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Youth Justice Board
Lord Burlison asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What progress has been made with arrangements to establish the Youth Justice Board.[HL2498]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Williams of Mostyn): Following my right honourable friend the Home Secretary's announcement at Second Reading of the Crime and Disorder Bill [HL] on 8 April in another place that he intended to establish the youth justice board for England and Wales from 1 October 1998 (if the Bill receives Royal Assent early enough), advertisements for the chair and 11 other board members appeared in the press from 19 April.
Over 750 applications have been received (for the post of chair, member or both), and the competitions are being conducted in line with guidance from the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments ("Nolan" procedures). The selection panel for the post of chair was chaired by David Omand, Permanent Secretary of the Home Office, with John Halliday, Director of Criminal Policy, Home Office; Tom Luce, Head of Social Care Policy, Department of Health; and two independent assessors: Sir Terence Harrison, Chairman, Alfred McAlpine plc., former Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce; and Mrs. Gill Pitt, general education inspector, Northamptonshire Inspection and Advisory Service, former primary headteacher.
Following advice from the selection panel, we are pleased to announce that the chair of the youth justice board will be Norman Warner, chair of the Task Force on Youth Justice and, until he takes up his appointment, senior policy adviser, Home Office.
The panel selecting the 11 other members of the new board is expected to provide advice in the summer, and Mr. Warner is participating in the selection process.
The setting up of the youth justice board as an executive non-departmental public body is a significant step forward in delivering the Government's commitment to tackling youth crime and reforming youth justice. The Task Force on Youth Justice is likely to complete its work in July and will then be wound up.
Job Creation and Development Organisations
Lord Dean of Beswick asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many jobs in each of the last five years have been created by each of the following: (a) the Scottish Development Agency; (b) the Welsh Development Agency; (c) the Northern Ireland Industrial Development Board; (d) their counterparts in the English regions; and what has been the expenditure each year by each of these organisations in order to attract these jobs.[HL2239]
The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Clinton-Davis): Comparable information on job creation covering the whole of the UK over this period is only available in respect of inward investment. The following figures of jobs created and safeguarded by inward investment are based on annual results announced by the Invest in Britain Bureau:
| Jobs created | Jobs safeguarded | |
| 1996-97 | ||
| Scotland | 9,928 | 2,069 |
| Wales | 10,397 | 2,256 |
| Northern Ireland | 4,135 | 3,070 |
| East | 925 | 470 |
| East Midlands | 1,306 | 4,770 |
| London | 2,651 | 1,205 |
| North East | 3,089 | 4,474 |
| North West | 1,456 | 2,332 |
| South East | 3,905 | 1,916 |
| South West | 682 | 4,218 |
| West of England | 1,622 | 2,510 |
| West Midlands | 4,387 | 15,351 |
| Yorkshire & Humberside | 1,887 | 3,503 |
| Jobs created | Jobs safeguarded | |
| 1995-96 | ||
| Scotland | 9,092 | 2,728 |
| Wales | 4,429 | 4,602 |
| Northern Ireland | 3,741 | 710 |
| East | 372 | 1,881 |
| East Midlands | 1,437 | 927 |
| London | 2,588 | 2,235 |
| North East | 6,075 | 7,433 |
| North West | 3,622 | 2,073 |
| South East | 5,385 | 13,482 |
| South West | 1,468 | 742 |
| West of England | 250 | 1,900 |
| West Midlands | 7,034 | 4,467 |
| Yorkshire & Humberside | 2,004 | 7,527 |
| UK | 0 | 1,500 |
| Region not specified | 0 | 120 |
These figures reflect all inward investment notified to the Invest in Britain Bureau whether or not assisted in any way by regional agencies. It is therefore not possible to provide agency cost figures which bear any meaningful relationship to these job figures.
The range of activities of the agencies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also goes wider than inward investment. Counterpart agencies with a similar range of activities have not existed in the English regions over this five-year period. However, regional development agencies will be created in each of the English regions on 1 April 1999.
