Written Answers To Questions
Tuesday 6 March 1984
Education And Science
Nursery Education
2.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much was spent on nursery education in Wolverhampton in each of the last five years.
Net recurrent expenditure on nursery schools by Wolverhampton LEA rose from £339,000 in 1978–79 to £435,000 in 1982–83. Separate information about expenditure on nursery classes in primary schools is not collected centrally for individual LEAs.
Technical Vocational Educational Initiative (Expenditure)
14.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average expenditure per pupil on equipment in schools which are involved in the 14 pilot technical vocational educational initiative schemes; and how this compares with expenditure at schools within the same authority but not involved in the scheme.
The information is not available in the form requested by the hon. Member. It is likely that the costs of setting up technical vocational educational initiative courses will mean a relatively high initial cost for equipment, but this should decrease significantly in later years.
Heriot-Watt University Pharmacy Department
17.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations he has had regarding the closure of the Heriot-Watt university pharmacy department.
My right hon. Friend has to date received 34 letters from right hon. and hon. Members about the University Grants Committee's recommendation that the pharmacy department at Heriot-Watt university should be closed.
Derbyshire (Expenditure Cuts)
18.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will meet a deputation of students and teachers in higher and further education in Derbyshire to discuss the cuts imposed by the Government; and if he will make a statement.
I would be prepared to meet a deputation. But it is for Derbyshire education authority to decide its own expenditure on further and higher education in the county having regard to the AFE pool allocation and the Department's contribution to the costs of Derbyshire CHE as determined each year by my right hon. Friend.
Youth Service And National Youth Bureau
19.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the Government are intending to issue their response to the Thompson and Cockerill reports on the youth service and national youth bureau.
My right hon. Friend expects consideration of the outstanding recommendations in the report on the youth service to be completed in time for a Government response shortly before or soon after Easter. Issues raised by the review of the national youth bureau are currently under consideration and decisions will be announced later.
Students (Travel Costs)
20.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science on what factual basis his Department has constructed its policy proposals to alter the reimbursement system for student travel costs.
The present system of reimbursement of individual claims for additional travel expenditure is administratively costly and unsatisfactory. In addition, it represents an uncontrollable and effectively open-ended commitment to public expenditure which the Government consider is no longer acceptable.
24.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland make no claim for reimbursement of travel costs above the £50 allowance within the student grant, broken down into (a) parental home-based students and (b) away from home students, in percentage and absolute figures.
In 1981–82, the latest year for which information is available, 226,000— or 57 per cent.—full value award holders in England and Wales made no claim for reimbursement of travel expenditure beyond the £50 allowance within the grant. No breakdown between students resident in the parental home and elsewhere is available. Awards to students from Northern Ireland are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
42.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many and what percentage of students on local education authority awards claimed in excess of £110 for their travel costs in 1982–83; and how many were awarded more than £110 by their local authorities for their travel claims.
This information is not available centrally.
Truancy
21.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he takes to monitor the incidence of truancy.
Monitoring the incidence of truancy must remain primarily a local responsibility. We intend to ask local authorities to consider ways of using their education welfare services more effectively in enforcing regular school attendance.
University Grants Committee
22.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what issues are on the agenda for his next meeting with the University Grants Committee.
My right hon. Friend has at present no plans for such a meeting.
Youth Training Scheme
23.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will take steps to monitor the quality of off-the-job education provided on the mode A youth training scheme.
The Manpower Services Commission is responsible to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment for the overall quality of the youth training scheme. A DES official acts as an assessor to the commission's advisory group on content and standards. In February 1984 Her Majesty's Inspectorate undertook a sample survey of the provision by colleges of further education of off-the-job training for the YTS. Its report will be published as soon as possible.
Microcomputers (Primary Schools)
25.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is satisfied with the measure of educational benefit accruing from the installation of microcomputers in primary schools.
Yes.
"Training For Jobs"
26.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from local education authorities in response to the White Paper, "Training for Jobs".
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave earliew today to the question from the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr. Bennett). I have also written representations from three local education authorities which are critical of the Government's decision to alter the funding arrangements for non-advanced further education.
34.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish details of the consultation and co-operation between central Government and local authorities that preceded the publication of the White Paper, "Training for Jobs".
The decisions announced in "Training for Jobs" were not the subject of prior consultation but the MSC has been asked to discuss its implementation in detail with representatives of education and employment.
49.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what part he expects local education authorities to play in the Manpower Services Commission machinery being planned to carry out the responsibilities given to it further to the White Paper, "Training for Jobs".
The nature of the machinery for implementing the new arrangements for funding courses in non-advanced further education is to be decided in consultation with educational and employment interests. I hope that local education authorities will make their views known and play their part in the national and local machinery.
52.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what discussions he has had with the chairman of the Manpower Services Commission concerning the curriculum in further education colleges, in the light of the recent White Paper, "Training for Jobs".
Detailed consideration by the Government of MSC proposals to secure changes in the syllabuses of work-related courses in non-advanced further education will follow discussions between the commission and its partners in education and employment. The White Paper, "Training for Jobs", indicates some of the curriculum issues to which the commission is expected to give priority.
Overseas Students
27.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to change the numbers of overseas students.
The Government welcome students from overseas and do not seek to regulate their numbers.
Ilea (Nursery Education)
28.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will indicate whether the current provision of nursery education should be cut, maintained or expanded in the Inner London education authority.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Battersea (Mr. Dubs) on 28 February, at c. 105.
Technology Courses (Females)
29.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will bring forward proposals to improve the access of girls and women to science and technology courses in higher education.
To achieve the important objective of increasing the number of women in science and engineering courses in higher education, it is necessary to increase the number of girls studying science and technology subjects at school. We have already made clear our belief that all school pupils, including all girls, should pursue a broad programme of science education throughout the period of compulsory education.
Muslim Schools
30.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many Muslim schools there are in the United Kingdom; and whether they normally qualify for religious status.
There are 11 Muslim schools in England, all of them registered independent. There is no special religious status. Information about such schools elsewhere in the United Kingdom is the responsibility respectively of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Examinations
31.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assessment he has made of the benefits to be derived by substituting the CSE and GCE O-level examinations with a single examination.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I are still considering this matter. We have undertaken to announce our decision by the end of the second quarter of this year.
Unemployed Persons
32.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action he intends to take to promote further education among those who are registered as unemployed.
I am considering with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services whether more can be done within existing resources to help unemployed people study part-time under the 21 hours rule. Also I refer the hon. Member to my hon. Friend's reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Dulwich (Mr. Bowden) on 5 March.
School Curriculum
33.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he next plans to meet the chairman of the school curriculum development committee to discuss changes in the curriculum; and if he will make a statement.
My right hon. Friend met Professor BlinStoyle and the chief executive of the school curriculum development committee on 26 January to discuss priorities for work. He has noted with satisfaction that the statement issued on behalf of the committee following its meeting on 3–4 February agrees in large measure with his own views of possible priorities for curriculum development set out in his letter to Professor Blin-Stoyle of 31 January — subsequently released to the press. My right hon. Friend has invited Professor Blin-Stoyle to keep him informed of progress.
Inner London
35.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many additional civil servants he estimates will be needed in order to assess the precepts suggested by the proposed new joint board for education in Inner London, to decide on the level of manpower needed to staff it and to review its performance over the suggested three-year period.
The additional work will be contained within the Department's manpower ceiling.
57.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will explain how his Department would review the education provided by the proposed joint board for education in inner London after May 1985; and how many additional civil servants he estimates would be necessary to undertake this task.
I am considering how the performance of the new body should be reviewed after it comes into being in April 1986. The work will be contained within the Department's manpower ceiling.
Ministerial Speech (Sheffield)
36.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has had about his speech in Sheffield on 6 January.
I have received a substantial number of letters from right hon. and hon. Members and from members of the public; the great majority of these express general support for the Government's programme for improving standards in schools. I am currently discussing with my partners in the education service how our objectives may best be achieved.
North-East London Polytechnic
37.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement concerning the reduction of staff and its consequent effects on the activities of the north-east London polytechnic.
The Government's plans for advanced further education—AFE—have since 1980–81 implied progressive reductions in expenditure and staffing across the sector, and most notably in its most generously funded institution, the north-east London polytechnic. It is for the polytechnic and the joint education committee which maintains it to decide how to make the necessary economies. But the national advisory body's plan for the polytechnic for 1984–85, as endorsed by my right hon. Friend, and the associated AFE pool allocation as determined by him, provide for an increase of nearly 10 per cent. in the polytechnic's student numbers between 1982–83 and 1984–85, including particularly significant increases in science, computing and other vocational disciplines.
60.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will pay an official visit to the north-east London polytechnic.
Neither my right hon. Friend nor I have plans for doing so.
School Buildings (Expenditure)
38.
asked the Secretary of Slate for Education and Science if he is satisfied with the annual spending of local education authorities on repair and maintenance of school buildings.
My right hon. Friend would like to see an improvement in the level of expenditure by local education authorities on the repair and maintenance of school buildings. The plans published in the recent public expenditure White Paper—Cmnd. 9143—allow for such an improvement, provided pay and other costs are contained.
Ilea (Inspector's Report)
39.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he will next receive a report on the Inner London education authority from Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools.
Her Majesty's Inspectorate produced a report on the ILEA's educational provision in summer 1980, which was published. That was the first of a series of reports covering education across the whole, or part, of a local education authority's area. HMI will be producing about three such reports each year and it is likely to be some time before there is another covering education in inner London. HMI will, however, continue to advise me from time to time on particular developments subsequent to the 1980 report.
Assisted Places Scheme
40.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on the future of the assisted places scheme.
After three years' intakes, the assisted places scheme is clearly a success and is now a well accepted part of educational provision. I am sure it will go from strength to strength.
43.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations he has received concerning the assisted places scheme.
Other than in this House and another place, none of a general nature this year.
50.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what will be the cost to the Exchequer for the current financial year of the assisted places scheme.
The estimated cost is £16·5 million.
54.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schools he expects will have more than 50 per cent. of pupils paid for by the assisted places scheme by 1990.
Nine.
Teachers (Compulsory Redundancies)
41.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what guidance he gives to local education authorities regarding the application of quality selection tests of teachers in relation to compulsory redundancies.
This a matter for the local education authorities as employers although, as in all matters concerning the management of the teacher force, my right hon. Friend expects authorities to exercise their judgment so as to foster teaching quality.
Peace Studies
44.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received in 1984 about the inclusion of peace studies in the school curriculum; and if he will make a statement.
Since the beginning of this year a small number of letters has been received in the Department. My right hon. Friend made our views on peace studies clear in his speech to the National Council of Women on 3 March.
Young Persons (Vocational Training)
45.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he will next meet the chairman of the Manpower Services Commission to discuss vocational training for young people.
I regularly meet the chairman of the Manpower Services Commission to discuss vocational education and training in the context of the youth training scheme and the new arrangements for work-related non-advanced further education.
Pupils (Unit Costs)
46.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was, for pupils of comparable age, the level of unit costs per pupil for local authority maintained education compared with fees charged per pupil for private sector non-boarding education in the financial year 1982–83.
Direct comparisons cannot be made between costs per pupil in maintained education and fees charged in the independent sector because data are not collected on a consistent basis. The average net institutional cost per pupil of education in maintained secondary schools in 1982–83 was £945. This figure excludes various items of expenditure; for example, the financing costs of capital expenditure, pupil support and meals and milk. If these items were included, the cost per pupil in maintained secondary schools in 1982–83 was of the order of £1,160. The average tuition fee charged in September 1982 by the 223 independent schools participating in the assisted places scheme was £1,470 per annum. However, the precise range of services covered by this fee is likely to differ between schools.
Open University
47.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what level of recurrent grant the Open University will receive in 1984, 1985 and 1986, respectively, expressed in constant 1984 prices.
The Open University's recurrent grant for 1984 is £58·679 million. Its recurrent grants for 1985 and 1986 have provisionally been set at £59·1 million and £58·2 million, respectively, but are subject to review in future public expenditure surveys. Pay and price increases have to be accommodated within these figures. The level of these grants at 1984 prices will depend on cost increases in 1985 and 1986.
Ethnic Minority Language Teaching
48.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the Government's policy on ethnic minority language teaching.
The Government's policy on the teaching of ethnic minority languages is set out in a memorandum to the European Commission, a copy of which is in the Library.
Tvei (Pupil-Teacher Ratio)
51.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average pupil-teacher ratio in schools which are involved in the 14 pilot technical and vocational educational initiative schemes.
The initial 14 pilot projects did not start until the current academic year, and information about numbers of pupils and teachers in individual schools for this year is not yet available in the Department.
Science And Engineering (Females)
53.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science which local authorities are providing conversion courses for women and girls in science and engineering which will allow them to follow courses later in higher education in these subjects.
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Hackney, South and Shoreditch (Mr. Sedgemore).
Multicultural Society (Policy)
55.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last met the chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality to discuss his Department's policy on education for a multicultural society.
My right hon. Friend has had no recent meetings with the chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality.
University Teachers (Scotland)
56.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what change there has been in the number of university teachers in Scotland between 1979 and the latest available date.
The number of full-time academic staff wholly financed from university funds in Scotland fell from 5,132 in 1979–80 to 4,633 in 1982–83. Full-time staff not wholly financed from university funds rose from 1,232 to 1,497 and part-time staff from 257 to 433 over the same period.
Spina Bifida
58.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on progress of the Medical Research Council's spina bifida trial.
I refer my hon. Friend to my reply of 16 January, at c. 79, to a question from the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson).
Communications Industry (Graduates)
59.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is satisfied that British universities are training sufficient graduates in electronics and electrical engineering to meet the demands of the communications industry.
Universities provide a range of courses in electronic and electrical engineering both at first degree and postgraduate level. Entrants to such courses have increased significantly as a result of the initiative announced in December 1982 by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science to expand higher education provision in information technology subjects. While the demands of the communications and other industries for highly skilled manpower are kept under continuing review, my right hon. Friend has not been made aware of any specific deficiency in this area.
Ugc (Grant Awards)
61.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from the Scottish universities concerning the University Grants Committee's current round of grant awards.
I met the principals of Scottish universities on 24 February; the funding of universities was one of the topics discussed.
University Students (Statistics)
62.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of university students were suspended or gave up their courses before the commencement of the second year's studies; and what was the comparable percentage for five years ago.
It is estimated that 5·9 per cent. of full-time university undergraduates in 1979–80 did not pursue their courses beyond their first year. The analytical work to estimate the corresponding information for later years has not yet been completed.
Student Travel Awards
63.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to make a decision as to the future level of student travel awards.
Very shortly.
"Streamlining The Cities"
64.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what estimates he has made of the number of teachers who will be employed by education authorities in the Greater London area if Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities", is implemented.
The only local education authority affected by the proposals in Cmnd. 9063 is the Inner London education authority. It is too early to say how many teachers will be employed by the proposed new joint board for education in inner London.
Sociology Graduates
65.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to what percentage of sociology graduates over the past 10 years have successfully obtained employment; and if he will list the categories of jobs that they have obtained.
All of the information required is not available in the form requested. Information covering the first destination of both university and polytechnic first degree graduates as at 31 December of the year in which they graduate is available only since 1976. The percentage of sociology students of known destination—including those undertaking further education and training — successfully obtaining permanent employment is as follows:
| per cent. | |
| 1976 | 51 |
| 1977 | 52 |
| 1978 | 53 |
per cent.
| |
| 1979 | 55 |
| 1980 | 47 |
| 1981 | 44 |
| 1982 | 45 |
The main types of job obtained by these students have been as follows:
- Administration, Operational Management
- Scientific Research, Design Development
- Engineering Research, Design Development
- Scientific Engineering Support Service
- Environmental Planning
- Buying, Marketing, Selling
- Management Services
- Financial Work
- Legal Work
- Information and Library Work
- Personnel
- Social, Medical, Security Services
- Teaching and Lecturing
- Creative and entertainment
- Artistic Design
Until 1982, about 30 per cent. undertook further education or training; in 1982, 25 per cent. of the original total did so.
Prime Minister
Engagements
Q3.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q5.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q6.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q7.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q8.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q9.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 6 March.
Q10.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q11.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 6 March.
Q12.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q14.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q15.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q16.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q17.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 6 March.
Q18.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q19.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q20.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q21.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q22.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q23.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q24.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q25.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 6 March.
Q26.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q27.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q28.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q29.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 6 March.
Q30.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q31.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q32.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q33.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 6 March.
Q34.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q35.
asked the Prime Minister what are her official engagements for 6 March.
Q36.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q37.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 6 March.
Q38.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q39.
asked the Prime Minister what are her official engagements for 6 March.
Q40.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q41.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q42.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q43.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q44.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q45.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q46.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q47.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 6 March.
Q48.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 6 March.
Q49.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q50.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 6 March.
Q51.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q52.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q53.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 6 March.
Q54.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q55.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 6 March.
Q56.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q57.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q58.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q59.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q60.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q61.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q62.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q63.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q64.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q65.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q66.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 6 March.
Q67.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q68.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q69.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q70.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q71.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q72.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q73.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q74.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q75.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 6 March.
Q76.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q77.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q78.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 6 March.
Q79.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
Q80.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 6 March.
Q82.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 6 March.
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 6 March.
This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today. This evening I hope to have an audience of Her Majesty the Queen.
Supplementary Benefit Appeal Tribunal
Q13.
asked the Prime Minister what is the average waiting time for a hearing at a supplementary benefit appeal tribunal.
In the three months ending 31 December 1983 the average time from lodgement of an appeal to the date of hearing by a supplementary benefit appeal tribunal was 9·7 weeks.
Oman (Ministerial Visit)
Q81.
asked the Prime Minister how many civil servants, and from which Departments, accompanied her on her official visit to Oman in April 1981.
The information is as follows:
| Number | |
| No. 10 Downing Street | 9 |
| Foreign and Commonwealth Office | 7 |
| Ministry of Defence | 1 |
| Central Office of Information | 1 |
A Power For Good Ltd
asked the Prime Minister whether any public funds have been made available to the company A Power for Good Ltd. or its directors.
No.
Acid Rain
asked the Prime Minister what amount she expects the Government to spend on research into acid deposition in the year 1984–85; and if she will list the different research projects involved.
The Government expect to spend a total of about £1·8 million in 1984–85 on research into acid rain, principally through the Department of the Environment and the Natural Environment Research Council. A further sum of about £700,000 is expected to be spent through the Meteorological Office on meteorological problems relevant to acid rain although the results will also apply to other areas of air pollution research. A detailed list of projects is not immediately available but the breakdown of work in the different main areas is expected to be broadly as follows:
| £ thousands | |
| Research on effect of acid deposition: | |
| Effects on freshwaters and on freshwater fish and biota | 470 |
| Effects on vegetation including forests | 250 |
| Effects on rocks and soils | 180 |
| Effects on materials | 100 |
| Monitoring and research on deposition | 420 |
| Atmospheric chemistry and modelling | 380 |
| 1,800 | |
Commission On Energy And The Environment
asked the Prime Minister whether she will now reconstitute the Commission on Energy and the Environment.
The Government are considering the 10th report of the Royal Commission on environmental pollution, including its recommendation that the Commission on Energy and the Environment should be reconstituted. We hope to respond by the end of the Session.
House Of Commons
Visitors
asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will consider amending the regulations concerning visitors to the House so that only those aged 13 years or more are admitted.
No. It would not be practicable or appropriate to discriminate against visitors on terms of age.
Defence
Territorial Army
asked the Secretary of State for Defence if the Territorial Army or the cadet branch of the Territorial Army has firing ranges (a) in urban areas and (b) next to inner city housing developments.
Yes. However, these are generally rimfire (miniature) ranges which, when constructed in accordance with current military range safety criteria as new ones are, should offer no safety hazard to the general public outside the range area.
Naval Visits (Australia)
asked the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Australian Government about future arrangements for the visits of Her Majesty's ships which may or may not be carrying nuclear weapons.
As I said to the hon. Gentleman on 24 January, at c. 458, discussions about Royal Navy ship visits overseas are confidential between Her Majesty's Government and the Governments concerned.
Voluntary Organisations (Grants)
asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will detail the grants given by his Department to each voluntary organisation during 1982–83; which of these had their grants reduced in 1983–84; and by how much.
Details of grants-in-aid appear in Vote 1, section K of the Defence Estimates; and I would refer the hon. Member in particular to the 1982–83 and 1983–84 Estimates, together with the spring Supplementary Estimates which were presented on 16 February. None of the bodies and organisations shown in the 1982–83 Estimates has had its grant reduced in 1983–84.
Environment
House Of Commons (Works Of Art)
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will reconstitute the Committee to advise Mr. Speaker and himself on matters relating to works of art in the House.
Responsibility for appointing members of the Advisory Committee on Works of Art in the House of Commons has, with Mr. Speaker's permission, recently been transferred from my right hon. and noble Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to myself.I am pleased to announce that Mr. Speaker and I are now in a position to make such appointments. We have agreed that there should be nine members, and nine nominations have been put forward. They are the hon. Members for:
- Canterbury (Mr. Crouch)
- Staffordshire, South (Mr. Cormack)
- Twickenham (Mr. Jessel)
- Morecambe and Lunesdale (Mr. Lennox-Boyd)
- Eastleigh (Sir D. Price)
- Heywood and Middleton (Mr. Callaghan)
- Stockton, North (Mr. Cook)
- Warley, East (Mr. Faulds)
- Cambridgeshire, North-East (Mr. Freud).
My hon. Friend the Member for Canterbury has agreed to be Chairman. I hope that the Committee will hold its first meeting shortly.
Social Services
Phenylbutazone And Oxyphenbutazone
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what advice he has received from the Committee on Safety of Medicines about the safety of products containing phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone; and if he will make a statement.
