| Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
Physiotherapists: Work-related Injuries
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many physiotherapists were absent from work for three months or longer because of work-related musculo-skeletal disorder; what steps are being taken to reduce long-term sick leave because of work-related musculo-skeletal injury; and how many physiotherapists are given the option of alternative duty programmes; and [HL572]
What they are doing to ensure that physiotherapy departments put in place effective strategies to prevent work-related injury, particularly musculo-skeletal injury. [HL573]
Lord Warner: The Department of Health's survey of sickness rate in the National Health Service does not collect information broken down by staff group or reason for absence.
The national "Back in Work" campaign launched in 2002 is aimed at reducing back and musculo-skeletal injuries to staff in the National Health Service. The campaign is targeted at all staff, from porters to physiotherapists. Guidance on safer lifting and handling techniques, and examples of good practice, including offering alternative work as part of rehabilitation of staff is available at www.nhs.uk/backinwork. "Back in Work" is supported by a number of partner organisations, including the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
While physiotherapy departments are primarily concerned with providing a service to patients, physiotherapists may be providing a service to staff as part of local strategies on preventive measures to reduce sickness rates in their organisation.
Teachers: Recruitment and Retention
Lord Smith of Leigh asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Lord Adonis): There were 431,700 full-time equivalent regular teachers employed in maintained schools in England in January 2005. This means they have reached their highest level since 1981.
The total wastage of full-time teachers in the maintained schools sector dropped from a peak of 27,730 in 2000–01 to 26,940 in 2002–03. This is the latest year for which figures are available.
22 Jun 2005 : Column WA186
Citizenship Lessons
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will ensure that the national curriculum content of lessons and material on government, the constitution and Parliament in maintained secondary schools includes studies of United Kingdom membership of the European Union. [HL525]
Lord Adonis: The national curriculum requires that pupils should be taught about the United Kingdom's relations in Europe, including the European Union and the wider issues and challenges of global interdependence and responsibility, as part of developing their knowledge, understanding and skills about democratic institutions and processes. The Qualifications Curriculum Authority has produced and circulated citizenship schemes of work to all schools to help them in planning and developing lessons on citizenship.
School Governors
Lord Skidelsky asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many vacancies there are for governors in England and Wales in (a) primary schools, and (b) secondary schools; and what were the equivalent figures in 2003 and 2004. [HL575]
Lord Adonis: Figures for school governor vacancies are not collected centrally in England. A report on school governance in England commissioned by the department in 2003 indicated that the average vacancy rate at that time was around 12 per cent. The report did not distinguish between primary and secondary schools.
The figures for Wales are as follows:
| Primary | Secondary | |
| January 2003 | 1,208 | 237 |
| January 2004 | 1,318 | 224 |
Figures for 2005 will be available in August.
Salmon
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass asked Her Majesty's Government:
What effect the Irish Republic's current policy on salmon drift net fishing is having on wild salmon stocks in British rivers; and what are the figures on wild salmon stocks in British rivers for each of the past 10 years. [HL435]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Bach): Tagging studies suggest that the Irish salmon drift net fishery takes less than 1 per cent of salmon returning to rivers in the north-east of
22 Jun 2005 : Column WA187
England, but this proportion is greater for stocks in Wales and the west of England, possibly increasing to around 10 per cent for some rivers in the south and south-west.
I refer the noble Lord to the Environment Agency's Fisheries Statistics 2003 in the Library of the House. A river-by-river breakdown of salmon catches in England and Wales 1993–2003 can be found in Table 11 (nets) and Table 13 (rods).
The-river-by-river assessment of salmon stock status against conservation limits can be found in Table 19 on page 50 of the attached Annual Assessment of Salmon Stock & Fisheries report in England and Wales 2004 in the House of Lords Library. The aggregated catch statistics for England and Wales are given on page 25.
For Northern Ireland, the wild salmon stock estimates for the past 10 years are:
| Year | |
| 1995 | 87,250 |
| 1996 | 90,785 |
| 1997 | 107,893 |
| 1998 | 225,109 |
| 1999 | 62,146 |
| 2000 | 89,305 |
| 2001 | 69,980 |
| 2002 | 87,462 |
| 2003 | 79,067 |
| 2004 | 75,211 |
Source: ICES 2004
In Northern Ireland (NI) the overall catch in the Foyle area has always been split 50:50 between NI salmon statistics for commercially caught salmon, and the Republic of Ireland (RoI) statistics. This is because the agency that compiles the statistics (The Loughs Agency), is a cross-Border body. Most commercial fishermen reside in RoI, and land the majority of the catch in RoI, whereas the majority of river catchments are in NI, but there are some in the RoI. The stock status figure is for all NI catchments and those in the RoI running into the Foyle and is recorded as NI stock status.
For Scotland the wild salmon stock estimates for the past 10 years are
22 Jun 2005 : Column WA188
It is possible to provide figures for the number of salmon caught per annum, whether retained or released. However that figure will only be a representation of the actual stocks and is likely to fluctuate due to fishing practices and demand. The migratory aspect of the species renders it very difficult to come up with accurate figures for the stocks at any one time.
Energy Consumption: Domestic Appliances in Standby Mode
Baroness Perry of Southwark asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Whitty on 3 March (WA 45) on power consumption by televisions, what other categories of appliance consume energy in standby mode; and how much energy they estimate is consumed in the United Kingdom each month by appliances in each of these categories in standby mode. [HL493]
Lord Bach: A wide range of appliances, including televisions, consume energy while they are switched on but not in use, either in standby mode or simply waiting to be used.
While we do not have detailed information available about all appliances that have a standby function, the Government's Market Transformation Programme (MTP) has information relating to the energy consumed in standby for those appliances that account for the large majority of energy consumed in UK households. The MTP broadly divides standby power consumption for appliances into the following categories:
Consumer electronics (e.g. televisions, digital set-top boxes and video recording equipment)—approximately 420 Gwh per month;
Home computing equipment (e.g. personal computers, printers and display screens)—approximately 25–40 GWh per month;
Domestic cooking equipment (microwaves and electric ovens) approximately 70GWh per month; and
Office Equipment (e.g. computing equipment, photocopiers and fax machines)—approximately 40–60 Gwh per month.
There is also further energy consumption from white goods such as washing machines and dishwashers which are switched on awaiting use or after they have completed their wash cycles; consumer electronic equipment using external power supplies (e.g. domestic portable telephones) that continue to consume energy when plugged in but not in use; and domestic personal computer equipment where the stand-by facilities are not properly enabled. Taken together, these sources of consumption may bring the overall figure to around 760 GWh.
| Next Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |