those with disabilities.
Enterprise Ulster
Enterprise Ulster is a statutory organisation which provides employment, training and work experience for adults, particularly 18-25 year olds, who have been unemployed for more than three months. Its programmes include training in projects of an environmental and amenity nature. Enterprise Ulster provides an average of 1,260 places each year.
Community Work Programme
The Community Work Programme offers long-term unemployed adults employment and training placements of up to three years duration in worthwhile and meaningful work of community benefit. It has been operated on a pilot basis since 1995 and provides 1,000 places which have been filled.
Action for Community Employment
The Action for Community Employment (ACE) programme provides temporary employment, with training, of up to one year's duration for long-term unemployed adults in projects of community benefit. The essential purpose of the scheme is to enable participants to complete more effectively for available jobs. ACE employees differ from participants on other Agency programmes in that they are treated as being in paid employment and receive a wage based on the local rate for the job. ACE is providing an average of 5,200 places during 1997/98.
Bridge to Employment Pilot
The Agency, with support from the EU Special Programme for Peace and Reconciliation, is piloting a Bridge to Employment programme under which long-term unemployed adults and those in

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danger of becoming long-term unemployed, can obtain the minimum skills necessary to enable them to compete for known job opportunities on equal terms with other applicants. Typical training would be for a period of up to 13 weeks to a specification agreed with participating employers.
Management Development
The Agency provides programmes aimed at developing management skills and competencies in recently qualified graduates. Almost 400 places are available in 1997/98.
New Horizons
New Horizons provides retraining for experienced managers who have been made redundant. The programme provides 36 places.
I hope you find this information helpful.

Special Advisers

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the special advisers in her Department, the Minister to whom each is responsible, the subjects on which they advise and the number of advisers in her Department in the year up to 1 May. [5371]

Marjorie Mowlam: I have appointed Nigel Warner and Anna Healy as my special advisers. They are employed under terms and conditions based on the model contract for special advisers, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. Mr. Warner and Ms Healy are advising me in accordance with Schedule 1 (Part 1) of the Model Contract. The previous Secretary of State for Northern Ireland employed one special adviser between 26 February and 20 December 1996.

Smoking

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentage of adult (a) men and (b) women in Northern Ireland are cigarette smokers in each 10 year age band; and if he will make a statement.[4760]

Mr. Worthington [holding answer 24 June 1997]: Estimates of the number and percentage of adult men and women cigarette smokers in Northern Ireland in 1995 are shown in the table.

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Cigarette smoking among adults, by age and gender, Northern Ireland 1995Per cent./numbers

	Males		Females
Age	Percentage of smokers	Estimated number of cigarette smokers	Percentage of smokers	Estimated number of cigarette smokers
16 to 24	29	33,903	31	33,636
25 to 34	34	42,384	35	44,745
35 to 44	32	33,277	33	34,706
45 to 54	32	28,680	29	26,738
55 to 64	28	19,298	23	17,399
65 to 74	23	12,429	17	11,745
75 and over	13	3,790	9	5,112
All persons	29	170,317	27	171,517

Notes:

1. The percentages have been calculated from the NISRA (Central Survey Unit) Continuous Household Survey 1994-95.

2. The number of smokers has been estimated using NISRA (Demography and Methodology Branch) mid-year population estimates, and the percentages of smokers.

3. Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole figure.

Source:

Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA).

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