Lord Fraser of Carmyllie asked Her Majesty's Government:
Jobs created Jobs safeguarded
1994-95
Scotland 7,678 3,117
Wales 3,151 2,084
Northern Ireland 3,251 2,008
East 842 1,620
East Midlands 3,028 8,642
North East 5,780 3,871
North West 1,986 5,417
South East 3,273 14,895
South West 1,386 707
West Midlands 4,797 7,469
Yorkshire & Humberside 3,152 3,867
London 27 0
Jobs created Jobs safeguarded
1993-94
Scotland 7,635 4,639
Wales 3,913 2,651
Northern Ireland 3,030 601
East 482 1,231
East Midlands 3,218 210
North East 2,256 3,981
North West 2,427 2,312
South East 916 5,950
South West 1,065 1,112
West Midlands 3,370 43,069
Yorkshire & Humberside 2,329 3,998
Jobs created Jobs safeguarded
1992-93
Scotland 4,497 4,198
Wales 2,382 4,939
Northern Ireland 2,742 1,357
East 363 10,632
East Midlands 183 405
North East 2,312 3,210
North West 992 3,763
South East 1,212 6,128
South West 285 995
West Midlands 1,568 2,669
Yorkshire & Humberside 1,286 5,229
When the report and accompanying executive summary of the Low Pay Commission on the national
30 Jun 1998 : Column WA72
- minimum wage was first delivered to Ministers; and to whom, other than Ministers, officials in departments and special advisers, the report and accompanying executive summary have been distributed.[HL2352]
Lord Clinton-Davis: The Low Pay Commission report was delivered to the Government on 27 May. Printed copies of the report are now available from the Stationery Office and copies of its summary and recommendations are available from the DTI Publications Orderline.
Lord Fraser of Carmyllie asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether the distribution of the report and accompanying executive summary of the Low Pay Commission on the national minimum wage to individuals and organisations outside government departments had been authorised by Ministers prior to its publication to Parliament and the public; and when and by whom was such authorisation for distribution of the report and accompanying executive summary was given.[HL2353]
Lord Clinton-Davis: No such authorisation was given.
Lord Fraser of Carmyllie asked Her Majesty's Government:
- On how many occasions since the delivery of the report and accompanying executive summary of the Low Pay Commission on the national minimum wage have either the President of the Board of Trade or the Minister of State (Mr. McCartney) met Mr. John Edmonds of the GMB union or Mr. John Monks of the Trades Union Congress and what was discussed.[HL2354]
Lord Clinton-Davis: Ministers do, of course, meet representatives of employers and employees from time to time as part of their normal functions. I understand that the President of the Board of Trade attended a TUC dinner on 16 June. I do not know what was discussed.
Lord Fraser of Carmyllie asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What instructions were given by Ministers to officials regarding the distribution and discussion of the report and accompanying executive summary of the Low Pay Commission on the national minimum wage prior to publication.[HL2355]
Lord Clinton-Davis: It was agreed that the normal procedures for dealing with confidential reports of this kind should be followed.
Lord Fraser of Carmyllie asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether the Chairman of the Low Pay Commission has been advised of the arrangements made to allow distribution of the report and accompanying executive summary of the Low Pay
- Commission on the national minimum wage to selected individuals and organisations.[HL2356]
Lord Clinton-Davis: No such advice for distribution of the report was given to the Chairman of the Low Pay Commission. Publication of the report was a matter for the Government.
Lord Fraser of Carmyllie asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they first became aware that Mr. John Edmonds of the GMB union and Mr. John Monks of the Trades Union Congress have had in their possession copies of the report and accompanying executive summary of the Low Pay Commission on the national minimum wage; whether this distribution was authorised; and, if not, what steps they have taken to institute a leak inquiry.[HL2357]
Lord Clinton-Davis: I cannot confirm that the individuals in questions had copies of the report or the summary. Distribution prior to publication was not authorised by Ministers, as I made clear in the Committee of this House on Monday 15 June (Official Report, col. 1377).
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