The Committee on Safety of Medicines — CSM — began a general review of the relative safety of all non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs used in the treatment of arthritis and other painful conditions early in 1983. At its meeting on 22 September 1983 the committee considered about 40 products containing the substances phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone. Licences for products containing the former drug are currently held by 15 companies. Only Geigy Pharmaceuticals Ltd., however, has licences for products containing oxyphenbutazone.The CSM accepted that both drugs were efficacious and that, because of this, they were still widely prescribed by doctors. The committee also accepted that the serious risks attaching to their use were well known to doctors. Nevertheless, the development of a large number of other drugs in this class over the past 20 years with a relatively lower incidence of serious adverse reactions made a reassessment of their risk/benefit ratio essential. Having considered the evidence carefully, the CSM provisionally concluded that, with the exception of eye drops containing oxyphenbutazone where the risks were comparatively small, the licences of all the products should be revoked in the light of concern about the frequency and severity of toxic effects, particularly on the bone marrow, and because there were no overriding clinical benefits to outweigh these risks. The committee also considered whether the licences should be suspended by the licensing authority with immediate effect on grounds of safety but advised that such action would not be justified.In accordance with the procedures laid down in the Medicines Act 1968 all the companies were then informed of the CSM's provisional advice and offered the opportunity to make representations to the Committee orally or in writing. Geigy Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and Approved Pharmaceutical Services Ltd. decided to make written representations to the CSM and the other companies agreed that Geigy Pharmaceuticals' representations should also be accepted as theirs.Geigy Pharmaceuticals' representations were considered by the CSM at its meeting on 23 February this year. After a further review of all the evidence the committee confirmed its advice in relation to products containing oxyphen butazone. As regards products containing phenylbutazone the CSM accepted that the drug probably offered unique benefits to a small group of patients suffering from ankylosing spondylitis—arthritis of the spine — who would normally be referred to hospital for treatment. It advised therefore that those products should continue to be licensed on condition that the licences were varied to restrict the indications for use to ankylosing spondylitis and to limit their supply to hospitals only. If the licences are restricted in these ways, the Committee proposes to review data on the prescribing of these products in about 12 months' time.The companies concerned have been informed of the CSM's advice on all these products by the licensing authority. The statutory procedures provide an opportunity to make oral or written representations against that advice to the Medicines Commission. Companies have 28 days under the Medicines Act to reach a decision following formal notification of the CSM's advice. As these legal procedures would take some time to complete, I asked the committee for its views on whether the licensing authority should suspend the product licences immediately. It confirmed its previous view that on the evidence before it suspension would not be justified.All the companies concerned have agreed to comply with the CSM's advice in respect of products containing phenylbutazone or to cease marketing them. Those that wish to continue to market these products are being asked to submit applications making the necessary variations to their licences. All stocks of these products are to be withdrawn from retail pharmacies. Discussions are taking place with companies on the timing of withdrawal in order to ensure that doctors and patients are enabled to change to alternative courses of treatment in an orderly way.As regards products containing oxyphenbutazone, Geigy Pharmaceuticals has not yet decided whether to make representations to the Medicines Commission. I will take action on the licences for these products immediately the company agrees to the CSM's advice or I receive the Medicines Commission's advice if the company does decide to make representations to that body.
Energy
Coal Mining (South Warwickshire)
asked the Secretary of State for Energy what notification he has received from the National Coal Board of its intention to extend its operations in south Warwickshire; and if he will make a statement.
I have received no such notification.
British Gas Corporation
asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will issue a general directive to the British Gas Corporation that the chairman should undertake to meet hon. Members to discuss matters relevant to the discharge of their parliamentary duties; and if he will make a statement.
If hon. Members wish to have such discussions they should approach the chairman direct.
National Finance
School Meals (Private Contractors)
68.
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will circularise local education authorities with details of the way in which private contractors can be employed to provide school meals without the necessity for pupils to pay value added tax on the meals.
Yes. I have asked Customs and Excise to provide local authorities with guidance on the VAT treatment of school meals provided by private contractors.
Investment Income
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer further to the reply dated 18 January concerning investment income, Official Report, c. 217–18, whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for 1982–83 the proportion of the tax units in each case which also benefited from mortgage interest relief or if such data are not readily available, the proportion of the tax units in each of these income bands in each class which benefited from such relief.
Estimates, based on projections from the survey of personal incomes for 1981–82, are given in the following table for single people and married couples aged under 65. Since only about 3 per cent. of taxpayers aged over 65 with investment income obtained mortgage interest tax relief, it is unfortunately not possible to estimate their distribution by income range with acceptable accuracy. These figures do not take account of taxpayers who obtained the option mortgage subsidy in 1982–83.
| Tax units with investment income in 1982–83 percentage of each income band benefitting from mortgage interest relief | |||
| Range of total income | Under 65 single persons | Under 65 married one-earner | Under 65 married two-earners |
| (lower limit) | per cent. | per cent. | per cent. |
| 1,800 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| 2,000 | 5 | 17 | 22 |
Range of total income
| Under 65 single persons
| Under 65 married one-earner
| Under 65 married two-earners
|
(lower limit)
| per cent.
| per cent.
| per cent.
|
| 3,000 | 7 | 18 | 16 |
| 4,000 | 8 | 37 | 36 |
| 5,000 | 11 | 23 | 30 |
| 6,00 | 025 | 50 | 35 |
| 7,000 | 26 | 52 | 40 |
| 8,000 | 31 | 54 | 40 |
| 9,000 | 49 | 69 | 47 |
| 10,000 | 53 | 65 | 62 |
| 12,000 | 45 | 69 | 67 |
| 15,000 | 45 | 74 | 75 |
| 20,000 | 52 | 76 | 76 |
| 30,000 | 46 | 73 | 65 |
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to the reply dated 18 January concerning investment income, Official Report, c. 217–18, whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for 1982–83 the proportion of the tax units in each case which also benefited from life assurance relief or, if such data are not readily available, a proportion of the tax units in each of these income bands in each class which benefited from such relief.
Life assurance premium relief has been given at source since 1979–80. It is not therefore possible to estimate from Inland Revenue information the distribution of taxpayer's benefiting from this relief. Information in the detail requested is unfortunately not available from other sources.
Banks (Negligence)
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases are known to his Department where a bank has been found negligent within the meaning of section 4 of the Cheques Act 1957.
My Department does not keep any records of banks found negligent within the meaning of section 4 of the Cheques Act 1957.
Discharge Of Debt
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Her Majesty's Treasury has approved the same or similar right under secondary legislation for any other public or private bodies to discharge a debt by the posting of a cheque as is afforded to local authorities under section 18 of the Local Authorities (Stocks and Bonds) Regulations 1974 (S.I., 1974, No. 519).
I regret that I am not able to provide a comprehensive reply in the time available. I can confirm that a similar right exists under secondary legislation in respect of national savings and for the payment of interest and redemption moneys on certain nationalised industries' stock. The relevant provisions are as follows:
National Savings
- The Savings Certificates Regulations 1972;
- The Premium Savings Bonds Regulations 1972;
- The Savings Contracts Regulations 1969;
- The National Savings Stock Register Regulations 1976; and
- The National Savings Banks Regulations 1972.
Nationalised Industries
- The Gas (Stock) Regulations 1949;
- The Electricity (Stock) Regulations 1957.
There are also similar provisions for the posting of a dividend warrant and warrants for redemption moneys in respect of British Government securities in section 4(2) of the National Debt Act 1889 and paragraph 1 of the third schedule to the Finance Act 1921 — as substituted by section 66 of the Finance Act 1946 and amended by section 108(1) (c) of the Post Office Act 1969.
European Assembly
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total cost of the European Economic Community Assembly is likely to be in the current financial year; and if he will identify separately the cost of salaries, allowances and all other expenses, including accommodation, of the Members of the Assembly.
The cost of the European Parliament in 1984 is estimated at 239 million ecu. The basic salaries of Members of the European Parliament are paid by their national Governments. The estimated cost of United Kingdom MEPs salaries in 1984 is £1·4 million.The estimated costs in 1984 of allowances and other expenses of Members of the European Parliament which are borne by the Parliament's budget are as follows:
| mecu | |
| Travel and subsistence | 14·1 |
| General expenses (flat rate allowance) | 9·4 |
| Secretarial expenses | 15·4 |
| Pensions, insurance, etc. | 4·5 |
European Community (Youth Unemployment)
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is covered by the item in the European Economic Commission budget for informing young people in the European spirit; how much has been and is being spent on this subject; and what part the subject of youth unemployment plays in this programme.
This heading covers support for youth exchanges and the inclusion of European studies in the curricula of educational institutions; expenditure on this amounted to some 3·5 million ecu over the period 1980 to 1982. The provision entered in the 1983 and 1984 Community budgets is some 200,000 and 400,000 ecu, respectively.Expenditure by the Community for dealing with the problem of youth unemployment is included in the social fund; the 1984 Community budget includes provision of 732·5 million ecu for measures to combat unemployment among young people under 25.
Court Of Auditors (Recommendations)
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer which European Economic Community institution is responsible for ensuring that recommendations made by the Court of Auditors are implemented.
The institution to which the court's recommendations are addressed is responsible for their implementation.
Investment Income Surcharge
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current threshold for investment income surcharge; and how this compares in real and actual terms with the figures for 1979.
The threshold for investment income surcharge for 1983–84 is £7,100. The corresponding figure for 1978–79 was £1,700—£2,500 where the taxpayer or his wife was aged 65 and over. In real term the threshold has increased by nearly 150 per cent. since 1978–79.
House Of Commons (Stationery Costs)
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money is spent on the purchase of paper and stationery for the House annually.
Some £269,000 in the last financial year.
Beer (Tax Yield)
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the estimated yields of excise duty on beer and value added tax on beer sales in the Budgets for 1981–82, 1982–83 and 1983–84.
The Budget estimates of the yields from excise duty on beer were as follows:
| £ million | |
| 1981–82 | 1,440 |
| 1982–83 | 1,500 |
| 1983–84 | 1,650 |
Newspapers (Vat)
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the rates of value added tax on newspapers in each of the 10 member states of the European Economic Community.
The information is as follows:
| Rates | |
| Belgium | 6 |
| Denmark | 0 |
| France | *2·1,4 |
| Germany | 7 |
| Greece | † |
| Ireland | 23 |
| Italy | 0 |
| Luxembourg | 6 |
| Netherlands | 5 |
| United Kingdom | 0 |
| * 2·1 per cent, for dailies and nationali weeklies containing a substantial proportion of political news and comment. Otherwise 4 per cent. | |
| † VAT has not yet been introduced. | |
Banks (Recognition)
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list those companies which in each of the past four years have had recognition withdrawn as a banking business for the purposes of the Taxation Acts.
[pursuant to his reply, 5 March 1984]: Recognition as a bank for taxation purposes has been withdrawn from the following companies which, on the information available to the Revenue, had ceased to trade as banks.
1980
- Capital Consumer & Commercial Finance Ltd.
- Overseas Development Bank
- Anglo-Continental Exchange Ltd.
- Ionian Securities Ltd.
- Edward Bates & Son
1981
- London Scottish Banking Corporation
- Beverley Acceptances Ltd.
- Schlesinger Ltd.
- Slater Walker Ltd.
- Rainier National Bank
- Sterling Industrial Securities Ltd.
- Anglo-Eastern Bank Ltd.
- Whyte Gase Properties Ltd.
1982
- Chancery Trust Ltd.
- Bank Julius Baer International
- Jammal Trust Bank SAL
- Dow Scandia Banking Corporation Ltd.
- St. Margaret's Finance Ltd.
- Royal Bank of Canada (London) Ltd.
- Finance Corporation for Industry Ltd.
- NWS Trust Ltd.
1983
- First Guarantee Trust Co. Ltd.
- Duboff Brothers Ltd
- Bank Brussels Lambert (UK) Ltd.
- International Resources and Finance Bank SA
Value of specified United Kingdom imports
| ||||
1980
| 1981
| 1982
| (£ million cif) 1983 (provisional)
| |
| (i) "Seamless" tubes and pipes; blanks for tubes and pipes, of iron (other than cast iron) or steel (excluding high pressure hydroelectric conduits): | ||||
| Other than: (a) Straight, and of uniform wall-thickness, unworked, seamless, of circular cross-section, soley for the manufacture of tubes and pipes with other cross-sections and wall-thicknesses. | ||||
| (b) Straight and of uniform wall-thickness of a maximum length of 4·50m, of alloy steel containing by weight not less than 0·90 per cent, but not more than 1·5 per cent, of carbon, not less than 0·50 per cent, but not more than 2 per cent, of chromium and not more than 0·50 per cent, of molybdenum. | ||||
| (Sub-group 678·2 less 7318·0100, -0500, -1300, -1550 and -1590. | 65·4 | 89·0 | 123·7 | 66·8 |
| (ii) Other tubes and pipes of iron (other than cast iron) or steel (excluding high pressure hydro-electric conduits) other than in (a) and (b) above | 52·5 | 50·4 | 56·7 | 52·9 |
| (Sub-group 678·3). | ||||
Sources: Her Majesty's Customs and Excise Tariff, Chapter 73; and United Kingdom Overseas Trade Statistics, SITC/R2 Group 678.
Note: no information is yet available for the current year.
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will publish in the Official Report a list of the four-digit headings in chapter 48 of the Brussels nomenclature which fall wholly or partly in division 64 of the standard industrial trade classification and in which one or more of the items will be subject to a tariff of 10 per cent. or more on 1 January 1987, together with the value of imports of such items each year since the start of the Tokyo round.
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will publish in the Official Report a
Trade And Industry
Import Tariffs
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will publish in the Official Report a list of the four-digit headings in chapter 73 of the Brussels nomenclature which fall wholly or partly in standard industrial trade classification division 67 and in which one or more items in that division will be subject to a tariff of 10 per cent. or more on 1 January 1987, together with the value of imports of such items each year since the start of the Tokyo round and in the current year to date.
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will publish in the Official Report a list of the four-digit headings in chapter 73 of the Brussels nomenclature which fall wholly or partly in division 67 of the standard industrial trade classification and in which one or more of the items will be subject to a tariff of 10 per cent. or more on 1 January 1987, together with the value of imports of such items each year since the start of the Tokyo round.
The information is as follows:list showing the four-digit headings in chapter 48 of the Brussels nomenclature which fall wholly or partly within division 64 of the standard industrial trade classification and in which one or more items in that division will be subject to a tariff of 10 per cent. or more on 1 January 1987; and if he will include the value of imports of such items each year since the start of the Tokyo round and in the current year to date.
The information is as follows:
Value of specified United Kingdom imports
| |||||
(£ million cif)
| |||||
1980
| 1981
| 1982
|
*1983
| ||
| (i) | Parchment, greaseproof and transparent paper and paperboard (Item 641.53) | 14·3 | 13·9 | 12·4 | 14·9 |
| (ii) | Converted paper and paperboard (Item 641.92) | 5·8 | 8·0 | 8·3 | 10·5 |
| (iii) | Paper and paperboard, corrugated, creped, crinkled, embossed or perforated (Sub-group 641.7) | 27·2 | 30·0 | 34·1 | 40·0 |
| (iv) | Ruled, lined or squared paper (4807–1000) | 1·1 | 1·8 | 2·4 | 2·6 |
| (v) | Filter blocks, slabs and plates, of paper pulp (Item 641.96) | 0·2 | 0·2 | 0·3 | 0·6 |
| (vi) | Stationery of paper or paperboard (Sub-group 642.2) | 8·9 | 9·0 | 13·4 | 15·7 |
| (vii) | Packing containers of paper or paperboard (Sub-group 642.1) | 42·3 | 48·5 | 62·7 | 76·7 |
| (viii) | Exercise books, note books, diaries, blotting-pads etc. of paper or paperboard (Sub-group 642.3) | 13·7 | 17·7 | 19·9 | 25·4 |
| (ix) | Articles of paper pulp, paper, paperboard or cellulose wadding (Sub-group 642.8) | 27·9 | 36·2 | 53·5 | 74·6 |
* Provisional. | |||||
Sources: Her Majesty's Customs and Excise Tariff, Chapter 48; and United Kingdom Overseas Trade Statistics, SITC/R2 Groups 641 and 642.
Note: No information is yet available for the current year.
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will publish in the Official Report a list of the four-digit headings in chapters 31 and 36 of the Brussels nomeclature which fall wholly or partly in division 56 of the standard industrial trade classification and in which one or more of the items will be subject to a tariff of 10 per cent. or more on 1 January 1987, together with the value of imports of such items each year since the start of the Tokyo round.
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will publish in the Official Report a list showing the four-digit headings in chapter 31 of the Brussels nomenclature which fall whlly or partly within division 56 of the standard industrial trade classification and in which one or more items in that division will be subject to a tariff of 10 per cent. or more on 1 January 1987; and if he will include the value of imports of such items each year since the start of the Tokyo round and in the current year to date.
The information is as follows:
| Value of specified UK imports (£ million cif) | ||||
| 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983* | |
| Urea, containing more than 45 per cent, by weight of nitrogen on the dry anhydrous product (3102–1500) | 2·9 | 3·3 | 6·4 | 11·6 |
| * provisional. | ||||
Sources: Her Majesty's Customs and Excise Tariff, Chapters 31 and 36; and UK Overseas Trade Statistics, SITC/R2 Item 562.16 (part).
Note: No information is yet available for the current year.
Clothing (West Germany)
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will publish in the Official Report a
table showing imports and exports from and to West Germany of women's and girls outerwear other than knitted each year from 1970 to 1983.
The available information is as follows:
| United Kingdom trade with the Federal Republic of Germany in women's, girls' and infants' outer garments of textile fabrics, other than knitted or crocheted | ||
| Value £ million | ||
| Imports | Exports | |
| (c.i.f.) | (f.o.b.) | |
| 1970 | 0·5 | 3·0 |
| 1971 | 0·6 | 2·1 |
| 1972 | 0·6 | 2·1 |
| 1973 | 1·5 | 2·9 |
| 1974 | 1·8 | 3·7 |
| 1975 | 2·3 | 4·6 |
| 1976 | 3·4 | 7·7 |
| 1977 | 3·2 | 13·8 |
| 1978 | 5·6 | 17·9 |
| 1979 | 21·9 | 19·7 |
| 1980 | 22·2 | 21·3 |
| 1981 | 28·4 | 14·4 |
| 1982 | 43·9 | 12·1 |
| 1983* | 51·2 | 14·7 |
| * provisional. | ||
Source: Data corresponding to SITC/R2 Group 843 (1978 onwards) in the United Kingdom Overseas Trade Statistics and SITC/R1 Item 841.12 (1970–77).
Trade Statistics
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing trade with the European Economic Community and with the rest of the world in 1982 and in the first five months of the current year in (a) propane for use as power or heating fuel, 2711 0300, (b) collodions and celloidin in code number 3903 2100 and (c) chemically pure sugars in code numbers 2943, 9100 and 9800.
The available information is as follows:
United Kingdom trade in specified commodities, 1982
| ||||
(£ thousand)
| ||||
Imports (cif)
| Exports (fob)
| |||
European Community
| Rest of World
| European Community
| Rest of World
| |
(a) Liquified propane of a purity not less than 99 per cent., for use as power or heating fuel (2711–0300) | 59 | 4 | 25 | 4 |
(b) Non-plasticised cellulose nitrates: collodions and celloidin (3903–2100) | 63 | 1 | 70 | 14 |
(c) Chemically pure sugars (other than sucrose, glucose and lactose); sugar ethers, sugar esters, and their salts (other than rhamnose, raffinose and mannose) (2943–9100 and 9800) | 254 | 505 | 40 | 876 |
Source: Data corresponding to SITC/R2 Items 341.31 (part), 516.92 (pa t), and 584.21 (part) in the United Kingdom Overseas Trade Statistics.
Note: No information is yet available for the current year.
Small Firms
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will assess the degree of success of the Government's programme of assistance to small firms.
Schemes of assistance to small firms are carefully monitored and steps are taken to improve their effectiveness where this is shown to be necessary. There are a number of difficulties in assessing the effectiveness of many of the measures in the Government's programme, such as taxation measures and changes in legislation or procedures. I am encouraged by the large number of new businesses coming into being each year.
Correspondence
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many letters he wrote to and received from hon. Members in January.
Leaving aside correspondence with ministerial colleagues, I wrote 25 letters to hon. Members on constituency or related matters during January this year. In the same month, I received 185 letters from hon. Members. Other Ministers in the Department replied to 133 such letters at my request over the same period.
Newspapers (Support)
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether any support is made available for local and provincial newspapers by his Department; and if he will make a statement.
Local and provincial newspaper publishers who meet the relevant eligibility criteria can benefit from amongst the various industrial support measures made available by my Department, as can other United Kingdom manufacturers.
Manufactured Goods
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the main explanation for the United Kingdom trade balance in manufactures with the rest of the world being in deficit in the second and third quarters of 1982.
United Kingdom trade in manufactures was in surplus in these quarters, both with the World and with countries other than the European Community.
"Made In Britain" (Criteria)
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is satisfied with the law relating to the criteria manufactured foods have to fulfil before they can be correctly labelled "Made in Britain"; and if he will make a statement.
For the purposes of the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, manufactured foodstuffs and other goods are deemed to have been manufactured or produced in the country in which they last underwent a treatment or process resulting in a substantial change. I have no plans to change this rule, which provides a generally satisfactory basis for the determination of origin.
Motor Car Industry
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in what ways the United Kingdom motor car industry has taken advantage of the larger home market created by United Kingdom membership of the European Economic Community.
The United Kingdom motor industry's support for Community membership reflects the importance of a large European home market as a base for efficient production. Membership has also reinforced the inevitable pressures on the United Kingdom industry to rationalise and regain competitiveness, loss of which had caused the industry's continued decline over recent years. It is an indication of the industry's response to these opportunities and pressures that United Kingdom car plants can now improve their market position against their European neighbours.
Brewers (Tied Houses)
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how long British brewers can defer the implementation of the European Court ruling on the ties between brewers and tenants of public houses; and what advice and guidance he has given to the brewers and the National Association of Licensed House Victuallers on this matter.
Ties between brewers and tenants are dealt with in the European Commission's block exemption regulation under the competition rules which came into force on 1 July 1983. Under this regulation agreements entered into before 1 January 1984 can continue to benefit from the previous block exemption regulation until 31 December 1988, when they will have to be modified to comply with the new conditions if they are to continue to be exempt. Agreements made after 1 January 1984 cannot benefit from the latest block exemption unless they meet its conditions.I have not given any advice or guidance on this matter. However, the Commission issued guidance on interpretation of the regulation on 30 December 1983.
Trade Descriptions Act 1968
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will state, for each responsible local authority, the number of successful prosecutions under the
| Successful prosecutions reported to the Director General of Fair Trading for offences against the Textile Products (Indications of Fibre Content) Regulations 1973 | |||||||
| Number of successful prosecutions reported | |||||||
| Enforcement authority | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | Total 1978–1983 |
| West Yorkshire | 1 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 19 | 26 | 68 |
| Lancashire | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| South Yorkshire | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | — | 6 |
| Mid Glamorgan | 1 | — | — | — | 4 | — | 5 |
| Hounslow | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | 4 |
| Merseyside | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 4 |
| Shropshire | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 3 |
| Camden | —. | 2 | — | — | — | — | 2 |
| Cheshire | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 2 |
| Derbyshire | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 |
| Enfield | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 2 |
| Greater Manchester | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 2 |
| Gwent | — | o — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 |
| Leicestershire | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| South Glamorgan | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 2 |
| Belfast | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Brent | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Cambridgeshire | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Clwyd | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Gloucestershire | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| Islington | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Kent | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| Lambeth | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| North Yorkshire | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Staffordshire | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Sutton | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| Westminster City | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| Total | 3 | 14 | 24 | 16 | 36 | 34 | 127 |
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will state, for each responsible local authority, the number of successful prosecutions which took place in 1982 and 1983 under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 in relation to the provisions of the Trade Descriptions (Origin Marking) (Miscellaneous Goods) Order 1981.
From information supplied by local authorities on a voluntary basis to the Director General of Fair Trading, I understand that each of the following trading standards departments brought a successful prosecution in respect of infringements of the order: Greater Manchester (1982), Kent (1983), Lancashire (1983) and Clwyd (1983).
Voluntary Organisations (Grants)
asked the Secretary of Trade and Industry if he will detail the grants given by his
Trade Descriptions Act 1968 which have taken place in relation to the provisions of the Textile Products (Indication of Fibre Content) Regulations 1973, for each year since the coming into force of the regulations.
Comprehensive statistics covering the whole period since the regulations came into operation in January 1976 are not available. However, information supplied on a voluntary basis by local authorities to the Direcior General of Fair Trading indicates that during the years 1978 to 1983 local authorities brought 127 successful prosecutions for offences under the regulations, as follows:Department to each voluntary organisation (during 1982–83; which of these had their grants reduced in 1983–84; and by how much.
There is no agreed definition of the term "voluntary bodies" in relation to the bodies assisted by my Department.Details of the grants made by my Department to non-statutory bodies in 1982–83, and the financial provisions that has been made for such grants in 1983–84 are as follows:
| Programme/body | Grants 1982–83 | Provision 1983–84 |
| £ | £ | |
| Export Promotion: | ||
| Simplification of International | ||
| Trade Procedures Board | 510,000 | 572,000 |
| Sino British Trade Council | 126,000 | 130,000 |
| East European Trade Council | 83,000 | 91,000 |
Programme/body
| Grants 1982–83
| Provision 1983–84
|
£
| £
| |
| Committee for Middle East Trade | 81,000 | 84,000 |
| British Overseas Trade Group for Israel | 46,000 | 48,000 |
| Latin American Trade Advisory Group | 44,000 | 60,000 |
| Assistance to other non-official trade organisations | 398,000 | 490,000 |
Regulation of Trading Practices and Consumer Protection
| ||
| National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux | 5,533,000 | 6,041,000 |
| National Consumer Council | 1,199,000 | 1,322,000 |
| National Federation of Consumer Groups | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents | 67,000 | 60,000 |
Standards
| ||
| British Standards Institute | 3,169,000 | 3,520,000 |
Support for Industry
| ||
| Anglo German Foundation | 125,000 | 125,000 |
| North of England Development Council | 296,000 | 85,000 |
| North West Industrial Development Association | 124,000 | 260,000 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside Development Association | 70,000 | 163,000 |
| Devon and Cornwall Development Bureau | 60,000 | 110,000 |
| Engineering Council | 482,000 | 1,000,000 |
| Design Council | 3,727,000 | 3,951,000 |
| Institute of Patentees and Inventors | 6,000 | 8,000 |
| National Electronics Council | 10,000 | — |
| British Clothing Centre | 85,000 | 45,000 |
In addition, my Department provides support to companies, educational institutions and other non-statutory bodies under the Industry Act 1972 and Science and Technology Act 1965 but a list could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Electric Road Vehicles
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will detail the assistance and encouragement which his Department provides for the development of electric road vehicles.
The information is given in the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology "Supplementary Report on Electric Vehicles" of 21 July 1982-HL 210 (Session 1981–82, third report).
Pirate Radio Stations
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what records he has of a pirate radio station, KFM, broadcasting in the Stockport area on 94·2 MHz VHF; and what steps he proposes to take against this station.
An unlicensed radio station using the name KFM was first heard broadcasting in the Stockport area on 31 January on a frequency of 94·2 MHz. The radio interference service traced the transmissions to premises in Marple, near Stockport, but found the transmitter unmanned. The station is broadcasting again and investigations are continuing to locate the operators.
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many representations he has received, and from what organisations, on the subject of pirate radio broadcasts.
Since the Department of Trade and Industry took over responsibility for radio regulatory matters over 80 representations have been received, including ones from the following organisations:
- Association of Independent Radio Contractors
- BBC Radio Sheffield
- Beacon Radio
- BRMB Radio
- Capital Radio
- Chiltern Radio
- County Sound Radio
- Croydon Advertiser Group of Newspapers
- Devonair Radio
- Dorland Advertising Ltd
- Essex Radio
- Independent Broadcasting Authority
- Local Radio Association Ltd
- Mercia Sound
- National Union of Students
- Piccadilly Radio
- Radio Wessex
- Signal Radio
- Southern Sound
- Suffolk Group Radio
- University Radio Nottingham
Telecommunications Licences
asked the Secretary of Trade and Industry whether he will advise British Telecom to issue no further licences under the provisions of the British Telecommunications Act 1981.
[pursuant to his reply, 22 February 1984, c. 536.]: In line with the evolution of the Government's liberalisation of telecommunications competition policy, the general authority to grant licences to run telecommunications systems issued to British Telecommunications under section 15(1)(b) of the British Telecommunications Act 1981, has been amended to exclude the grant of general and class licences. In future all such licences will be granted by the Secretary of State. We believe that until the Telecommunications Bill comes into force, the interests of telecommunication systems operators are generally best served by British Telecommunications continuing to grant individual licences under the British Telecommunications Act 1981 but the Secretary of State has power to issue any licence under the 1981 Act and it is open to any person to approach the Department of Trade and Industry direct.
Steel
asked the Secretary of Trade and Industry what proposals he has to promote the demand for home-produced steel.
[pursuant to his reply, 5 March 1984]: The Government's policies are designed to create the conditions in which the UK steel using industries can prosper and the steel industry itself can improve its competitiveness.
Scotland
Drug Squads
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many police forceś in Scotland have special drug squads; and how many police officers are involved in these drug squads.
Five of the eight police forces in Scotland have drug squads, with a total complement of about 50 officers.
Women's Health
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why the Scottish Health Education Group has not yet published its health education leaflet about women's health.
The Scottish Health Education Group has only recently completed its re-editing of the proposed "Well Woman" booklet.
Rolls-Royce Ltd
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to meet the management of Rolls-Royce Ltd., Hillington; and if he will make a statement.
My right hon. Friend has no such plans. I naturally regret that the company has had to implement further redundancies as part of its reorganisation and rationalisation programme.
Crime Statistics
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made in the reduction of crime since 1981 in Scotland.
The number of crimes recorded by the police in Scotland increased by 6·6 per cent. between 1981 and 1982. Figures for the full year 1983 are not yet available, but the number of crimes recorded in the first six months of 1983 was 0·5 per cent. less than the corresponding period in 1982. The indications are, however, that the full year figures for 1983 will show a small increase over 1982.
Elderly And Disabled Persons
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many holidays were provided for elderly and disabled people in Scotland in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
The information was not collected before 1978–79, and figures for that year and the subsequent years have not been supplied by some local authorities. The available figures for 1978–79 were published in "Social Work Case Statistics 1979", a copy of which was placed in the Library. Figures for 1979–80 were supplied to the right hon. Member in a letter from my predecessor dated 20 October 1981; the figures for 1980–81 and 1981–82 were published in the Official Report on 24 February 1982, at c. 432, and 20 April 1983, at c. 113, respectively.
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many telephones were installed in the homes of the elderly and disabled people; and in respect of how many telephones rentals were paid in Scotland in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
The information for services provided by local authorities is as follows:
| Year ended 31 March | Number of telephones installed | Number of rentals paid |
| 1978 | 656 | 1,915 |
| 1979 | 866 | 1,975 |
| 1980 | 817 | 2,179 |
| 1981 | 674 | 2,993 |
| 1982 | 490 | 2,682 |
Meals On Wheels
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total number of meals on wheels served in Scotland in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what in each case was the number of meals per 1,000 population over 65 years of age.
The information requested is as follows:
| Year ended 31 March | Total meals served | Number of meals per '000 population 65+ |
| 1978 | 1,750,575 | 2,482 |
| 1979 | 1,739,076 | 2,442 |
| 1980 | 1,863,138 | 2,596 |
| 1981 | 1,863,417 | 2,575 |
| 1982 | 1,869,013 | 2,572 |
Home Helps
asked the Secretary of Stale for Scotland what was (a) the number of whole-time equivalent home helps, (b) the number of cases in which home helps were provided, (c) the total number of home helps provided and (d) the number of home help flours provided per 1,000 population over 65 years of age in Scotland in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Information on the number of home help hours is not held centrally. The other information requested is as follows:
| Number of home helps* | Number of clients | Total number of home helps provided | |
| Year ended 31 March | |||
| 1978 | 8,712·6 | 51,778 | 18,696 |
| 1979 | 9,479·0 | 57,852 | 19,767 |
| 1980 | 9,685·9 | 60,703 | 20,147 |
| 1981 | 9,123·2 | 62,749 | 19,537 |
| 1982 | 9,302·0 | 63,943 | 19,767 |
| * Whole time equivalent. | |||
Disabled Persons
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) aids and (b) adaptations to property were provided for the disabled in Scotland in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
The information was not collected before 1978–79. The figures for 1978–79 were published in "Social Work Case Statistics 1979", a copy of which was placed in the Library. This is the only year for which an all-Scotland figure is available, as the information provided by local authorities in later years is incomplete. The available information for 1979–80 was supplied to the right hon. Member in a letter from my predecessor dated 20 October 1981 and that for 1980–81 and 1981–82 was published in the Official Report on 24 February 1982, at column 423, and 20 April 1983, at column 113, respectively.
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give, in constant price terms, total spending in Scotland on (a) aids for the disabled and (b) adaptations to property in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
This information is not held centrally.
Public Expenditure
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish more details about the public expenditure figures in table 2.15 of the White Paper "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1984–85 to 1986–87", Cmnd. 9143.
My Department has today issued a commentary on the Scotland public expenditure programme which gives more information about the public expenditure within my responsibility. A copy has been sent to all right hon. and hon. Members representing Scottish constituencies, and I shall be pleased to let any other hon. Member have a copy on request. Copies are also being placed in the Library.
Voluntary Organisations (Grants)
d asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will detail the grants given by his Department to each voluntary organisation during 1982–83; which of these had their grants reduced in 1983–84; and by how much.
The information in respect of grants paid in 1982–83 is given in the table at the end of this answer. As regards 1983–84, it is not yet possible to determine grant paid in all cases since the financial year has not yet finished. However, I can give the information required in respect of the following organisations:
| Grants under section 73 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 and the Further Education (Scotland) Regulations 1959–79 | ||
| 1983–84 Grants Paid | Reduction in comparison to 1982–83 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Boys' Clubs of Scotland | 16,500 | 2,691 |
| Girls' Brigade | 5,700 | 1,755 |
| Scouts Association | 21,000 | 100 |
Grants under section 73 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 and the Further Education (Scotland) Regulations 1959–79
| |
| 1982–83 Grant Paid £ | |
National Voluntary Organisations
| |
| Abernethy Outdoor Centre | 1,395 |
| Army Cadet Force Association | 600 |
| Boys' Brigade | 33,645 |
| Boys' Clubs of Scotland | 19,191 |
| British Red Cross Society | 2,023 |
| British Youth Council (Scotland) | 15,525 |
| Church of Scotland Committee on Parish Education | 14,280 |
| Community Service Volunteers | 22,990 |
| Conservation Volunteers | 6,390 |
| Co-operative Union | 5,186 |
| Crusaders Union | 479 |
| Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme | 11,605 |
| Endeavour Training Scotland | 10,300 |
| Episcopal Church Youth Committee | 1,597 |
| Fair Play for Children | 6,325 |
| Girls' Brigade | 7,455 |
| Girl Guide Association | 9,318 |
| Iona Community | 1,118 |
| Loch Eil Outward Bound | 12,492 |
| National Trust for Scotland | 2,590 |
| Salvation Army | 8,630 |
| Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs | 62,858 |
| Scottish Association of Youth Clubs | 72,000 |
| Scottish Centre for Tuition of Disabled | 12,190 |
| Scottish Council of Social Service | 1,597 |
| Scottish Girls Venture Corps | 2,982 |
| Scottish National Council of YMCA's | 35,448 |
| Scottish Schoolboys Clubs | 4,366 |
| Scottish Standing Conference of VYO's | 17,595 |
| Scottish Woman's Rural Institutes | 26,375 |
| Scottish Youth Hostels Association | 4,366 |
| Scripture Union | 5,751 |
| Sea Cadet Corps and Girls Nautical Training Corps | 1,171 |
| Scout Association | 21,100 |
| YWCA of Great Britain | 31,439 |
| YWCA of Scotland | 1,384 |
Adult Education Organisations
| |
| Aberdeen University | 15,975 |
| Age Concern Scotland | 15,000 |
| Dundee University | 10,650 |
| Edinburgh University | 19,809 |
| Glasgow University | 2,875 |
| Scottish Adult Basic Education Unit | 140,000 |
| Scottish Institute of Adult Education | 19,580 |
| Scottish Trades Union Congress | 35,000 |
| Trade Union Congress | 6,240 |
| WEA North of Scotland | 41,322 |
| WEA South East of Scotland | 34,825 |
| WEA West of Scotland | 57,403 |
'Arts' Organisations
| |
| An Comunn Gaidhealach | 62,000 |
| Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association | 7,500 |
| Sabhal Mor Ostaig | 10,000 |
| Scottish Amateur Music Association | 2,200 |
| Scottish Chess Association | 8,000 |
| Scottish Community Drama Association | 20,500 |
| Scottish Youth Theatre | 16,300 |
Capital Grants
| |
| To Local Voluntary Youth and Community Organisations for the Provision of Community Halls | 611,773 |
Grants under Appropriation Act
| |
| Councils for Museums and Galleries in Scotland | 304,800 |
| Gaelic Books Council | 29,356 |
| Royal Society of Edinburgh | 464,000 |
| Royal Scottish Geographical Society | 2,200 |
Grants under section 9 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968
| |
1982–83 Grant paid
| |
| Scottish Marriage Guidance Council | 7,938 |
| Scottish Pre-School Play Groups Association | 11,563 |
| Dr. Barnardo's | 33,517 |
| Family Care | 14,304 |
| Scottish Council on Alcoholism | 19,256 |
| Quarrier's Homes | 13,622 |
| Catholic Child Care Office | 1,603 |
| Glasgow Council on Alcoholism | 324 |
| Voluntary Service Aberdeen | 40,864 |
| Crossroads Youth and Community Association | 47,934 |
| Glasgow University Settlement | 8,029 |
| Edinburgh Family Service Unit | 10,529 |
| Edinburgh Council of Social Service | 17,165 |
| West of Scotland Certificate in Social Service Scheme | 54,927 |
| Forth Certificate in Social Service Scheme | 33,316 |
| Caledonian Certificate in Social Service Scheme | 35,987 |
| Robert Douglas Memorial Home | 155 |
| Approved Schools Association | 300 |
| Refrew District Council on Alcoholism | 308 |
| Whitehill House Association | 189 |
| Simon Community | 114 |
| Salvation Army | 1,487 |
| Wellington List D School | 16 |
| Rossie List D School | 710 |
| St. Philips List D School | 274 |
| St. Joseph's List D School | 23 |
| Aberlour Child Care Trust | 510 |
| Red Cross Society (Scotland) | 438 |
| Royal Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children | 2,627 |
| Kaimhill House Hotel | 105 |
| Garvald Training Centre | 605 |
| Grampian Marriage Guidance Council | 561 |
| Tayside Area Council on Alcoholism | 255 |
| Age Concern (Scotland) | 537 |
| Inverness Voluntary Organisations Group | 94 |
| Dumfries Action Centre | 65 |
| Edinburgh Brook Advisory Centre | 282 |
| Fern Tower—Notre Dame Adolescent Unit | 166 |
| Dumbarton District Council on Alcoholism | 97 |
| Edinburgh and District Council on Alcoholism | 183 |
| Orkney Council on Alcoholism | 186 |
| Fife Council on Alcoholism | 95 |
| St. Euphrasia's Centre | 161 |
| Islay Council of Social Service | 65 |
| Moray Council on Alcoholism | 199 |
| Barony Housing Association | 222 |
| Scottish Council for Single Parents | 74 |
| Scottish Committee on Arts and Disability | 518 |
| Shetland Alcohol Group | 217 |
| Church of Scotland | 18,996 |
| Caithness Council on Alcoholism | 173 |
| Inverness Council on Alcoholism | 132 |
| Cowal Council on Alcoholism | 200 |
| Inverclyde Council on Alcoholism | 117 |
| Aberdeen Cyrenians | 132 |
| Glasgow Childminders Association | 89 |
| East Wigtown Forum | 74 |
| Douglas Association | 104 |
| Ayrshire Council on Alcoholism | 100 |
| Islay Council on Alcoholism | 167 |
| Fife Council on Alcoholism | 95 |
| Wayside Club | 126 |
| Leonard Cheshire Home | 129 |
| Scottish Institute of Human Relations | 2,500 |
| West Lothian Council of Social Service | 72 |
Grants paid under section 10(1) of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968
| |
1982–83 Grant paid
| |
| Aberdeen and North East Association for Mental Health | 1,696 |
| Aberlour Child Care Trust | 2,747 |
1982–83 Grant paid
| |
| Aberdeen Cyrenians | 1,785 |
| Age Concern Scotland | 58,374 |
| Albyn House Association Ltd. | 28,032 |
| Ark Housing Association | 1,413 |
| Atholl Baptist Centre | 233 |
| Barony Housing Association | 8,272 |
| Belleisle Centre | 7,567 |
| Blantyre Volunteer Group Co-ordination Service | 21,146 |
| British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering | 27,000 |
| British Red Cross Society (Scottish Branch) | 9,866 |
| Burnfoot Project | 15,553 |
| Canongate Youth Project | 55,272 |
| Castle Rock Housing Association | 1,077 |
| Catholic Child Care Office | 19,115 |
| Church of Scotland | 42,358 |
| Citadel Youth | 9,252 |
| Community Service Volunteers | 31,905 |
| Crossroads (Scotland) | 25,679 |
| CRUSE | 4,949 |
| Disablement Income Group | 2,200 |
| Dr. Barnardo's | 61,095 |
| Dumfries Action Centre | 16,137 |
| Dundee Children's Trust (Mars Project) | 17,850 |
| Dundee Women's Aid | 2,411 |
| Edinburgh and East of Scotland Society for the Deaf | 9,444 |
| Edinburgh Council for Single Homeless | 5,760 |
| Edinburgh Council for Social Service | 13,363 |
| Edinburgh District Council on Alcoholism | 145 |
| Employment Fellowship | 4,725 |
| Family Care | 4,586 |
| Family Fund | 302,250 |
| Garvald Training Centre | 1,500 |
| Gingerbread | 21,949 |
| Glasgow Volunteer Centre | 5,508 |
| Grampian Allelon Association | 13,000 |
| Grampian Volunteer Scheme | 906 |
| Handicabs Lothian Ltd. | 16,547 |
| HELP Levenmouth (Aberhill Youth Project) | 40,336 |
| Hollywood Project | 344 |
| Iona Community | 18,634 |
| L'Arche | 2,000 |
| Local Councils of Social Service | 248,405 |
| Lochaber Handicapped Association | 1,125 |
| Lothian Allelon | 30,505 |
| Lothian Vorag | 1,362 |
| Machars Action | 23,254 |
| Moray Firth Community Radio | 11,448 |
| National Childminders Association | 2,200 |
| National Cyrenians | 337 |
| National Foster Care Association | 5,500 |
| National Playbus Association | 4.056 |
| National Schizophrenia Fellowship | 9,500 |
| Nazareth House Aberdeen | 1,209 |
| Nazareth House Midlothian | 1,654 |
| Perth Volunteer Befriending Scheme | 4,410 |
| Physically Handicapped and Able Bodied Clubs | 10,095 |
| Pilton Youth Programme | 81,217 |
| Quarrier's Homes | 142,127 |
| Robert Douglas Memorial Home | 1,275 |
| Royal Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children | 96,123 |
| Rural and Urban Training Scheme (RUTS) | 18,690 |
| Salvation Army | 1,014 |
| Samaritans | 6,200 |
| Scottish Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders | 126,980 |
| Scottish Association for Counselling | 5,160 |
| Scottish Association for the Deaf | 17,069 |
| Scottish Association for Mental Health | 22,294 |
| Scottish Association of Voluntary Child Care Organisations | 10,784 |
| Scottish Catholic Marriage Advisory Countil | 7,126 |
| Scottish Council for Civil Liberties | 1,326 |
| Scottish Council on Disability | 163,308 |
| Scottish Council for Single Homeless | 6,860 |
| Scottish Council for Single Parents | 27,297 |
1982–83 Grant paid
| |
| Scottish Council of Social Service | 341,126 |
| Scottish Council for Spastics | 20,000 |
| Scottish Epilepsy Association | 27,521 |
| Scottish Marriage Guidance Council | 33,323 |
| Scottish Pre-School Playgroups Association | 63,544 |
| Scottish Spina Bifida Association | 600 |
| Scottish Society for Autistic Children | 25,000 |
| Scottish Women's Aid | 39,870 |
| SEAL Association | 12,632 |
| Six Circle Group | 23,662 |
| Slessor Youth Project | 6,300 |
| St. Andrew's Children Society | 468 |
| St. Charles Private Hostel | 1,216 |
| St. Euphrasia's Centre | 158,600 |
| St. Francis Children's Home | 860 |
| St. Katherine's Centre | 1,857 |
| St. Vincent's Centre for the Deaf | 1,337 |
| Stop-over Group—Edinburgh | 29,284 |
| Strathkelvin Project | 28,356 |
| Talbot Association | 235,644 |
| Thistle Foundation | 1,574 |
| Toy Libraries Association | 1,500 |
| Volunntary Service Aberdeen | 27,041 |
| Whitehall House Association | 4,612 |
Grants under the Educational Development, Research and Services (Scotland) Grant Regulations 1946
| |
1982–83 Grant Paid
| |
| Centre for Information on Language Teaching | 19,750 |
| Royal Zoological Society | 11,838 |
| Saltire Society | 200 |
| Scottish Parent Teacher Council | 2,000 |
| Scottish Mathematical Council | 700 |
| National Association for Gifted Children | 800 |
| British Association for Early Childhood Education | 150 |
| Scottish Computer Education Group | 3,000 |
| Scottish Field Studies Association | 3,750 |
| National Bureau for Handicapped Students | 500 |
| National Association for Maternal and Child Welfare | 500 |
Grants to list D schools under section 107 of the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Act 1937
| |
1982–83 Grant Paid
| |
| Kibble | 449,033 |
| Rossie | 576,851 |
| Wellington | 435,385 |
| Geilsland | 136,249 |
| Loaningdale | 219,218 |
| Springboig | 299,735 |
| St. Andrews | 83,730 |
| Oakbank | 353,868 |
| Thornly Park | 1,382 |
| Kenmure | 708,401 |
| St. John Bosco's | 205,291 |
| St. Josephs | 334,476 |
| St. Philips | 256,858 |
| St. Ninians | 81,804 |
| Balgowan | 407,904 |
| Ballikinrain | 172,377 |
| Dale | 76,590 |
| Dr. Guthrie's Boys | 199,437 |
| Dr. Guthrie's Girls | 220,649 |
| Langlands Park | 131,293 |
| Tynepark | 169,053 |
| Balgay | 281,584 |
| Balnacraig | 84,339 |
| Snowdon | 91,759 |
Grants under the Residential Special Schools and Orphanages (Scotland) Grant Regulations 1948
| |
1982–83 Grant Paid
| |
| Westerlea School | 202,880 |
| Corseford School | 299,755 |
| Stanmore School | 435,535 |
| Royal Blind School | 550,858 |
| Craigerne School | 188,459 |
| Thorntoun School | 265,801 |
| Harmeny School | 158,355 |
| Lendrick Muir School | 299,418 |
| St. Ninians School | 55,786 |
| Donaldson's School | 285,340 |
| East Park School | 628,819 |
Grants paid under section 16B of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 (Formerly section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968)
| |
1982–83 Grant Paid
| |
| Scottish Catholic Marriage Advisory Council | 720 |
| Scottish Council on Alcoholism | 62,000 |
| Family Planning Association | 11,160 |
| Community Service | 8,425 |
| Chest, Heart and Stroke Association | 2,450 |
| Action on Smoking and Health | 19,990 |
| Scottish National Blood Transfusion Association | 2,580 |
| Scottish Council on Disability | 16,857 |
| Royal Sanitary Association | 33 |
| RSSPCC "Battered Child" Unit | 25,939 |
| Arthritis and Rheumatism Council | 8,900 |
| Scottish Association for Mental Health | 7,931 |
| Age Concern | 7,765 |
| Toy Libraries Association | 1,500 |
| Scottish Pre-school Play Groups Association | 10,969 |
| Natural Family Planning Group | 489 |
| National Association for the Welfare of Children in Hospital | 1,190 |
| Motability | 37,944 |
| Overseas Doctors' Association—Scottish Branch | 657 |
| Brook Advisory Centre | 4,000 |
| National Schizophrenia Fellowship (Scotland) | 1,350 |
| Scottish Laryngectomy Club | 250 |
| Mastectomy Association | 500 |
| National Childbirth Trust | 1,350 |
| Scottish Epilepsy Association | 2,250 |
1982–83 (Grant Paid)
| |
£
| |
Grants under section 39 of the Road Traffic Act 1972
| |
| Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents | 86,330 |
| RAC/Auto Cycle Union | Nil |
Grants under section 4(2) of the Small Landholders (Scotland) Act
| |
| Scottish Allotments and Garden Society | Nil |
Grants under section 5 of the Housing (Financial Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1978
| |
| Scottish Council for Social Service | 20,543 |
| Institute of Housing | 39,148 |
| Age Concern | 15,192 |
| Scottish Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux | 1,000 |
| Scottish Women's Aid | 276 |
Grants under section 13 of the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977
| |
| Scottish Council for Single Homeless | 28,820 |
| Scottish Women's Aid | 3,504 |
Grants under section 10 of the Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Act 1972
| |
1982–83 (Grant Paid)
| |
£
| |
| The New Lanark Conservation Civic Trust | 13,555 |
Grants under section 158(2) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1966
| |
| Scottish Federation of Housing Associations | 2,000 |
Grants to 90 Housing Societies and Associations*
| |
| Under Part VII of the Housing (Scotland) Acts 1950 and 1966 | 84,279 |
| Under Part VI of the Housing (Financial Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1972 | 566,791 |
| Under Part III of the Housing Act 1974 | 104,680,006 |
| Under Section 93 of the Finance Act 1965 | 108,949 |
Other Grants
| |
| Planning Exchange | 85,000 |
| Scottish Civic Trust | 29,000 |
| Scottish Georgian Society | 3,000 |
| Saltire Society | 2,000,000 |
Formation Grants to Fish Producers' Organisations (SI 498/1982)
| |
| Fife Fish Producers' Organisation | 10,629 |
| North East of Scotland Fishermen's Organisation | 20,488 |
* Individual societies and associations may receive grants under one or several of the above provisions. | |
Environment
Housing (Southwark)
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many new dwellings were started and completed by Southwark council in (a) 1979–80, (b) 1980–81 (c) 1981–82 and (d) 1982–83.
The figures are as follows:
| Southwark London Borough New Dwellings | ||
| Financial year | Started | Completed |
| 1979–80 | 849 | 783 |
| 1980–81 | 122 | 758 |
| 1981–82 | 20 | 1,404 |
| 1982–83 | 326 | 393 |
Housing Lists
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will collect statistics on numbers of households on individual councils' housing lists.
No. Local authority practices on housing lists are too disparate for comparisons between authorities to be meaningful.
Environment Ministers Council
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement about the outcome of the Council of Environment Ministers' meeting on 1 March.
I led the United Kingdom delegation at this meeting, at which the main items discussed were a proposed directive on the combating of air pollution from industrial plants; a proposed regulation on action by the Community relating to the environment—ACE; and a proposed regulation on the supervision and control of transfrontier shipment of hazardous wastes.
The air pollution directive was agreed, subject to a parliamentary reserve by the United Kingdom. On the main issue, it was agreed that there should be provision for Communitywide emission limits based on the best available technology not involving excessive costs and taking account of the nature and qualities of the emissions concerned. It was understood that such limits would be proposed only if Community action was considered to be necessary on the basis of the scientific evidence. This directive will provide a consistent framework for future proposals on control of emissions from specific industries which will take full account of the need to balance economic, technical and environmental factors.
The ACE regulation was agreed with a total funding of 13 million ECU—approximately £7·5 million—for a period of three years. The types of project that will be eligible for Community support are: clean technologies used in certain industrial processes; new techniques and methods for measuring environmental quality; and habitats of endangered species within the terms of the Community's 1979 directive on the conservation of wild birds.
The Council also made useful progress on the proposal on transfrontier shipment of hazardous waste. Athough the United Kingdom was able to agree to a compromise text dealing with the responsibility of the producer, the Council was finally unable to agree to German and Danish demands for stricter national and local controls on hazardous waste shipments in their territories. and the draft directive was referred to the Committee of Permanent Representatives for further consideration.
The Council formally adopted the directive on discharges of mercury to the aquatic environment by sectors other than the chlor-alkali electrolysis industry which was agreed at its meeting on 16 December.
Oil Fuel (Sulphur Content)
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to end the exemption currently given to power stations from the Oil Fuel (Sulphur Content of Gas Oil) Regulations 976; and if he will make a statement.
The Oil Fuel (Sulphur Content of Gas Oil) Regulations 1976 brought into effect the provisions of EEC directive 75/716/EEC which specifically excludes gas oil used in power stations. I have no plans to change the regulations to remove the exemption for gas oil used in power stations. Total use of gas oil in the United Kingdom is some 16 million tonnes a year, mostly as vehicle fuel and for heating of buildings. Only some 200,000 tonnes are used in power stations, as a starter fuel for generating plant. This source does not make a significant contribution to total power station emissions of sulphur dioxide.
Voluntary Organisations (Grants)
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will detail the grants given by his Department to each voluntary organisation during 1982–83; which of these had their grants reduced in 1983–84; and by how much.
I refer the hon. Member to the replies given to my hon. Friends the Members for Exeter (Mr. Hannan) and Wirral, South (Mr. Porter) on 30 November 1982, at c. 165–66, and 21 December 1983, at c. 275–76.
Local Government Reform
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of Shropshire, North in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils;(2) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of Shipley in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils;(3) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of Sheffield, Hallam in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils;(4) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of Slough in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils;(5) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of Shrewsbury and Atcham in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils;(6) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of Shoreham in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils;(7) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of Spelthorne in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils;(8) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of Skipton and Ripon in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of Sherwood in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils;(2) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of Stafford in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils;(3) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of Mid- Staffordshire in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils;(4) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of Solihull in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils;
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of Southport in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils;(2) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of South Hams in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils;(3) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of South Ribble in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of Staffordshire, Moorlands in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils;(2) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of Staffordshire, South in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils;(3) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of Somerton and Frome in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils;(4) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of Southampton, Test in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils;(5) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of Southampton, Itchen in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils;
(6) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency Southend, East in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils;
(7) what representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of Southend, West in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063, "Streamlining the Cities"; and which of them were in favour of, or against, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils.
I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Brent, South (Mr. Pavitt) on Thursday 1 March, at column 330.
Newham, North-West (Representations)
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the reply on 1 March, if he will estimate the cost of identifying representations he has received from organisations in the constituency of Newham, North-West.
The cost of disaggregating on a parliamentary constituency basis would be disproportionate to the value of the information to the House.
Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs
El Salvador
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government have decided to accept the invitation to send observers to the elections in El Salvador on 25 March.
I have nothing to add to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Fife, North-East (Mr. Henderson) on 29 February, at c. 226–27.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance is being made available to British observers of El Salvador elections; and what embassies will host the United Kingdom observers.
Administrative and other appropriate assistance is being made available by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and by the British ambassador to Honduras, who is also accredited to El Salvador.
Passports
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria are used by his Department when considering passport applications on behalf of children born in the United Kingdom after 31 December 1982, neither of whose parents are British citizens, in deciding whether either of that child's parents was ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom at the time of the child's birth so as to allow the issue of a passport showing the child to be a British citizen.
The passport offices refer to the stamps entered in a parent's passport by the immigration service or the Home Office, to determine whether the parent had indefinite leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom at the time of the child's birth.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what additional information and documentation is requested from the parents of a child born in the United Kingdom after 31 December 1982 who is applying for a passport other than indicated on the standard passport application form B; and under what circumstances additional information or documentation is required from parents who are not British citizens.
If neither parent's passport establishes ordinary residence in the United Kingdom, the passport offices simply ask whether either parent was, at the time of the child's birth, ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom and free of restrictions under the immigration laws. Written statements to this effect are accepted unless they are clearly contradicted by other available evidence. Cases of doubt are referred to the Home Office
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any standard pro forma letters are sent requesting further information and documentation from the parents of a child born in the United Kingdom after 31 December 1982 who is applying for a passport and when the parents themselves are not British citizens.
No standard pro forma letter requesting further information and documentation in such cases is in use in the passport offices. A standard letter is used when it is clear that an application has been made in respect of a child born in the United Kingdom after 31 December 1982 who does not qualify on nationality grounds for a British passport. I shall let the hon. Member have a specimen of this standard letter.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guidance or instructions are issued to staff of his Department dealing with passport applications by a child born in the United Kingdom after 31 December 1982 neither of whose parents are British citizens; and if he will provide copies of such guidance or instructions.
I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the guidance issued to staff in the passport offices on this point.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications were received for passports during 1983 on behalf of children born in the United Kingdom during the year to parents who are not British citizens.
The passport offices do not keep statistics which categorise passport holders according to the way in which they acquired British citizenship. Over 2 million passport applications would have to be scrutinised to extract the information requested and the expense involved would not be justified.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions further information or documentation other than that already indicated on the standard application form was requested in 1983 from parents of a child born in the United Kingdom after 3l December 1982 who was applying for a British passport and when neither of the parents was a British citizen.
One hundred and eight applications for passports for children born in the United Kingdom after 31 December 1982 were withdrawn during 1983 because the children concerned did not qualify for a British passport on nationality grounds. In most of these cases further information would have been requested. No statistics have been kept of the number of cases in which it was necessary to ask for further information or documentation before a passport was issued.
International Labour Organisation Conventions
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why the Hong Kong Government have made no declaration on the application of International Labour Organisation convention No. 116 (Final Articles Revision) dated 1961.
International Labour convention No. 116 is a procedural convention and as such places no obligations on ratifying states or their non-metropolitan territories.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why the Hong Kong Government have made no declaration on the application of International Labour Organisation convention No. 80 (Final Articles Revision) dated 1946.
International Labour convention No 80 is a procedural convention and as such places no obligations on ratifying states or their non-metropolitan territories.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why the Hong Kong Government have made no declaration on the application of International Labour Organisation convention No. 83 on labour standards (Non-Metropolitan Territories) dated 1947.
By virtue of its status as a non-metropolitan territory Hong Kong cannot make a declaration on International Labour convention No. 83. This convention allow territories of member states which ratify the convention to make declarations on a number of conventions specified in a schedule to convention No. 83 whether or not the state of which they are a dependent territory has ratified the conventions. The United Kingdom has ratified convention No. 83: Hong Kong has made declarations on eight of the conventions listed in the schedule.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in the Official Report the 29 international labour conventions of the International Labour Organisation on which the Hong Kong Government have made declarations that they will apply without modification.
The Hong Kong Government have made declarations to apply without modifications the following International Labour conventions that have been ratified by the United Kingdom.
| Convention No. | Title |
| 2 | Unemployment, 1919 |
| 5 | Minimum Age (Industry), 1919 |
| 7 | Minimum Age (Sea), 1920 |
| 8 | Unemployment Indemnity (Shipwreck), 1920 |
| 11 | Right of Association (Agriculture), 1921 |
| 12 | Workmen's Compensation (Agriculture), 1921 |
| 15 | Minimum Age (Trimmers and Stokers), 1921 |
| 16 | Medical Examination of Young Persons (Sea) |
| 19 | Equality of Treatment (Accident Compensation) 1925 |
Convention No.
| Title
|
| 22 | Seaman's Articles of Agreement, 1926 |
| 26 | Minimum Wage Fixing Machinery, 1928 |
| 29 | Forced Labour, 1930 |
| 32 | Protection Against Accidents (Dockers), Revised 1932 |
| 42 | Workmen's Compensation (Occupational Diseases) Revised 1934 |
| 45 | Underground Work (Women), 1935 |
| 50 | Recruiting of Indigenous Workers, 1936 |
| 64 | Contracts of Employment (Indigenous Workers) 1939 |
| 65 | Penal Sanctions (Indigenous Workers) 1939 |
| 74 | Certification of Able Seamen, 1946 |
| 81 | Labour Inspection, 1947 |
| 84 | Right of Association (Non-Metropolitan Territories), 1947 |
*85 | Labour Inspectorates (Non-Metropolitan Territories), 1947 |
| 97 | Migration for Employment Revised 1949 |
| 98 | Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining, 1949 |
| 105 | Abolition of Forced Labour, 1957 |
| 108 | Seafarers' Identity Documents, 1958 |
| 115 | Radiation Protection, 1960 |
| 122 | Employment Policy, 1964 |
| 124 | Medical Examination of Young Persons (Under ground Work) 1965 |
| 151 | Labour Relations (Public Service), 1978 |
* The declaration on convention No. 85, which specifically applies to non-metropolitan territories, has since been superseded by a later declaration on convention No. 81 which makes similar provisions to those of convention No. 85. | |
The 30 conventions given above represent an increase of one over the information given in the previous reply to the hon. Member on 16 February, at column 276. The reason for this is that convention No. 42 was included erroneously in the figure given for conventions applied with modification.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in the Official Report the 16 International Labour Organisation conventions which have been ratified by Her Majesty's Government but have been modified by the Hong Kong Government.
The Hong Kong Government have made declarations to apply with modifications the following International Labour conventions that have been ratified by the United Kingdom:
| Convention number | Title |
| 10 | Minimum Age (Agriculture), 1921 |
| 17 | Workmen's Compensation (Accidents) 1925 |
| 63 | Convention Concerning Statistics of Wages and Hours of Work, 1938 |
| 82 | Social Policy (Non Metropolitan Territories) |
| 86 | Contracts of Employment (Indigenous Workers) |
| 87 | Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, 1942 |
| 92 | Accommodation of Crews, Revised, 1949 |
| 95 | Protection of Wages, 1949 |
| 101 | Holidays with Pay (Agriculture) 1952 |
| 141 | Rural Workers' Organisations, 1975 |
| 142 | Human Resources Development, 1975 |
| 144 | Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) 1976 |
| 147 | Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards) 1976 |
| 148 | Working Environment (Air Pollution, Noise and Vibration), 1977 |
| 150 | Labour Administration, 1978 |
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why 16 conventions of the International Labour Organisation ratified by Her Majesty's Government are applied by the Hong Kong Government with modifications; and what modifications are applied.
The decisions to apply 15 conventions with modifications have been made because the Hong Kong Government feel that the standards laid down in the conventions are not appropriate for social, economic or political reasons. The majority of the conventions are applied in substance and the modifications are of a technical nature only. Details of the modifications to individual conventions are as follows:
| No. 10 Minimum Age (Agriculture) | Children aged 13 who have completed form 111 of secondary education are permitted to work in agricultural undertakings under certain conditions designed to protect their health, welfare and morals. |
| No. 17 Workmen's Compensation (Accidents) | An employer is not liable to pay the medical expenses of an injured employee who is incapacitated for less than three consecutive days. |
| No. 63 Statistics on wages and hours of work | Indexes on time rates are not collected. |
| No. 82 Social Policy (Non-Metropolitan Territories) | There is no statutory requirement for wage records to be kept by employers in the prescribed manner. |
| No. 86 Contracts of Employment (Indigenous workers) | The convention's application is limited to manual workers. |
| No. 87 Freedom of Association and the right to organise | The consent of the public authority is required for affiliation of trade unions with international associations. Federations of trade unions may consist only of trade unions engaged in the same trade or industry, and union officials must be habitually engaged in the trade with which the union is directly concerned. |
| No. 92 Accommodation of crews | Consultation between shipowners and trade unions is not mandatory and there is no statutory complaints procedure for trade unions. |
| No. 95 Protection of Wages | There is no statutory requirement that the competent authority must ensure that the value attributed to allowances in kind is fair and reasonable, and the maintenance of records in the approved form is not mandatory. |
| No. 101 Holidays with pay (Agriculture) | The application of the convention is restricted to manual workers and non-manual workers on a monthly salary of dollars 8,500 or more. |
| No. 141 Rural Workers' Organisation | The convention is applied with the same modifications which are applied to convention No. 87 |
| No. 142 Human Resources Development | Vocational guidance is generally not available to adults. |
| No. 144 Tripartite Consultation | Some representatives of both employers' and employees' organisations are directly appointed to the tripartite consultative body. |
| No. 147 Merchant Shipping (Minimum standards) | Two-yearly medical examinations of seafarers are not mandatory. |
| No. 148 Working Environment (Air pollution, noise and vibration) | Agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing, forestry and marine transport are excluded from the application of the convention. |
| No. 150 Labour Administration | The scope of labour administration in Hong Kong does not extend to self-employed workers. |
The figure of 15 conventions given above is a decrease of one on the information given in the previous reply to the hon. Member on 16 February. The reason for this is that convention No. 42 which has been applied without modification was erroneously included in the figure given in this reply.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason the Hong Kong Government reserve their decision on 21 conventions of the International Labour Organisation ratified by Her Majesty Government.
Twelve of the conventions on which decisions are reserved deal with social security matters. Hong Kong does not apply these because of the structure of its social security system. Social considerations preclude the application of other conventions and the subject matter of some conventions has little or no significance for Hong Kong.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the 21 conventions of the International Labour Organisation ratified by Her Majesty's Government but reserved by the Hong Kong Government.
The 21 International Labour conventions which we have ratified and on which the Hong Kong Government have made declarations to reserve their position are as follows:
| Convention number | Title |
| 24 | Sickness Insurance (Industry), 1927 |
| 25 | Sickness Insurance (Agriculture), 1927 |
| 35 | Old Age Insurance (Industry etc.), 1933 |
| 36 | Old Age Insurance (Agriculture), 1933 |
| 37 | Invalidity Insurance (Industry etc.), 1933 |
| 38 | Invalidity Insurance (Agriculture), 1933 |
| 39 | Survivors' Insurance (Industry etc.), 1933 |
| 40 | Survivors' Insurance (Agriculture), 1933 |
| 44 | Unemployment Provision, 1934 |
| 56 | Sickness Insurance (Sea), 1936 |
| 68 | Food and Catering (Ships' Crews), 1946 |
| 69 | Certification of Ships' Cooks, 1946 |
| 70 | Social Security (Seafarers), 1946 |
| 99 | Minimum Wage Fixing Machinery (Agriculture), 1951 |
| 100 | Equal Remuneration, 1951 |
| 102 | Social Security (Minimum Standards), 1952 |
| 114 | Fisherman's Articles of Agreement, 1959 |
| 120 | Hygiene (Commerce and Offices), 1964 |
| 133 | Accommodation of Crews (Supplementary Provisions), 1970 |
| 135 | Workers Representatives, 1971 |
| 140 | Paid Educational Leave 1974 |
Hong Kong (Refugees)
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why the United Nations convention and 1967 protocol relating to the status of refugees were not extended to Hong Kong.
The 1951 convention relating to the status of refugees was not extended to Hong Kong because of the territory's small size and its geographial vulnerability to mass illegal immigration. The 1967 protocol was applied only to those territories to which the 1951 convention was extended.
Uganda
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of Uganda in respect of blocked bank accounts and Ugandan Government stock so that arrangements can be made for persons resident in the United Kingdom to receive moneys rightfully due to them.
Fresh representations were made about this in February. We now await advice from the Government of Uganda on the steps which the owners of such moneys and stock may take to secure their remittance to the United Kingdom.
Eec
Financial Arrangements
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if any of the suggestions made by the European Commission and member states for establishing control over EEC spending involve an extension of the powers of the European Assembly over European Economic Community financial arrangements.
None of the suggestions made by the Commission and member states for establishing control over Community spending involves an extension of the powers of the European Parliament, which are laid down in article 203 of the treaty.
Employment
Youth Training Scheme
66.
asked the Secretary of State for Employment what progress has been made in developing a certification system for young people who complete a youth training scheme placement.
All youth training scheme trainees receive a certificate at the end of their placement. The certificate summarises the trainee achievements and experiences, describes the trainee's training programme, and lists any formal qualifications gained during the placement.
asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the proposed reduction in the youth training scheme programme for 1984–85 and the representations made by the Merseyside council for voluntary service, Margaret street youth and community association and Valley Line Ltd., details of which have been sent to him by the hon. Member for Liverpool, Riverside.
I shall be writing to the hon. Member about the representations he has forwarded to me from the organisations in question.
asked the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received objecting to proposed reductions in the youth training scheme programme for 1984–85; and if he will make a statement.
I have received a number of representations about the operation of the youth training scheme in the coming year in particular about the number of mode B1 approved places. I remain satisfied that suitable training places will be available on the scheme to meet the needs of all eligible youngsters seeking places in the coming year.
asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young people are involved on youth training scheme projects on (a) Merseyside and (b) Liverpool at the latest date.
At the end of January, there were 9,767 young people in training on the youth training scheme on Merseyside, of whom 3,807 were in Liverpool.
asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a breakdown of the reasons why young people have left the youth training scheme; and what steps are being taken to assess the degree of satisfaction amongst the trainees with the scheme.
The progress of the youth training scheme, including the number of young people leaving training programmes, is monitored closely. Reports are provided nationally to the Youth Training Board and locally to area manpower boards. Information on the destinations of leavers is currently being collected. As an integral part of regular monitoring of the scheme discussions are held with trainees about their experience of their training programmes.We intend to have an extensive postal follow-up of ex-trainees which will seek their views about the scheme.
asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many mode B schemes have had to (a) close, (b) merge and (c) cut 10 per cent., 20 per cent., 30 per cent. and 40 per cent. plus of their places as a result of the planned reduction in mode B places from 89,000 to 70,000.
It is too early to give a detailed picture of the effect of the planned reduction in mode B1 approved places for 1984–85. Changes to schemes will take place over a period of several months.
Skillcentres
asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the details of budget and places available for skillcentres by region for the years 1982, 1983 and 1984; what proportion of such funds and places were in the west midlands; and if he will make a statement.
The number of places available in skillcentres by region in 1982 and 1983 are set out in the following table; in each year 9·6 per cent. of the total number of places were in the west midlands. I regret that no financial information for those years is available on a regional basis. The budgets and the number of places to be provided in 1984–85 will depend on the volume of business attracted by skillcentres operating on a cost recovery basis as my right hon. Friend the previous Secretary of State announced in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Saffron Walden (Mr. Haselhurst) on 21 January 1983, at column 236.
Region
| Total available places
| |
1982
| 1983
| |
| Scotland | 1,676 | 1,654 |
| North West | 1,994 | 1,946 |
| Northern | 1,327 | 1,298 |
| Yorks and Humberside | 1,386 | 1,454 |
| Midlands | 2,422 | 2,450 |
| (including West Midlands) | (1,489) | (1,493) |
| Wales | 1,268 | 1,208 |
| South East | 2,655 | 2,742 |
| South West | 1,175 | 1,236 |
| London | 1,588 | 1,552 |
| Total | 15,491 | 15,540 |
National Training Qualification
asked the Secretary of State for Employment with what existing national examining bodies he proposes to discuss his proposals for a national training qualification.
The Government's proposals for the future development of training and vocational education are set out in the White Paper "Training for Jobs" (Cmnd. 9135). They stress the importance of opening up access to training and jobs through a coherent system of training standards and certificates of competence, covering achievement in vocational education and training, both initially and throughout working
| Employees in Employment in England | ||||||
| thousands | ||||||
| Orders of the Standard Industrial Classification 1968 | Food, drink and tobacco III | Coal, petroleum and chemical productsIV-V | Metal manufacture VI | Engineering and allied VII-XII | Textile leather and clothing X1I1-XV | Other manufacturing XV1-XIX |
| June | ||||||
| 1965 | 652 | 433 | *488 | 3,290 | *l,107 | 1,383 |
| 1966 | *653 | *439 | 477 | *3,322 | 1,088 | *1,386 |
| 1967 | 647 | 433 | 450 | 3,251 | 1,017 | 1,343 |
| 1968 | 633 | 414 | 442 | 3,196 | 999 | 1,373 |
| 1969 | 641 | 431 | 443 | 3,242 | 1,012 | 1,375 |
| 1970 | 648 | 435 | 451 | 3,258 | 966 | 1,365 |
| 1971 | 627 | 427 | 420 | 3,175 | 918 | 1,324 |
| 1972 | 614 | 417 | 388 | 3,036 | 888 | 1,310 |
| 1973 | 613 | 413 | 390 | 3,056 | 874 | 1,330 |
| 1974 | 622 | 417 | 381 | 3,084 | 853 | 1,336 |
| 1975 | 590 | 414 | 374 | 2,953 | 792 | 1,255 |
| 1976 | 581 | 405 | 353 | 2,860 | 762 | 1,226 |
| 1977 | 578 | 413 | 363 | 2,887 | 767 | 1,218 |
| 1978 | 573 | 420 | 347 | 2,905 | 738 | 1,218 |
| 1979 | 573 | 423 | 338 | 2,898 | 719 | 1,219 |
| 1980 | 567 | 412 | 312 | 2,821 | 641 | 1,171 |
| 1981 | 532 | 379 | 260 | 2,524 | 548 | 1,076 |
| 1982 | 515 | 362 | 238 | 2,376 | 522 | 1,023 |
| 1983 | 491 | 343 | 210 | 2,238 | 503 | 987 |
| * Peak. | ||||||
Wages Councils
asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many workers in the London borough of Waltham Forest are covered by wages councils; how many contraventions of wages council pay rates in the area have been reported in the past four years; and how many prosecutions against employers have taken place in that period.
life. Officials of the Manpower Services Commission are in discussion with a wide range of validating bodies on ways of achieving these objectives. There is at present no intention of introducing a single national training qualification.
Manufacturing (Statistics)
asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the number of manufacturing jobs in England each year since 1960 broken down by industrial groups, the peak employment in each group since 1954, the latest available figure and the number currently unemployed in each group.
Consistent estimates of employees in employment are available for England for June each year from 1965. The following table gives the numbers of employees in employment for broad groups of manufacturing industries from 1965 to 1983, analysed according to the 1968 standard industrial classification (an analysis according to the 1980 SIC is not available prior to 1971). The year, within that period, in which a group's mid year employment was the greatest is indicated by an asterisk. the figures for 1982 and 1983 are provisional. The industrial analysis of the numbers unemployed is no longer available from the monthly unemployment count.
The figures requested in the first two parts of the question are not available for geographical areas smaller than wages inspectorate divisions. The inspectorate has not prosecuted any employers in Waltham Forest in the past four years.
Labour Statistics
asked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the 10 largest categories of employment in the Hertfordshire, West constituency in the years 1954, 1961, 1971 and 1981; how many were employed in each category; and what percentage of the total work force these represent.
Employment statistics for the West Hertfordshire constituency are not available. The
| Numbers and percentage of employees in employment in industry groups | ||||
| June 1971 | September 1981 | |||
| Orders of the Standard Industrial Classification 1968 | Numbers (Thousand) | Per cent. | Numbers (Thousand) | Per cent. |
| Chemicals and allied industries | — | — | 2·0 | 4·8 |
| Mechanical engineering | 2·8 | 6·6 | — | — |
| Electrical engineering | 3·1 | 7·4 | 2·8 | 6·8 |
| Vehicles | 1·7 | 4·0 | 2·8 | 6·8 |
| Metal goods nes | 1·6 | 3·8 | — | — |
| Paper, printing and publishing | 6·1 | 14·8 | 4·3 | 10·5 |
| Construction | — | — | 1·7 | 4·1 |
| Transport and communication | 1·9 | 4·5 | 2·1 | 5·1 |
| Distributive trades | 5·8 | 14·1 | 7·1 | 17·1 |
| Insurance, banking, finance and business services | — | — | 1·6 | 3·8 |
| Professional and scientific services | 5·6 | 13·4 | 4·3 | 10·2 |
| Miscellaneous services | 4·1 | 9·8 | 4·4 | 10·6 |
| Public administration and defence | 1·6 | 3·8 | — | — |
Adult Training Strategy
asked the Secretary of State for Employment what consultation is taking place with national bodies such as the Open Learning Federation in setting up a network of centres inside and outside the further education system to cope with the likely demand for retraining courses for the adults employed in the new adult training strategy.
Discussions are taking place with a wide range of organisations, including the Open Learning Federation, on how best to take forward the adult training strategy. As part of this consultative process, the Manpower Services Commission will be seeking to develop more flexible and more accessible ways of delivering training which, as far as possible, uses existing institutions.
asked the Secretary of State for Employment what finance has been allocated to the Greater Manchester metropolitan area to cater for the new adult training courses in 1984–85.
There are plans to provide courses under the training opportunities scheme in the Greater Manchester area at a cost of some £11 million in 1984–85. In addition the Government's White Paper "Training for Jobs" (Cmnd. 9135) accepted the Commission's proposal that, in preparation for a restructuring of its adult training programmes, it should run a number of pilot training programmes during 1984–85. It is not possible at this stage to say how many of these pilot programmes will be in the Greater Manchester area.
Skill Training Courses
asked the Secretary of State for Employment what provision is to be made for new skill training courses leading to the development of new small businesses in the Greater Manchester council area.
following table, which presents figures for the orders of the 1968 standard industrial classification with the highest numbers of employees in 1971 and 1981, relates to the Hemel Hempstead employment office area and includes Berkhamstead. Comparable figures for years prior to 1971 are not available.
We plan to support over 280 places on 20 small business courses in Greater Manchester in 1984–85.
Young Workers Scheme
asked the Secretary of State for Employment when the last inquiry was made into the cost-effectiveness of the young workers scheme; and what were the results.
The cost-effectiveness of the scheme is kept under continual review. Our latest estimate of the net Exchequer costs for each person who would otherwise have been unemployed and claiming benefit is £2,220. This figure has fallen substantially since the scheme was introduced. Account should also be taken of the effect the scheme has on establishing realistic wage rates for young people, and thereby creating more jobs.
Job Splitting Scheme
asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many full-time jobs were split in 1983 under the job splitting scheme; how much has been spent advertising this scheme to date; what further advertising is planned; how many civil servants are engaged in the administration of the scheme; and whether he will make a statement.
In 1983, 734 full-time jobs were split under the job splitting scheme. £338,500 was spent on the initial launch advertising of the scheme in January and February, 1983 and another small-scale information campaign is to take place shortly. Nine staff are currently engaged on the administration of the scheme on a part-time basis.Take-up to date has been disappointing, but it was always expected that the scheme would take time to build up. We shall continue to monitor progress of the experiment closely.
Youth Unemployment
asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what is the percentage of unemployed youth in the Merseyside special development area and the Liverpool travel-to-work area at the latest date; and what were the comparable figures for 1 June 1979;(2) what is the level of youth unemployment for
(a) the Merseyside special development area and (b) the Liverpool travel-to-work area at the latest date; and what were the comparable figures for June 1979.
Percentage rates of unemployment by age are not available below national level due to the absence of employment estimates by age. Analyses of the unemployed by age are available quarterly and the following table gives the numbers of registered unemployed claimants in January 1984, together with the figures for October 1982 on both the registration and claimant bases. The figures are not seasonally adjusted; in particular, the figures for July 1979 are seasonally high due to new school leavers registering as unemployed.
| Unemployed aged under 18 | ||
| Liverpool travel-to-work area | Merseyside special development area | |
| Registered unemployed | ||
| July 1979 | 10,375 | 15,900 |
| October 1982 | 6,146 | 9,804 |
| Unemployed claimants | ||
| October 1982 | 6,203 | 9,404 |
| January 1984 | 5,307 | 8,250 |
asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in the Official Report(a) the number and (b) the percentage of unemployed youth in the special development areas at the latest date and the comparative figures for June 1979.
I shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
Training Schemes
asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons are involved on mode B1 community project or training workshop places at the latest date on (a) Merseyside and (b) Liverpool; and what is the proposed reduction for the financial year 1984–85, respectively.
At the end of January, there were 2,530 young people on community projects and 947 on training workshop schemes on Merseyside, and 1,266 young people on community projects and 300 on training workshop schemes in Liverpool. In 1984–85 the Manpower Services Commission is planning to provide about 3,000 places on community projects and 1,400 places in training workshops on Merseyside, of which about 1,500 and 400 respectively will be in Liverpool.
Voluntary Organisations (Grants)
asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will detail the grants given by his Department to each voluntary organisation during 1982–83; which of these had their grants reduced in 1983–84; and by how much.
I regret that the information is not available in the form requested.
Lead Industries
asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are currently employed in the lead industries; and what are the figures for the last five years.
The information is not available. The Department's employment statistics are analysed according to the 1980 standard industrial classification, which does not separately identify the lead industries.
Home Department
Animal Research
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which authority has the responsibility for the licensing of dogs being held at premises used for animal research.
It is the responsibility of those in charge of research establishments to comply with the law and to ensure that they hold licences for all dogs held on their premises. Such licences are issued for the purpose of raising an annual charge in respect of the keeping of a dog which is leviable by the county council.
Licensing Hours (Airports)
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will propose amendments to the law to enable the opening of bars for the sale of alcoholic liquor at airports near London to take place outside normal licensing hours.
We have at present no plans for legislation to amend the Licensing Act 1964 to permit bars on the landside of airport passenger buildings to open outside the normal permitted hours. Section 87 of the Act empowers the Secretary of State for Transport to designate by order those airports which appear to him to be ones at which there is a substantial amount of international passenger traffic and this allows licensed premises on the airside of airports so designated unrestricted opening hours. I understand that the three London airports and Luton have been designated.
Statutory Forms (Welsh Language)
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a table listing those statutory forms used by coroners that are (a) available in either a Welsh language or bilingual format and (b) only available in an English format.
The forms used by coroners, wind] are printed in the third schedule to the Coroners Rules 1953, as amended, are not prescribed forms in the usual sense. The coroner is not required to use them, but rule 42 of the 1953 rules provides that they may be used for the purposes expressed with such modifications as circumstances may require.The forms are as follows:
- Form of declaration of office of coroner.
- Warrant to exhume.
- Warrant to summon jury.
- Summons to juror.
- Notice to accompany summons and reply thereto.
- Form of oath of juror.
- Summons to witness.
- Oath of witness.
- Direction to medical practitioner to make a post-mortem examination.
- Certificate of fine.
- Form of recognizance-witnesses or jurors.
- Condition.
- Notice of inquest arrangements.
- Notice that an inquest which is adjourned in pursuance of section 20 of the Coroners (Amendment) Act 1926 will not be resumed.
- Notice that an inquest which is adjourned in pursuance of section 20 of the Coroners (Amendment) Act 1926 will be resumed.
- Notice that the attendance of a witness will not be required at the holding of an adjourned inquest.
- Notice that the date, time or place fixed for the holding of an adjourned inquest has been altered.
- Certificate of forfeiture of recognizance.
- Order to remove body for inquest or post-mortem examination.
- Coroner's order for burial.
- Inquisition.
The coroner's order for burial is available in a version which is partly in Welsh and partly in English. No Welsh language versions of the other forms have been prescribed.
We have received no recent requests to provide Welsh versions of any of the other forms but would consider sympathetically any such request we received.
Lenient Sentences (Review)
the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to introduce legislation enabling the Court of Appeal to review the appropriateness of sentences challenged by the prosecution as being too lenient.
My right hon. and learned Friend has it in mind to include provisions empowering the Attorney-General to refer an apparently over-lenient Crown court sentence to the Court of Appeal in the legislation establishing an independent prosecution service which will be introduced in a future session, as soon as parliamentary time can be found.
Durham Prison
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when H wing at Durham prison was originally abandoned; what was the reason; what has since been spent on refurbishment; why it was decided not to reallocate men to this wing; and if he is satisfied that the conditions for the present women inmates are humane.
Durham H wing was transferred from the female to the male prison system in 1965. It operated as a special security wing for male prisoners until August 1971 when it was closed as a consequence of the dispersal policy for category A offenders. By the end of 1971 it reopened to provide accommodation for category B male prisoners serving between two and five years. In 1974 it was transferred back to the female system because of a general shortage of closed accommodation and the need to provide category A standards of security. These needs remain.Total expenditure on security measures and refurbishment of H wing since 1974 is not separately recorded.We are satisfied that conditions in H wing are humane.
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women are in Her Majesty's prison Durham, H wing; and how many are classified category A.
On 29 February, 36 women were being held in H wing and another was being held temporarily in an outside hospital. Three are classified as category A prisoners.
Misuse Of Drugs Act
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been charged with offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act in the last five years.
The numbers of persons proceeded against in the years 1978 to 1982 for offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 were as follows:
| Year | Number |
| 1978 | 13,468 |
| 1979 | 13,907 |
| 1980 | 16,747 |
| 1981 | 17,558 |
| 1982 | 19,942 |
Opium
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what official efforts of discouragement have been made to the Governments of those countries that are known to be cultivating opium on a large scale.
We have in the past brought pressure to bear through the United Nations on those countries in which illicit opium is produced. The Government consider, however, that it will usually prove more beneficial to adopt a positive approach towards producer countries by offering advice and assistance both through the United Nations and bilaterally, in particular on the strengthening of law enforcement capabilities. For example, we are currently contributing to a programme developed jointly by the Government of Pakistan and the United Nations fund for drug abuse control.
Drug Addicts
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many general practitioners are licensed to prescribed controlled drugs to addicts.
There is no requirement for a general practitioner to be licensed to prescribe controlled drugs to addicts, unless he wishes to prescribe cocaine, heroin or (with effect from 1 April) dipipanone. No general practitioners currently hold licences to prescribed heroin or cocaine.
Official Secrets Act 1911
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if Her Majesty's Government will repeal or revise section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911.
We have no present plans to do so.
Mr Edward Coulston
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a full report from the chief constable of Lancashire of the incident which took place at Altcar, Lancashire, on 22 February, involving Mr. Edward Coulston; and if he will make a statement.
The chief constable tells me that a man has been charged with an offence in relation to injuries sustained by Mr. Coulston. It would not be right for me to comment further, as the matter is sub judice.
Prison Rules (Directions)
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what directions he or previous Secretaries of State have made under rule 56 of the prison rules, as amended by the Prison (Amendment) Rules 1974; and whether boards of visitors now have the power to remit or mitigate disciplinary awards made by governors.
The directions of the Secretary of State under prison rule 56(2) are to be found in section 3D 41 and 42 of prison standing orders and circular instruction 58 of 1976, copies of which are in the Library of the House; boards of visitors have the power to remit or mitigate disciplinary awards made by governors only in the limited circumstances described in paragraph 5 of the circular instruction: that is where there is an application for the restoration of forfeited remission which was imposed by a governor and exceeds 28 days or which was imposed by both a governor and a board on separate occasions.
Prisoners (Medical Service)
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current policy regarding examinations by prison medical officers, at places other than within prison facilities, of persons remanded on bail, in cases where requests for such examinations are made on reasonable grounds by the courts or by defence solicitors.
Arrangements have existed for several years at certain establishments under which medical reports may be provided for the courts on defendants remanded on bail. It is for the local management to decide whether examinations under these arrangements take place in the prison hospital or elsewhere.
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is satisfied with medical arrangements within Her Majesty's prisons and, in particular, with the arrangements for joint consultant appointments and with the staffing levels of qualified medical practitioners in the prison medical service.
My right hon. and learned Friend is generally satisfied with the medical arrangements in prisons but there are areas in which we are anxious to make improvements. In particular we acknowledge that the prison medical service is under strength. Efforts are being made to attract a greater number of suitably experienced and qualified doctors to the service and are meeting with some success. The supply of consultant psychiatric services (including forensic services) is in general satisfactory. The system of joint appointments raised a number of difficulties and there are no plans for further appointments of this kind.
Remand Centre, Risley
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many remand prisoners currently held in Her Majesty's remand centre, Risley, are convicted persons awaiting sentence by (a) the magistrates' courts and (b) the Crown court.
About 150 convicted prisoners were awaiting sentence at Risley remand centre on 31 January 1984. Information is not available on the type of court that would pronounce sentence.
Court Escort Duties
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any proposals to relieve the prison department of court escort duties; and if he will make a statement.
My right hon. and learned Friend is taking steps to improve the efficiency of the present arrangements, but he has no present plans to transfer the work elsewhere.
Licence Applications
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications have been granted under the Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983; and if he will give a breakdown in terms of charity organisations, political organisations, schools, and so on.
I regret that this information is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Crime Statistics
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in the reduction of crime since 1981 in (a) England and (b) Wales.
The following table shows for England and Wales the number of notifiable offences recorded by the police in 1981 and 1982; the number of notifiable offences recorded by the police in the first three quarters of 1982 and 1983; and in each case the percentage change from one year to the next. Figures for the whole of 1983 will be published shortly in a Home Office "Statistical Bulletin".
| Notifiable offences recorded by the police | ||
| England | Wales | |
| 1981 | 2,821,000 | 142,000 |
| 1982 | 3,105,000 | 157,000 |
| Percentage change from 1981–82 | +10 | +11 |
| 1 January to 30 September 1982 | 2,295,000 | 117,000 |
| 1 January to 30 September 1983 | 2,283,000 | 120,000 |
| Percentage change from 1982–83 | -1 | +2 |
Television Licence Evaders
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many television licence evaders were prosecuted in each of the last five years; what is the average fine imposed; and how much each year for the past five years has been paid to the Post Office for their services in connection with television licensing.
The number of people prosecuted for using a television set without a licence were as follows:
| Year ending 31 March | Number |
| 1979 | 55,434 |
| 1980 | 49,935 |
| 1981 | 64,617 |
| 1982 | 70,580 |
| 1983 | 85,433 |
| £ million | |
| 1978–79 | 23·3 |
| 1979–80 | 31·5 |
| 1980–81 | 28·8 |
| 1981–82 | 38·8 |
| 1982–83 | 54·3 |
Bingo
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress is being made in the review of the rules governing the playing of bingo in licensed bingo and social clubs.
| 1982–83 | 1983–84 Provisional | |
| £ | £ | |
| GRANTS ADMINISTERED BY THE VOLUNTARY SERVICES UNIT | ||
| Action Resource Centre | 20,000 | 27,000 |
| Association of Researchers in Voluntary Action and Community Involvement | 7,400 | 10,000 |
| AVEC | 13,000 | — |
| Birmingham Settlement | 5,375 | 21,500 |
| Bristol Courts Family Conciliation Service | 23,000 | 25,000 |
| British Association for Counselling | 8,750 | 6,250 |
| British Association of Settlements and Social Action Centres | 25,500 | 25,500 |
| British Council of Churches (Community Work Resource Unit) | 12,880 | 14,250 |
| CETU | 29,500 | 32,945 |
| Charity Trading Advisory Group | 8,500 | — |
| Church Army (Inner Cities Unit) | 11,250 | 15,000 |
| Community Development Exchange UK Symposium | — | 7,500 |
| Community Projects Foundation | 764,000 | 811,250 |
| Community Service Volunteers | 529,500 | 502,000 |
| Community Service Volunteers (grant for young offenders by Prison Department) | — | 80,260 |
| Community Transport | 34,000 | 36,000 |
| Councils for Voluntary Service—national Association | — | 7,000 |
| Fair Play for Children | 25,000 | 25,900 |
| Federation of Community Work Training Groups | 20,000 | 21,000 |
| Festival Welfare Services | 18,500 | 20,000 |
| Gamblers Anonymous General Services Board | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham Race Relations Project | — | 1,575 |
| Horticultural Therapy (Land Use Volunteers) | 4,000 | 7,650 |
I recently met a number of hon. Members (including my hon. and learned Friend) and representatives of the bingo associations to resolve outstanding matters relating to the advertising of the proposed national game and bingo generally. We made good progress.
Joint Police Authorities
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list in the Official Report the population of the areas served by each of the existing joint police authorities in England and Wales.
The information requested is as follows:
| Population of force area on 30 June 1982* | |
| Police Authority | Number |
| Avon and Somerset | 1,363,000 |
| Devon and Cornwall | 1,396,000 |
| Dyfed-Powys | 444,000 |
| Hampshire | 1,605,000 |
| Northumbria | 1,449,000 |
| North Wales | 626,000 |
| South Wales | 1,298,000 |
| Sussex | 1,343,000 |
| Thames Valley | 1,828,000 |
| West Mercia | 1,019,000 |
Note:
* The population figures are from the Registrar General's provisional estimate for England and Wales including British, Commonwealth and foreign armed forces stationed in the area.
Voluntary Organisations (Grants)
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will detail the grants given by his Department to each voluntary organisation during 1982–83; which of these had their grants reduced in 1983–84; and by how much.
The grants made to voluntary bodies in the 1982–83 financial year and the amounts of grant paid or to be paid in 1983–84 where this has been fully determined, are as follows:
1982–83
| 1983–84 Provisional
| |
£
| £
| |
| International Voluntary Service | 18,000 | 19,000 |
| Leicestershire Race Awareness Consortium | — | 1,000 |
| Kidsline | 1,200 | — |
| London Voluntary Service Council | 1,798 | — |
| Merseyside Council for Voluntary Service | 15,000 | 15,000 |
| Midlands Group of Volunteer Organisers | — | 13,500 |
| National Association of Young People's Counselling and Advisory Service | 24,000 | 25,200 |
| National Council for Voluntary Organisations (Grant-in-Aid) | 724,000 | 797,000 |
| National Council for Voluntary Organisations (for International Conference on Social Welfare) | 9,700 | — |
| National Federation of City Farms | 24,000 | 25,000 |
| National Federation of Community Organisations | 72,000 | 86,000 |
| National Playing Fields Association | 80,200 | 84,500 |
| Northern Association for Community Care | 36,480 | 41,500 |
| Operation Drake Fellowship | 25,000 | 15,000 |
| Princedale Trust (for Release) | 65,000 | 71,100 |
| Retired Executives Action Clearing House | 7,375 | 15,085 |
| Sefton Community Resource Action Project | — | 7,000 |
| Standing Conference of Women's Organisations | 3,000 | 3,500 |
| Stockport Job Shop | 52 | — |
| Stonebridge (Harlesden) Bus Garage Project | — | 10,000 |
| Student Community Action Development Unit | 21,500 | 23,000 |
| Task Force | 89,000 | 93,000 |
| Time for God | 7,267 | 9,500 |
| Trinity Overnight Shelter, Birmingham | 15,600 | 1,360 |
| Turning Point (Lewisham) | — | 4,700 |
| United Funds (Hampshire Development Project) | — | 4,750 |
| Volonteurope | 625 | 1,875 |
| Voluntary Action, Lewisham | 500 | — |
| Volunteer Centre | 561,500 | 602,000 |
| Warrington Workshop for Voluntary Action | 400 | 9,900 |
| West End Co-ordinated Voluntary Services | 102,350 | 107,550 |
| West Yorkshire Radio Action | 18,150 | — |
| Women's Royal Voluntary Service (Grant-in-Aid) | 4,015,000 | 4,185,000 |
| Young Volunteers Resource Unit | 107,500 | 112,500 |
| Grants for the Development of Local Voluntary Action Scheme | ||
Special Programme
| ||
| Hull Community Resources Development Project | 14,750 | 18,320 |
| NE Training for Community Work | 25,000 | 25,000 |
| Newham Parents' Community Resource Programme | 17,500 | 18,250 |
| Salford Community Involvement Project | 18,500 | 19,200 |
| Social Care Assembly for Normanton, West Yorkshire | 12,300 | 12,825 |
| Training for Voluntary Organisations (Southampton) | 9,650 | 13,000 |
| Waveney Project (Suffolk) | 13,800 | 14,400 |
| Wiltshire Information Resource Exchange | 15,500 | 31,036 |
Small Grants Scheme
| ||
| Cornwall (Carrick and Kerrier) | 20,000 | 10,000 |
| County Durham (Easington and Wear Valley) | 20,000 | 10,730 |
| Sandwell Metropolitan Borough | 9,550 | 16,200 |
| Wrekin District | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| Scotland and Wales | 40,000 | 40,000 |
Charity Reviews
| ||
| Lancashire | 1,800 | 15,200 |
Grants for Refugees
| ||
| British Refugee Council (Vietnamese Refugee Programme) | 313,700 | 233,750 |
| British Refugee Council (Refugees from other parts of the world) | 265,900 | 284,000 |
| Ockenden Venture (Vietnamese Refugee Programme) | 330,600 | 211,000 |
| Refugee Action (Vietnamese Programme) | 423,600 | 222,000 |
| Save the Children Fund (Unaccompanied Vietnamese minors' home) | 18,700 | — |
| Ockenden Venture (Unaccompanied Vietnamese minors' home) | 11,600 | — |
| Grants (or grants-in-aid) to other bodies | ||
| International Social Service of Great Britain | 160,612 | 240,000 |
| Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents | 9,000 | 10,000 |
| United Kingdom Immigrants Advisory Service | 721,000 | 778,000 |
| Grants Administered by Criminal Department | ||
| Anchor Club, Leicester | 7,859 | 8,760 |
1982–83
| 1983–84 Provisional
| |
£
| £
| |
| Apex Trust | 48,250 | 51,627 |
| Barnsley ACRO | 6,165 | *
|
| Bristol Prisoners Visitors Centre | 1,400 | 1,500 |
| Birmingham Prisoners Visitors Centre | 3,376 | 3,560 |
| Brixton Prisoners Visitors Centre | 3,000 | 4,000 |
| Bulldog Manpower Services Ltd. | 392,000 | 347,000 |
| Catholic Marriage Advisory Council (grant-in-aid) | 98,750 | 103,700 |
| Circle Trust | 32,700 | 35,000 |
| Dartmoor Accommodation Scheme | 4,890 | 6,055 |
| Family Welfare Association (grant-in-aid) | 15,200 | 15,950 |
| HACRO Crisis and Support Centre | 4,675 | 4,954 |
| Halifax ACRO | 7,278 | *
|
| Hampshire Care Trust | 750 | 750 |
| Hull Prison Visitors Centre | 1,075 | — |
| Institute of Marital Studies (grant-in-aid) | 238,700 | 253,350 |
| Jewish Marriage Education Council (grant-in-aid) | 5,000 | 5,000 |
| Leeds Prisoners Visitors Centre | 1,250 | 1,200 |
| Lewes Prisoners Visitors Centre | 100 | 110 |
| Lifeline Day Centre | 8,086 | 8,652 |
| National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (grant-in-aid) | 487,000 | 531,000 |
| NACRO—Education Advisory Service | 22,330 | 23,894 |
| National Association of Victims Support Scheme | 21,300 | 39,500 |
| national Association of Voluntary Hostels Ltd. | 33,760 | 36,123 |
| National Marriage Guidance Council (grant-in-aid) | 750,000 | 788,000 |
| New Bridge | 10,708 | 12,000 |
| North-East London St. Leonards Society | 1,372 | 1,468 |
| North Eastern Prison After-Care Society | 900 | 800 |
| Preston and District Lodgings Scheme | 2,000 | 2,200 |
| Prisoners Wives and Families Society | 1,850 | 3,700 |
| Prisoners Wives Service | 6,150 | 5,200 |
| St. Giles Day Centre | 4,000 | 4,300 |
| Society of Voluntary Associates (SOVA) | 22,342 | 30,993 |
| Stonham Housing Association Ltd. | 29,000 | *
|
| South Yorkshire DACRO | 6,500 | 6,955 |
| York ACRO | 7,800 | 8,511 |
*Now incorporated in hostel deficit funding. | ||
Additionally, an amount of grant is allocated each year to the deficit funding of more than 300 hostels and similar accommodation schemes, administered by some 200 voluntary organisations, providing places for ex-offenders. £2·894 million was spent for this purpose in 1982–83 and £3·6 million has been allocated in 1983–84.
A further allocation: is made in respect of once-for-all grants to voluntary organisations providing day facilities for ex-offenders. £530,000 was spent in 1982–83 and £540,000 has been allocated in 1983–84.
Education And Science
School Meals
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why school meals are no longer required to conform to nutritional standards; what advice is available to local education authorities on the nutritional content of school meals; and what steps local education authorities and schools take to encourage pupils to eat balanced meals.
Before the Education Act 1980, under which the nutritional standards for school meals became the responsibility of local education authorities, many LEAs had represented that centrally laid down regulations were restricting their ability to provide food which reflected pupil preferences, one consequence of which was that a large amount of food was being wasted. Clearly uneaten food had no nutritional value. The pre-1980 Act regulations on nutrition remain available for guidance, and more up-to-date material is published by the DHSS and a range of other specialist educational and medical bodies and by LEAs themselves.In the course of their visits, HMI has observed that schools are becoming more conscious of the need to draw attention to the importance of high fibre, low fat and reduced sugar in the diet as aspects of health education and home economics. The Department's catering adviser has also noted that many LEAs now encourage pupils to choose a balanced meal by presenting the meals in such a way that they can make sensible choices and by always providing the option of salads and fresh fruit.
Graduates (Employment)
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of graduates from Welsh universities or polytechnics are currently in employment; and if he will give a breakdown between arts and science graduates.
Information is available of the first destination only of university and polytechnic graduates as at 31 December of the year in which they graduated. The following table gives information for 1982 relating to the 4,826 first degree graduates of the University of Wales and the Polytechnic of Wales—out of a total of 5,320 — whose destination was known.
Graduates of known destination
| Entering permanent home employment
| Percentages
| |
| Arts | 1,324 | 276 | 21 |
| Science | 3,502 | 1,478 | 42 |
| Total | 4,826 | 1,754 | 36 |
School Admissions (Hertfordshire)
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what numbers of children were admitted in 1983 to the first year level in (a) Halsey school, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, (b) King's Langley school, Hertfordshire, (c) Grovehill school, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire and (d) Highfield school, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.
Information is not available centrally in the precise form requested.
Burnham Further Education Committee
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will reconsider his decision not to invite representatives of the National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers to sit on the Burnham further education committee.
My right hon. Friend is fully aware of the case made by NAS/UWT for membership of the Burnham further education committee and he holds by his original decision.
Student Demand
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has had from the Royal Society about minimum projections for future student demand.
The Royal Society sent a copy of its paper "Demographic Trends and Future University Candidates" to my right hon. Friend in May last year. Officials of the Department have since had discussions with officers of the society as part of our review of the Department's 1983 projections of demand for higher education, which we expect to be completed by about Easter.
Students Unions
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on existing policy in respect of the autonomy of students unions.
My right hon. Friend looks upon student unions as constituent parts of their parent institutions; their conduct is governed by their own constitutions and by the provisions of the charters and statutes or articles of government of those institutions.
Universities (Submissions)
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will place in the Library all non-confidential submissions in response to the University Grants Committee's letter to the universities; and if he will make a statement.
University Grants Committee (Report)
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish the report he received from the University Grants Committee on its consultations about the future of the universities and place copies of all the submissions the University Grants Committee received in answer to its questions, unless such submissions were marked confidential, in the Library.
It is for respondents to the University Grants Committee's consultative letter of 1 November 1983 to consider whether their replies should be published. My right hon. Friend intends to publish the UGC submission on the future development of higher education which he expects to receive from the committee in the summer. This will contain a summary of the responses received. I shall take the committee's advice then on whether this should be supplemented by placing any individual responses in the Library.
Voluntary Organisations (Grants)
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will detail the grants given by his Department to each voluntary organisation during 1982–83; which of these had their grants reduced in 1983–84; and by how much.
A list of voluntary organisations receiving grants from the Department in 1982–83 was set out in my reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Hannam) on 29 November 1982, at c. 70–72. In addition, grants were awarded to the following three organisations after November 1982:
| £ | |
| Organisation for Rehabilitation through Training | 12,000 |
| Design Council | 10,000 |
| National Out of School Alliance | 3,000 |
| Voluntary Organisation | Grant Reduction |
| Anglican Young People's Association | 100 |
| Boys' Brigade | 1,400 |
| Catholic Youth Service Council | 50 |
| Co-operative Union | 200 |
| Foudroyant Trust | 750 |
| Girl Guides Association | 6,050 |
| Girls' Brigade | 650 |
| Girls' Venture Corps | 50 |
| National Association for Asian Youth | 6,550 |
| National Association for Boys' Clubs | 2,600 |
| National Association of Youth Clubs | 39,325 |
| Outward Bound Trust | 650 |
| Save the Children | 50 |
| Sea Cadet Association | 750 |
| UK Federation of Jazz Bands | 450 |
| Youth Hostels Association | 1,000 |
| Association of Muslim Youth UK | 750 |
| Caribbean Communications Project | 6,000 |
| Duke of Edinburgh's Award | 1,400 |
| Endeavour Training | 7,900 |
| National Union of Townswomen's Guilds | 10,050 |
| Standing Committee on the Education and Training of Teachers | 940 |
| Standing Conference on Schools' Science and Technology | 933 |
| United Reformed Church | 5,500 |
The reasons for the reductions were given in my earlier reply to the hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) on 27 February 1984, at c. 27–28.
In addition, the following four organisations which received grants in 1982–83 received none in 1983–84, because their grants were for fixed terms ending in 1982–83:
Voluntary Organisation
| Grant in 1982–83
|
£
| |
| Case Clearing House | 2,500 |
| Design Council | 10,000 |
| National Association for Teaching English as a Second Language to Adults | 1,500 |
| Social Morality Council | 15,000 |
Student Loans
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the nature of the widespread consultation on the question of student loans which his Department is undertaking.
No such consultations are taking place. The Government have at present no intention of replacing any part of the student grant by a loan.
Adult Literacy And Basic Skills Unit
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to announce his response to the recommendations made by the adult literacy and basic skills unit for an extension to its current term after 1985 with an increased grant.
My right hon. Friend has today written to the chairman of the adult literacy and basic skills unit agreeing to an extension to the unit's period of operation from April 1985. In future, the continuation of the unit will be regularly reviewed. Subject to that, its grant will be on the basis of a three-year rolling programme. The grant for the next three years will be £1·45 million in 1984–85, £1·8 million in 1985–86 and £2 million in 1986–87. The increase is in recognition of ALBSU's role in promoting basic education for the adult unemployed. We have agreed to the extension of the unit's remit to enable it to sponsor local development projects and to the making of small pump-priming grants by the unit to voluntary organisations to help them establish themselves.
Agriculture, Fisheries And Food
Common Agricultural Policy
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing in pence per pound or other unit of sale the amount of the levy on imports from third countries under the common agricultural policy of each commodity to which the regime applies, the level of the target/sluicegate or other desired market price, and the intervention or guaranteed price; and if he will include figures for sheepmeat and liquid milk.
Most of the information requested, was given, for the main commodities in my reply to the hon. Member on 23 February 1984, at c. 595. The United Kingdom levy on bulk liquid milk of 3·7 per cent. fat content was £121·5 per tonne on 3 February 1984.
Whirling Disease
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many fish farms are still subject to whirling disease; when he is likely to announce that no farm is any longer subject to a notifiable disease order in respect of whirling disease; and if he will make a statement.
Forty four sites in Great Britain remain subject to infected area orders because of whirling disease. I cannot speculate as to when it might be possible for me to announce that no farm is any longer subject to such orders.
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what effect his policy of lifting controls of the movement of fish and eggs from designated sites which are subject to whirling disease will have on supplies for the still water lakes, especially in time for the trout fishing season; what guidance he intends to give to potential purchasers; and if he will make a statement.
It has been my policy and that of my predecessor since January 1983 to approve, subject to the consent of the appropriate water authority, the movement of live fish from fish farms which are subject to controls because of whirling disease to angling waters, including stillwater lakes. The lifting of movement controls as from 27 February this year is therefore unlikely to have any effect on supplies for stillwater lakes.My advice to purchasers of live fish for restocking is to remind them that under some conditions the presence of whirling disease can have a detrimental effect on the development, and therefore the profitability, of stocks of rainbow trout. All such purchasers would be strongly advised not to buy fish suffering from clinical symptoms of whirling disease. In particular, fish farmers operating with earthponds who intend to use those ponds to hold fish smaller than 10cm would be advised not to buy fish from a site where whirling disease is present.
Voluntary Organisations (Grants)
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will detail the grants given by his Department to each voluntary organisation during 1982–83; which of these had their grants reduced in 1983–84; and by how much.
Grants were paid to two voluntary organisations in 1982–83, the National Proficiency Tests Council (£81,000) and the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (£9,900). There has been no reduction in the grants for 1983–84.
Knacker Meat
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to permit the supply of knacker meat to all classes of greyhound training establishments; and if he will make a statement.
The Meat (Sterilisation and Staining) Regulations 1982 provide that only greyhound kennels licensed by the National Greyhound Racing Club may receive knacker meat. This arrangement is made possible by the existence of a central licensing body which controls its members activities. We do not intend to extend this arrangement to other dog establishments which lack such a control because it would add greatly to the difficulties of enforcing the regulations.
Wales
Voluntary Organisations (Grants)
d asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will detail the grants given by his Department to each voluntary organisation during 1982–83; which of these had their grants reduced in 1983–84; and by how much.
I shall reply to the hon. Gentleman as soon as possible.
Kidney Patients
asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many patients in Wales are awaiting kidney transplants; how many National Health Service beds are at present available for renal patients; and what proposals he has to extend National Health Service facilities in Wales for these patients.
There were six patients on the waiting list for kidney transplants in Wales on 1 March 1984. There are 19 NHS dialysis beds and nine kidney transplant beds in Wales. We plan to add 12 new dialysis beds.
Transport
Voluntary Organisations (Grants)
asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will detail the grants given by his Department to each voluntary organisation during 1982–83; which of these had their grants reduced in 1983–84; and by how much.
The voluntary organisations to which my Department made grants during 1982–83 were as follows:
| £000 | |
| Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents | 420 |
| Community Transport | 20 |
| Medical Commission on Accident Prevention | 6 |
| British Motorcycle Safety Foundation | 100 |
| RAC/Auto Cycle Union Motorcycle safety scheme | 43 |
| British Motorcyclists Federation | 10 |
| Motorcycle Safety Campaign | 1 |
Fuel Duty Rebate
asked the Secretary of State for Transport in respect of what public road passenger services fuel duty rebate is paid.
| £ million cash | |||
| England and Wales | Scotland | Great Britain | |
| London Transport Executive | 226 | — | 226 |
| Passenger Transport Executives | 264 | 22 | 286 |
Fuel duty rebate is paid in respect of stage carriage services, as defined in part I of the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981, which are available to the general public and are neither excursions nor tours.
asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the fuel duty rebate per thousand passenger kilometres for each of the following categories of operator: (a) London Transport, (b) public transport executives, (c) the National Bus Company, (d) municipal undertakings and (e) independent undertakings.
In 1982, approximately £3·17p fuel duty rebate per 1,000 passenger kilometres was paid to London Transport. Comparative figures are not available for other operators. The amounts of fuel duty rebate paid per passenger journey in Great Britain in 1982 were as follows:
| Amount Paid | |
| London Transport Executive | l·39p |
| Passenger Transport Executives | l·45p |
| National Bus Company | 2·67p |
| Scottish Bus Group | 2·58p |
| Municipals | l·35p |
| Independents | 2·95p |
asked the Secretary of State for Transport what was the fuel duty tax rebate in 1982–83 for the following categories: (a) London Transport, (b) public transport executives, (c) the National Bus Company, (d) municipal undertakings and (e) independent undertakings; and what is the expected outturn for 1983–84.
The amounts of fuel duty rebate paid in 1982–83 and expected to be paid in 1983–84 to operators in Great Britain are as follows:
| 1982–83 | 1983–84 | |
| £ | £ | |
| London Transport Executive | 14,628,295 | 15,679,500 |
| Passenger Transport Executives | 24,927,686 | 26,718,900 |
| National Bus Company | 37,830,844 | 40,553,500 |
| Scottish Bus Group | 7,665,182 | 8,177,000 |
| Municipals | 12,383,245 | 13,260,000 |
| Independents | 5,649,328 | 6,055,400 |
| G.P.O. | 121,366 | 100,000 |
Bus Industry (Subsidies)
asked the Secretary of State for Transport what were the total subsidies to the bus industry; and if he will break this figure down into the following categories: (a) London Transport, (b) public transport executives, (c) the National Bus Company, (d) municipal undertakings and (e) independent undertakings.
The following estimated figures for total subsidies to the bus industry in 1982–83 comprise revenue support (which includes depreciation and renewals grants from GLC to LTE) concessionary fares payments, new bus grant and fuel duty rebate.
England and Wales
| Scotland
| Great Britain
| |
| National Bus Company | 187 | — | 187 |
| Scottish Bus Group | — | 45 | 45 |
| Municipal Operators | 72 | 20 | 92 |
| Private Operators | 27 | 8 | 35 |
| — | — | — | |
| Total | 776 | 95 | 871 |
Road And Rail Services
asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the public financial support per thousand passenger kilometers in 1982–83 (a) for British Rail services and (b) for public road passenger transport.
For British Rail the figure was about £32. Figures for the number of passenger kilometres on stage and express bus services are not available separately from those for all travel by bus and coach but the support per thousand passenger kilometres for all bus and coach travel in 1982–83 was about £22.
Municipal Bus Operators
asked the Secretary of State. for Transport what is the total amount of support excluding payments for concessionary fares provided by (a) county councils and (b) district councils to municipal bus operators for the latest available year.
In 1982–83 such support is estimated to have been £11·9 million from county councils and £12·5 million from district councils.
British Rail
asked the Secretary of State for Transport what would be the amount remitted to British Rail if it paid fuel rebate duty in full but was entitled to a similar rebate to road stage carriage services.
British Rail paid £6·6 million in 1983 in excise duty on gas oil. Excise duty on the same volume of diesel fuel would have been £117·7 million. Stage carriage bus operators receive 100 per cent. rebate on diesel fuel duty.
Concessionary Fares
asked the Secretary of State for Transport what was the total expenditure by local authorities on subsidies for concessionary fares for 1982–83; and what are the expected figures for 1983–84 and 1984–85.
Provisional outturn expenditure in 1982–83 was £201·8 million. For 1983–84 local authorities have budgeted to spend £212 million. Local authority budget returns for 1984–85 are not yet available.
Transport Supplementary Grant
asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the transport supplementary grant accepted expenditure for revenue support for 1983–84 for (a) London Transport, (b) public transport executives, (c) the National Bus Company, (d) municipal undertakings and (e) independent undertakings.
In accepting the following revenue support expenditure for transport supplementary grant in 1983–84 the Secretary of State did not indicate the distribution of support amongst individual operators:
| £ million cash | |
| Greater London Council | 113·750 |
| Metropolitan Counties | 116·113 |
| Shire Counties | 89·690 |
| Total(England) | 319·553 |
A19
asked the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the cost of repairs to the A19 road in County Cleveland and County Durham, respectively, for 1982–83 and 1983–84 to the latest available date.
[pursuant to the reply, 5 March 1984]: The costs of the repairs carried out to the Al9 trunk road in County Cleveland and County Durham during 1982–83 and 1983–84 (up to 1 March 1984) are as follows:
| Cleveland | Durham | Totals | |
| £ | £ | £ | |
| 1982–83 | 1,438,298 | 496,583 | 1,934,881 |
| 1983–84 | 87,729 | 341,050 | 428,779 |
| 1,526,027 | 837,633 | 2,363,660 |
Social Services
Young Unemployed Persons (Benefit)
67.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now take steps to prevent young unemployed people being discouraged from doing additional homework under the benefit regulations governing the 15-hour rule.
I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 16 February, at c. 325, to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Mossley Hill (Mr. Alton).
Gchq, Cheltenham
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much national insurance contributions will be payable in respect of the payments of £1,000 to employees of Government communications headquarters.
None. I am advised that the payments, while counting as emoluments for income tax purposes, do not fall within the definition of "earnings" in the Social Security Act 1975.
Patient Care (Transfer)
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many patients have been transferred from the National Health Service to the care of the local authorities since 1979; how many were transferred in each year since 1979; and what reduction in National Health Service staff there has been as result of these transfers.
Information about the numbers of patients transferred from NHS non-psychiatric hospitals to the care of local authorities is not collected centrally. For mental illness and mental handicap hospitals and units the available information relating to the recommended treatment or care on discharge from hospital is given in the following table.
| Numbers of Discharges | ||||
| Recommended outcome | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 |
| Local authority home for mentally disordered | 391 | 413 | 463 | 405 |
| Other local authority residential accommodation | 3,237 | 3,853 | 3,719 | 3,978 |
| Local authority social services after-care | 8,694 | 8,708 | 8,537 | 8,148 |
| Local authority social services after-care, with other types of psychiatric after-care | 3,085 | 2,588 | 2,886 | 2,305 |
| Totals | 15,407 | 15,562 | 15,605 | 14,836 |
Drug Addicts
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has as to how many people are currently receiving treatment for drug addiction as (a) inpatients in hospitals, (b) outpatients and (c) in rehabilitation centres run by organisations that are outside the National Health Service; and what is the drop-out rate at these centres.
The following information may be of help to the hon. Member:
| Mental Illness Hospitals and Units in England, 1982 | |
| Main diagnosis | Number of admissions as inpatients |
| Drug dependence | 1,343 |
| Non-dependent abuse of drugs | 425 |
| Drug psychoses | 336 |
Orthopaedic Waiting Lists (Leeds)
s asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why the four orthopaedic surgeons at the Leeds general infirmary have suspended their waiting lists with effect from 30 January; and if he will make a statement.
I understand that consultant orthopaedic surgeons at Leeds general infirmary have held discussions with officers of Leeds western district health authority about facilities available to them and that they have expressed concern about the length of time patients have had to wait for non-urgent treatment. They are not now adding new patients to the waiting lists, but patients already on the list are still being admitted as before. The health authority is looking urgently at how it might improve services in this speciality.
Childminders
asked the Secretary of State for Smial Services what is the total number of places in Waltham Forest for children cared for by childminders.
The figure for 31 March 1983 is 544.
World Health Assembly
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if any Minister will be attending the world health assembly in May 1984; what organisations are being consulted in the preparation of Her Majesty's Government's position for the assembly; and if he will make a statement.
We expect that a Minister from our Department will attend the assembly. We shall consider which organisations should be consulted once we receive the final agenda.
Supplementary Benefit
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number of people not citizens of the United Kingdom receiving supplementary benefit in 1982–83 and what is the current figure for 1983–84, including figures for claimants from each of the other European Economic Community countries.
Details of the citizenship or nationality of persons claiming supplementary benefit are not generally collected. However, some statistics are available for nationals of the European Community* and of certain other European countries. The following table shows the number of awards of supplementary benefit to nationals of these countries, recorded during the years 1982 and 1983 and the first two months of 1984.
| 1982 | 1983 | †l984 | |
| European Community Countries | |||
| Belgium | 39 | 41 | 5 |
| Denmark | 87 | 40 | 2 |
| France | 519 | 346 | 67 |
| Greece | 22 | 20 | 3 |
| Italy | 887 | 638 | 118 |
| West Germany | 339 | 192 | 43 |
| Luxembourg | 2 | 2 | — |
| Netherlands | 104 | 72 | 12 |
| 1,999 | 1,351 | 250 | |
| * No figures are available for Eire. | |||
1982
| 1983
| †l984
| |
Other European Countries
| |||
| Turkey | 14 | 14 | 3 |
| Norway | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Sweden | 6 | 3 | — |
| Iceland | 1 | 1 | — |
| Portugal | 5 | 7 | 2 |
| Malta | 16 | 13 | 4 |
| 45 | 39 | 10 | |
| † Up to 24 February only. | |||
Housing Benefit
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many separate claims have been made for (a) housing benefit and (b) supplementary housing benefit, housing allowance and rent and rates rebates during 1979, 1980 and the latest date for which figures are available.
No information is held centrally about the number of claims made. However, we estimate that about 6·9 million households are receiving help through housing benefit.
Meals On Wheels
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if it remains Her Majesty's Government's advice to local authorities that they should not make charges for meals on wheels to those in receipt of means-tested supplementary benefit.
Local authorities have power to charge a recipient of meals on wheels at a rate which they believe it to be reasonably practicable for him to pay. Accordingly, as supplementary benefit provies for all items of normal expenditure including food a modest charge for meals on wheels is not ruled out for those receiving the benefit.
Ophthalmic Opticians
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what in 1982 was (a) the total fees disbursed to ophthalmic opticians as National Health Service dispensing fees and (b) the total wholesale cost including value-added tax on the appliances so dispensed.
Information is not available in the form requested. We estimate, however, that the total dispensing fees due to ophthalmic opticians' practices for 1982—including the arrears of fees paid in 1983—was £22 million. The estimated total cost to the NHS of frames, lenses and spectacle cases supplied by those practices was £40 million.
Nhs (Hospital Facilities)
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North of 12 July 1983, Official Report, c. 327, why no information is kept on the total complement of beds, wards and operating theatres within the National Health Service; and if he will make a statement.
We do not have sufficient need nationally for this information on bed complements to justify the cost and burden of routine collection. The reasons were explained more fully in my letter to my hon. Friend of 20 July 1983. This applies equally to information about the number of wards. The first report of the health services information steering group recommends that information should be collected on the number of operating theatres. We are at present considering the implications of this report with the chairmen of regional health authorities.
Attendance Allowance
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of the total number of reviews for attendance allowance were successful in 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 and to the nearest available date in 1983.
The information is as follows. It includes reviews on grounds of deterioration of the claimant's condition as well as reviews on grounds of dissatisfaction with the original decision.
| Per cent. | |
| 1979 | 75 |
| 1980 | 76 |
| 1981 | 71 |
| 1982 | 69 |
| 1983 | 66 |
Psychiatric Services
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if, in view of the reliance placed by many local authorities on voluntary services to provide adequate community care, he will give special guidance to local authorities on sustaining psychiatric services in the voluntary sector;(2) whether, in view of the difficulties encountered by local authorities and district health authorities in agreeing the terms for the transfer of resources in the event of psychiatric hospital closures, he will take steps to ensure proper provision for patients in need of transfer to the community.
Government action, through legislation and administrative decisions, has removed obstacles to the transfer of resources with patients moving out of pshychiatric and other long-stay hospitals into the community and guidance has been issued to health and local authorities. The attention of authorities has been drawn to the contribution the voluntary sector can make and the need to involve it as fully as possible. Further guidance is in preparation on the implementation of the new legislation, including the representation of voluntary organisations on the statutory joint consultative committees of health and local authorities. The provision of services appropriate to patients' needs is the responsibility of the authorities locally. It is for them to develop in the light of central guidance joint schemes linking health authority, local authority and voluntary resources appropriately, to bring about transfers where this is in the patients' interests, and to develop community care. If my hon. Friend will let me know of the difficulties to which he refers, I will look into the matter and write to him.
Hospital Closures
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services which long-stay hospitals for the mentally handicapped have fixed dates for their closure; when the remaining long-stay hospitals will have a timetable for closure; and if he will make a statement.
I list those hospitals for the mentally handicapped which we know health authorities plan to close by specific dates. We expect the strategic plans regional health authorities are required to submit by the end of March 1985 to include plans for further closures as part of the process of replacing unsuitable hospital care with a range of small-scale locally based residential and other services in the community.Essex Hall (NE Thames region); Darenth Park (SE Thames); Murray House (SW Thames); Sandy Point, Tichborne Down, Burderop and Longford (Wessex); Bradwell Grove (Oxford); Leigh Court and Starcross (South Western).
Community Care
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what resources additional to existing health authority budgets are to be allocated for the process of returning people to the community from long-stay hospitals; and if he will make a statement.
An additional £16 million is to be allocated to health authorities for pilot projects designed to return people to the community from long-stay hospitals. Following the consultative document "Care in the Community" the rules on joint finance have been made more flexible in support of initiatives for moving people out of hospital. Joint finance allocations were increased from 1983–84 with these initiatives in mind. In addition, £3 million a year for three years is being made available for health care projects which move children out of long-stay mental handicap hospitals to more homelike accommodation in the community.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the provisions for supporting in the community people who have sustained serious head injuries and who no longer require intensive medical treatment; and if any study has been made by his Department in particular cases of the comparative costs of such support and hospital care.
Local authorities and community health services do not normally make specific provision for people with head injuries. They provide support for them in the community according to their individual needs, which will vary with the effect of their particular injury. No specific study has been made by the Department of the comparative costs of community support and hospital care, but I would expect these to vary widely, depending upon the effect of the injuries and the circumstances of the individuals concerned.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what new resources are to be made available to voluntary organisations for schemes to enable disabled people to remain in, or return to, the community.
The Government stress the importance of the partnership between the voluntary and statutory sectors in the context of its care in the community policy. Under the joint finance scheme, health authorities can at present make payments to voluntary organisations and we hope to strengthen the voluntary involvement in this. In addition, much of the help given by the DHSS to voluntary bodies under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 goes towards activities aimed at enabling disabled people to avoid institutionalised care. The estimated provision for section 64 grants in 1984–85 is £10·45 million—subject to parliamentary approval—compared with an estimated provision of £9·95 million in 1983–84.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received from statutory and voluntary bodies about gaining access to funds made under the budget for the provision of care in the community.
We have received over 120 applications for inclusion in the programme of care in the community pilot projects, for which up to some £16 million of joint finance funds is being centrally reserved over the next four years. Voluntary organisations are involved in about one third of these proposals. We hope to announce shortly the projects selected for starting in 1984.
Spinal Cord Injuries
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people suffered spinal cord injuries, in the most recent years for which figures are available, as a result of accidents while playing rugby; and if he will list the major causes of spinal cord injuries in the same years.
I shall let the right hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.
Hospital Waiting Lists
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the average annual waiting list for hospital treatment in the Wessex region for each of the last five years.
I shall let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.
Welfare Benefit Information System
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the experimental microcomputer welfare benefit information system is currently on trial in Edinburgh and in Scotland; and whether he will make the results of an independent evaluation of the system public in the spring.
The welfare benefits information system—WBIS—is on trial at the Department's Clydebank integrated local office, as well as at other sites in England.I intend in due course to place a copy of the independent evaluation report on WBIS in the Library of the House.
Retirement Pensioners
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why all pensioners who require a card certifying that they are retirement pensioners are not issued with them; if, in view of the risks of theft involved if pensioners carry their pension books with them for identification purposes, he will now arrange for the issue of such cards; and if he will make a statement.
I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Mr. Bowden) on 21 November 1983, at column 66.
Pension Increases
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what progress is being made in reducing the time lag between the announcement of pension increases and their implementation; and if he will make a statement.
As in 1983, the pension increases which will take effect in November will be announced in June and will be based on the movement in the retail price index between May 1983 and May 1984. This is a shorter time lag than in previous years when November upratings were announced at the time of the Budget. For operational reasons, it is not at present possible to shorten further the period between the announcement and the operative date.
Voluntary Organisations (Grants)
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will detail the grants given by his Department to each voluntary organisation during 1982–83; which of these had their grants reduced in 1983–84; and by how much.
I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley (Mr. Foulkes) on 14 December 1983, at columns 509–16.
| Estimates of eligibility to, and receipt of, rent rebates, rent allowances and rent rebates*¶ | |||||||||
| England and Wales 1982 | |||||||||
| '000s households | |||||||||
| Households | Rent rebates October 1982 | Rent allowancesob/ October 1982 | Rate rebates 1981–82 | ||||||
| eligible receiving | eligible receiving | eligible receiving | |||||||
| percent. | per cent. | per cent. | |||||||
| All pensioner households† | 810 | 720 | 89 | 230 | 185 | 80 | 2,640 | 2,130 | 81 |
| One person households | 390 | 350 | 90 | 130 | 100 | 77 | 1,270 | 1,050 | 83 |
| Other households‡ | 420 | 370 | 88 | 100 | 85 | 85 | 1,370 | 1,080 | 79 |
| All non pensioner households | 1,050 | 620 | 59 | 150 | 50 | 33 | 2,360 | 1,100 | 47 |
| One person households | 160 | 100 | 63 | 35 | 330 | 180 | 55 | ||
| Households with dependent‡ children | 600 | 350 | 58 | 65 | ║50 | 33 | 1,300 | 580 | 45 |
| Other households | 290 | 170 | 59 | 50 | 730 | 340 | 47 | ||
| All households | 1,860 | 1,340 | 72 | 380 | 235 | 62 | 5,000 | 3,230 | 65 |
| * Estimated totals of recipients are based on reports by local authorities and new towns. The totals eligible are derived by applying estimates of take-up ratios calculated from Family Expenditure Survey (FES) data. Allocations of recipients and of eligible cases to household types for 1982 are calculated from their distributions in the FES samples for 1981 and 1982 combined because of the small sample sizes. Even so, all the estimates are subject to wide margins of uncertainty. | |||||||||
| † Pensioner households are those where the head of the household is of pensionable age. | |||||||||
| ‡ The FES sample also indicates a very small number of sample cases of children (dependent on the head of household) in households headed by pensioners; such cases are included in the "other pensioner households" category. | |||||||||
| ║ The figures for rent allowances refer to the privately rented unfurnished sector only; the sample numbers for non-pensioner recipients are too small to provide meaningful estimates. | |||||||||
| ¶ All numbers exclude households receiving supplementary benefit. | |||||||||
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many suspected adverse reactions to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been reported (a) under the yellow card system, (b) by companies making the drugs, and (c) from other sources to the Committee on Safety of Medicines since 1964; in how many cases the reaction was a death; and if he will categorise the reports according to the year they were received.
[pursuant to his reply, 27 February 1984, c. 75–76]: The information requested is as follows:
Griffiths Report
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish the six studies of hospitals referred to by the Griffiths team in its recent report.
We see no reason to do so. The six studies were undertaken in five districts with the encouragement of the Griffiths team. The district health authorities concerned are perfectly free to make the reports available if they see any purpose in doing so.
Rent And Rate Rebates
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will estimate the proportion of families (a) with and (b) without children taking up their entitlement to rent rebates, rent allowance and rate rebates for the latest date available.(2) if he will estimate the current take-up of the housing benefit allowance.
[pursuant to his replies, 14 November 1983, c. 334, and 9 December 1983, c. 293]: The data for 1983 have now been analysed and the information requested is in the following table.
| Yellow card report(1) | Industry report(2) | Others (3) | Deaths (included in columns 1–3) | |
| 1964 | 84 | 15 | 20 | 21 |
| 1965 | 409 | 36 | 50 | 51 |
| 1966 | 184 | 37 | 24 | 49 |
| 1967 | 171 | 21 | 46 | 46 |
| 1968 | 190 | 27 | 44 | 47 |
| 1969 | 203 | 43 | 35 | 46 |
| 1970 | 188 | 29 | 32 | 40 |
| 1971 | 139 | 44 | 43 | 45 |
| 1972 | 215 | 38 | 51 | 51 |
| 1973 | 236 | 42 | 19 | 46 |
Yellow card report (1)
| Industry report (2)
| Others(3)
| Deaths (included in columns 1–3)
| |
| 1974 | 433 | 75 | 54 | 67 |
| 1975 | 274 | 61 | 95 | 99 |
| 1976 | 472 | 84 | 49 | 54 |
| 1977 | 1,072 | 84 | 60 | 61 |
| 1978 | 1,679 | 242 | 69 | 61 |
| 1979 | 1,812 | 314 | 106 | 63 |
| 1980 | 2,309 | 594 | 84 | 55 |
| 1981 | 4,017 | 309 | 182 | 88 |
| 1982 | 3,021 | 255 | 309 | 111 |
| 1983 | 3,154 | 336 | 276 | 127 |
It is important to note that a report does not necessarily demonstrate a causal relationship between the reaction and the drugs concerned.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether the Committee on Safety of Medicines was sent a copy of Ciba-Geigy's internal assessment of the safety of butazolidin and tanderil dated September 1982; when it was sent; and what was the Committee's response;(2) pursuant to the reply of 15 February,
Official Report, c. 234, from whom the Committee on Safety of Medicines has obtained information to help it with its review of the safety of products containing phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone; if it consulted drug safety bodies in other countries and what is the total number of (a) adverse reactions and (b) deaths reported to them from all sources.
[pursuant to his reply, 27 February 1984, c. 75–76]: The Committee on Safety of Medicines—CSM—obtained obtained its information in respect of the products referred to from adverse reactions reports submitted to it by doctors, from published reports in the professional literature and from the company concerned. The company's own internal assessment of the safety of butazolidin and tanderil was received by the CSM in December 1983 and used in its own review of the safety of these products. The secretariat of the CSM has kept in close contact with other drug regulatory authorities during this review.The figures requested of adverse reactions and deaths fom 1964 to date are as follows:
| Total reports registered | Deaths | |
| Phenylbutazone | 1,693 | 445 |
| Oxyphenbutazone | 508 | 131 |
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are currently available to be prescribed; what are their names; and approximately how many prescriptions a year are issued for this category of drug.
[pursuant to his reply, 27 February 1984, c. 75–76]: Twenty-one non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are available on prescription only. Their names are as follows. In 1982, the last year for which figures are available, approximately 16·5 million prescriptions were issued for these drugs. Figures have not been included for other drugs in this class—for example, aspirin—which are obtainable over the counter as well as on prescription.
- Azapropazone
- Diclofenac Sodium
- Diflunisal
- Fenbufen
- Fenclofenac
- Fenoprofen
- Feprazone
- Flufenamic Acid
- Flurbiprofen
- Ibuprofen
- Indomethacin
- Indoprofen
- Ketoprofen
- Mefenamic Acid
- Naproxen
- Oxyphenbutazone
- Phenylbutazone
- Piroxicam
- Sulindac
- TiaprofenicAcid
- Tolmetin
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to the reply of 13 December 1983, Official Report, c. 443–44 if he will categorise the 442 and 131 reports associated with products containing phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone, respectively, according to the year the report was received; and whether the source was a general practitioner sending in a yellow card, one of the companies producing the products, or any other source.
[pursuant to his reply, 27 February 1984, c. 75–76]: The information requested is as follows. In the case of both tables it is important to bear in mind that a report does not necessarily imply a causal relationship with the drug.
| PHENYIMUTAZONE | |||
| Year | Yellow card from a medical practitioner | Company report | Other* |
| 1964 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| 1965 | 15 | 4 | 18 |
| 1966 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 1967 | 5 | 6 | 19 |
| 1968 | 8 | 4 | 11 |
| 1969 | 10 | 4 | 9 |
| 1970 | 8 | 1 | 10 |
| 1971 | 9 | 5 | 17 |
| 1972 | 13 | 1 | 15 |
| 1973 | 15 | 3 | 9 |
| 1974 | 8 | 1 | 14 |
| 1975 | 12 | 4 | 32 |
| 1976 | 7 | 1 | 18 |
| 1977 | 7 | — | 12 |
| 1978 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| 1979 | — | 2 | 14 |
| 1980 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 1981 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 1982 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 1983 | 4 | — | 0 |
| *Includes deaths reported on coroners' certificate, reports in professional journals etc. | |||
| OXYPHENBUTAZONE | |||
| Year | Yellow card from a medical practitioner | Company report | Other* |
| 1964 | 3 | — | 2 |
| 1965 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 1966 | 3 | 2 | — |
Year
| Yellow card from a medical practitioner
| Company report
| Other*
|
| 1967 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| 1968 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 1969 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| 1970 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1971 | 4 | — | 4 |
| 1972 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 1973 | 6 | — | 2 |
| 1974 | 5 | 2 | 5 |
| 1975 | 8 | — | 7 |
| 1976 | 3 | — | 1 |
| 1977 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 1978 | 3 | — | 4 |
| 1979 | — | 1 | 2 |
| 1980 | 2 | — | — |
| 1981 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 1982 | 1 | — | — |
| 1983 | — | — | — |
*Includes deaths reported on coroners' certificate, reports in professional journals etc. | |||
Black Report
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish a table showing the progress made with implementing each of the recommendations of the Black report, "Inequalities in Health", as listed on pages 355 to 369 of the report.
[pursuant to his reply, 2 March 1984, c. 385–86]: The report made 37 recommendations which were not all addressed to our Department. We have never undertaken to implement the recommendations of the Black report as such and we do not accept all the conclusions drawn by the report as the interpretation of the data in the report is open to considerable debate. However, many of them are consistent with the policies and priorities for the health and social services set out in our handbook "Care in Action" which authorities are expected to follow or are subsumed in other action taken by our Department. Some recommendations, particularly those on the social security system, would involve expenditure on a scale which cannot be contemplated, as the Government made clear during the debate in the House on 6 December 1982, at c. 599–676.
Northern Ireland
Roads (North Belfast)
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will review the present snow clearance and road gritting policy in north Belfast to avoid danger and inconvenience caused to motorists and pedestrians; and if he will make a statement.
I am satisfied with the policy referred to and have no plans to review it at present. In the northern part of the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland roads service's Belfast division, during January, some 15,000 miles of salt spreading was carried out by 13 gritters using 5,700 tonnes of salt; a further 1,300 tonnes of salt was spread manually on difficult sites and delivered to bins sited at strategic locations. Snow clearance was carried out by seven snow ploughs mounted on gritters and lorries, one snow blower and three mechanical shovels served by 16 lorries. The operation was performed by 70 men.
Royal Ulster Constabulary
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what were the total numbers of hours of overtime worked by the Royal Ulster constabulary in the Royal Ulster constabulary divisions governing the constituency of South Antrim during each of the last three months for which figures are available; and what were the figures for the corresponding period one year and two years previously.
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Londonderry, East (Mr. Ross) on 28 February 1984, at c. 142.
Foreign-Owned Plants
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the number of foreign-owned plants established in Northern Ireland each year since 1954, and the number in each case which have been closed since 1973.
The following table shows the number of foreign-owned manufacturing establishments opened in 1954 and each subsequent year, and the numbers in each case which have closed down in 1973 and later.
| Number of openings | Openings since 1954 which closed in 1973 or later | |
| 1954 | 1 | — |
| 1955 | — | — |
| 1956 | 1 | — |
| 1957 | 1 | — |
| 1958 | 1 | — |
| 1959 | 2 | 1 |
| 1960 | 2 | 1 |
| 1961 | 6 | 1 |
| 1962 | 3 | — |
| 1963 | 3 | 2 |
| 1964 | 4 | 1 |
| 1965 | 7 | 4 |
| 1966 | 6 | 4 |
| 1967 | 4 | 1 |
| 1968 | 6 | 4 |
| 1969 | 6 | 1 |
| 1970 | 1 | 1 |
| 1971 | 1 | — |
| 1972 | 2 | 1 |
| 1973 | 5 | 3 |
| 1974 | 6 | 2 |
| 1975 | 4 | 3 |
| 1976 | 3 | 2 |
| 1977 | 2 | — |
| 1978 | 1 | 1 |
| 1979 | 5 | 2 |
| 1980 | 7 | 2 |
| 1981 | 4 | 1 |
| 1982 | 3 | — |
| 1983 | 1 | — |
| Total | 98 | 38 |
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing how many foreign-owned plants in Northern Ireland have been closed down since 1978, how many jobs have been lost since 1978 in the plants in question and in which industries.
The following tables show the numbers of foreign-owned manufacturing establishments which closed in 1978 or later with the jobs lost, and the industries to which they belonged.
| Year | Closures | Employment in 1978 |
| 1978 | 2 | 125 |
| 1979 | 1 | 10 |
| 1980 | 8 | 2,797 |
| 1981 | 3 | 324 |
| 1982 | 7 | 3,396 |
| 1983 | 7 | 2,433 |
| Totals | 28 | 9,085 |
| Industry | Jobs Lost |
| Food | 372 |
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering | 452 |
| Other Engineering | 2,340 |
| Textiles and Man-Made Fibres | 3,657 |
| Clothing | 140 |
| Other Manufacturing Industries | 2,124 |
| 9,085 |
Economic Subvention
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the cost of economic subvention in the Province for domestic and military purposes since 1969.
The figures for the subvention are as follows:
| Year | £ Million |
| 1969–70 | 74 |
| 1970–71 | 88 |
| 1971–72 | 126 |
| 1972–73 | 181 |
| 1973–74 | 312 |
| 1974–75 | 389 |
| 1975–76 | 564 |
| 1976–77 | 620 |
| 1977–78 | 688* |
| 1978–79 | 848 |
| 1979–80 | 944 |
| 1980–81 | 1,090 |
| 1981–82 | 1,064 |
| 1982–83 | 1,149 |
| * Excludes a once-for-all payment of £250 to cover redemption of the Northern Ireland electricity service borrowing. | |
| Year | £ Million |
| 1969–79 | 1·5 |
| 1970–71 | 6·5 |
| 1971–72 | 14·0 |
| 1972–73 | 29·0 |
| 1973–74 | 33·0 |
| 1974–75 | 45·0 |
| 1975–76 | 60·0 |
| 1976–77 | 65·0 |
| 1977–78 | 68·8 |
| 1978–79 | 81·5 |
| 1979–80 | 96·0 |
| 1980–81 | 111·0 |
| 1981–82 | 149·0 |
| 1982–83 | 143·0 |
New University Of Ulster
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will indicate the number of non-teaching administrative posts now designated and filled, and those to be filled in the institution to be created by the merging of the New University of Ulster and the Ulster Polytechnic, at professorial (grade IV) level and the individual designations applied to each of those posts including posts, such as dean, pro-vice chancellor, and provost which may be held on academic contracts but which are exclusively, or almost exclusively, administrative in the duties assigned or to be assigned to them.
The information is as follows:(a)
Academic
There are 11 posts already designated as follows:
- Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic Planning)
- Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Development)
- Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Provost of Coleraine
- Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Provost of Jordanstown
- Provost of Londonderry
- Dean of the Faculty of Business and Management
- Dean of the Faculty of Science
- Dean of the Faculty of Technology
- Dean of the Faculty of Humanities
- Dean of the Faculty of Social and Health Sciences
- Director of Adult and Continuing Education
Posts to be designated:
- Dean of the Faculty of Education
- Dean of the Faculty of Art and Design
Administrative
There are 11 posts already designated as follows:
- Finance Officer
- Secretary
- Librarian
- Dean of External Services
- Academic Registrar
- Resources Planning Officer
- Head of Educational Technology
- Director of Computing Services
- Head of Student Services
- Staffing Officer
- Estates Officers
Posts to be designated:
Director of Sports and Recreation
(c) The Vice-Chancellor, who is already designated, is the chief academic and administrative officer.
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will indicate the number of non-teaching posts in the New University of Ulster at professorial (Grade IV) level and the individual designation applied to each of these posts; and what was the position five years ago.
The information is as follows:(a) Academic
Six posts designated:
- Pro-Vice-Chancellors (2)
- Deans and Director of Education Centre (2)
- Director of Institute of Continuing Education
- President of Magee University College
In 1979 the designated officers were as at present.
(b) Administrative
Five posts designated:
- Registrar
- Librarian
- Academic Secretary
- Buildings and Estates Officer
- Acting University Physician
In 1979 two corresponding posts were not on the Grade IV scale, and there was a separate Finance Officer post.
(c) The Acting Vice-Chancellor is the principal academic and administrative officer.
Ulster Polytechnic
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will indicate the number of non-teaching administrative posts in the Ulster Polytechnic carrying salaries at or in excess of the current professorial minimum (grade IV) salary of £17,275 per annum for universities; what are the individual designations applied to each of these posts; and what was the position five years ago.
The information is as follows:(a) Academic
Nine posts designated:
- Acting Rector
- Pro-Rectors (2)
- Deans of the Faculty (6)
In 1979 11 posts designated:
- Pro-Rectors (4)
- Deans (7)
(b) Administrative
Five posts designated:
- Finance Officer
- Librarian
- Academic Registrar
- Administrative Services Officer
- Establishment Officer
These posts, with the exception of the post of Administrative Services Officer, were in existence in 1979.
(c) The Rector is the chief officer of the Polytechnic. At present he is seconded to the proposed University of Ulster and his duties are being undertaken by the Acting Rector.
House Building
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether any agreement has been reached in the European Economic Community Council of Ministers on the draft regulation concerning aid for house building in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.
No. The regulation proposed by the Commission has not been adopted. Instead, on 21 June 1983 the Council adopted an urban renewal regulation (No 1739/83) which enables a similar level of assistance, amounting to approximately £60 million, to be made available for a wide range of urban renewal projects in the Belfast area over the three EC budgetary years 1983–85.
Factories (Antrim And Newtonabbey)
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many private factories are, at present, vacant in the Antrim and Newtonabbey borough areas.
On the basis of information obtained by the valuation and lands office from local estate agents, five privately owned factory units — varying in size from 1,600 sq ft to 1·325 million sq ft — and some 42 warehouse units—varying in size from 1,650 sq ft to 24,000 sq ft—are presently available in these areas.
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many publicly-owned factories are, at present, vacant in the Antrim and Newtonabbey borough areas.
There are currently six Government owned factory warehouse units available in these areas varying in size from 2,785 sq ft to 34,529 sq ft.In addition, there are five Government owned factory/ warehouse units in these areas which are classified as "Awaiting Surrender". This means that the legal procedures necessary to have them returned back for reletting by the Department have not yet been completed but it is anticipated that completion will be effected in the near future. The units range in size from 1,861 sq ft to 4,306 sq ft.
Agricultural Training
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the cost to the Department of Agriculture in Northern Ireland in training students at colleges in the last financial year.
The costs of teaching students at Enniskillen agricultural college, Greenmount agricultural and horticultural college and Loughry college of agriculture and food technology were as follows:
| Expenditure | Receipts | Net Cost | |
| £ | £ | £ | |
| 1982–83 | 3,342,765 | 1,009,231 | 2,333,534 |
Cereals, Feeding Stuffs And Fertilisers
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many tonnes of cereal and cereal preparations for use on farms were exported from Northern Ireland to the Irish Republic in the years, or financial years if more convenient, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982; and what was the value of those exports in each of those years;(2) what was the value and tonnage of feeding stuffs for farm animals imported from the Irish Republic and exported to the Irish Republic from Northern Ireland in each of the years, or financial years if more convenient, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982, respectively;(3) what is the tonnage, type and value in real and cash terms of manufactured fertilisers imported into Northern Ireland from the Irish Republic and exported to the Irish Republic from Northern Ireland in the years, or financial years if more convenient, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982, respectively;(4) how many tonnes of cereal and cereal preparations for use on farms were imported into Northern Ireland from the Irish Republic in the years, or financial years if more convenient, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982, respectively; and what was the value of such imports in each of those years.
The information is not available.
Cross-Border Trade
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total import value and export value or cross-border trade between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland in each year, or financial year if more convenient, over the last 10 years.
Statistics of imports and exports are maintained for the United Kingdom as a whole and do not identify separately the trade of the various regions.
Domestic Energy
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about measures for the conservation of domestic energy in Northern Ireland.
Energy efficiency is particularly important in Northern Ireland on account of the higher energy costs there. A wide range of advice and information is available to the domestic energy consumer from the Department of Economic Development, and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive provides cash grants towards the cost of loft and tank insulation under the homes insulation scheme. The scheme costs £400,000 per annum. At 31 December 1983 63,000 grant approvals had been made and applications are currently running at 600 per month. In addition, the executive is insulating its own properties and so far 90,000 out of 115,000 dwellings capable of insulation have been treated. Because of the particular needs of the Province, energy efficiency policies have been reviewed and the results of that review will be announced shortly.
Student Travel
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes the Department of Education in Northern Ireland intends to make to the student travel allowance scheme as administered in Northern Ireland.
It is not yet possible to say what changes will be made to the student travel allowance scheme in Northern Ireland. Policy in Northern Ireland has been based on parity of awards for Northern Ireland students with their counterparts in England and Wales. I understand revised arrangements for England and Wales are currently being considered.
Student Grants
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what statistics are held by the Department of Education for Northern Ireland relating to the numbers of students, both living at home and living away from home, who have claimed for costs beyond the £50 already provided within their grant and the amount of such claims; and if he will give a breakdown of the numbers making such claims of each of the education and library boards.
Statistics of this type are not normally maintainted. However, a special survey was recently undertaken for the academic year 1981–82 of the number of students in receipt of mandatory awards from education and library boards who claimed travel expenses in excess of £50. The results were as follows:
| Education and Library Board | Students living at home* | Excess travel paid | Students living away from home | Excess travel paid |
| £ | £ | |||
| Belfast | 1,755 | 84,009 | 1,059 | 106,689 |
| North-Eastem | 468 | 54,676 | 1,375 | 155,221 |
| South-Eastern | 745 | 84,269 | 968 | 112,380 |
| Southern | 30 | 6,198 | 1,176 | 155,580 |
| Western | 82 | 25,636 | 1,092 | 144,954 |
| * These figures include students living in their matrimonial homes. | ||||
Abortion
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he is considering any changes in the laws relating to abortion in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.
No. It would not be appropriate for the Government to seek legislative change on such a matter.
Terrorism (Young Persons)
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons under 17 years have been detained in Northern Ireland under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act in each year since 1979, and how many were: (a) charged and (b) convicted.
From available records the information is as follows:
| Year | Number detained | Number charged | Number convicted |
| 1979 | Nil | ||
| 1980 | Nil | ||
| 1981 | 3 | — | — |
| 1982 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 1983 | 9 | 5 | 2 |
| 1984 (to 29 February) | 2 | — | — |
| Total | 19 | 7 | 4 |
Agriculture And Forestry
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many hectares of land are in the possession of the Department of Agriculture in Northern Ireland, and are actively farmed for training purposes;(2) how many hectares of land in the possession of the Department of Agriculture in Northern Ireland are used for experimental work;(3) how many hectares of land in the possession of the Department of Agriculture in Northern Ireland are planted out in forests.
[pursuant to his reply, 27 February 1984, c. 84]: In 1982–83, 484 hectares were actively fanned for teaching purposes; 1,394 hectares, including 1,000 hectares of hill land, were used for experimental work; and 55,839 hectares were planted with trees.
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of finance allocated to agriculture training colleges in Northern Ireland went towards meeting staff wages.
[pursuant to his reply, 27 February 1984, c. 84]: In 1982–83, 53·9 per cent. of finance allocated to agricultural colleges in Northern Ireland went towards salaries and wages.
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of finance allocated to agriculture training colleges in Northern Ireland went towards research and development in the last financial year.
[pursuant to his reply, 27 February 1984, c. 84]: In 1982–83, 19·5 per cent.
Magilligan Prison
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which buildings have been or are to be demolished in Magilligan prison between 1 January 1983 and 1 January 1985; and whether any replacements are planned.
[pursuant to his reply, 2 March 1984, c. 354]: No buildings at Magilligan prison have been demolished since 1 January 1983, but some vacant temporary buildings which are surplus to requirements will be demolished in the near future.Other temporary buildings which are nearing the end of their useful life are currently being surveyed to ascertain whether their retention and continued maintenance is preferable to demolition and complete replacement.
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the dates on which explosions have taken place in Magilligan prison and the dates on which any explosives, firearms or ammunition were found in that prison since 1 January 1983.
[pursuant to his reply, 2 March 1984, c. 354]: During this period, explosions occurred on two dates. On 23 September 1983, in separate incidents, a total of five rounds of ammunition exploded in three of the dining rooms in the H blocks at Magilligan prison. The ammunition had been placed on hot-plates in the room. On 1 February 1984 the detonator of a small device exploded in the ablutions area of an H block without setting off the attached charge of one to two ounces of commercial explosive.Explosive substances were found on the following dates in 1983: 23 September; 3 October; and 24 November.Ammunition was discovered on the following dates in 1983: 29 June; 6, 8 and 11 July; and 23 September.Firearms have not been found within the prison.
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland during what periods since 1 January 1983 explosive sniffers have been available for the use of prison officers in Magilligan prison.
[pursuant to his reply, 2 March 1984, c. 354]: Dogs trained to detect explosives, or equipment designed for that purpose, have been available on request to all prison establishments in Northern Ireland, including Magilligan, during the entire period.
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether explosive sniffers are issued; and under what procedure they are issued to prisons in Northern Ireland.
[pursuant to his reply, 2 March 1984, c. 355]:Explosives detectors are available to all prisons on request under arrangements between the prison department and Army headquarters, Northern Ireland. In addition, a number of dogs in the prison service dog section are trained to detect explosives.