Written Answers To Questions
Wednesday 4 December 1985
Education And Science
Primary Schools (Grants)
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what criteria primary schools will have to meet in order to qualify for education support grants.
The criteria by which bids by local education authorities for education support grants are considered were published in DES circular 5/85, copies of which have been placed in the Library.
Special Education Needs
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will estimate the additional annual public expenditure which has arisen from the implementation of sections (4) to (10) of the Education Act 1981, relating to his identification and assessment of children with special education needs.
It is not possible to identify this expenditure within the administrative expenditure of local education authorities.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) how much money has been spent on
| £ million | ||||||
| England | Financial year | |||||
| 1979–80 | 1980–81 | 1981–82 | 1982–83 | 1983–84 | 1984–85 | |
| I. Expenditure on maintained special schools and units*. | 251 | 314 | 350 | 382 | 411 | n/a |
| * The figures relate to tuition costs in Special Education Schools and Units for which separate accounts are kept. They do not include expenditure on special units attached to primary and secondary schools for which no seperate accounts are kept. Nor do they include non tuiton costs such as transport to school and school meals. | ||||||
| Thousands | ||||||
| January | ||||||
| 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | |
| II. Number of school pupils with special educational needs*. | 163·0 | 157·9 | 157·7 | 155·0 | 159·6 | 127·9 |
| III. Pupils aged 16–19 in maintained special schools (excluding hospital schools). | 3,160 | 3,648 | 4,312 | 5,536 | 6,267 | 6,862 |
| * Figures for 1984 and 1985 are not comparable with earlier years or with each other because of changes in the way statistics were collected after the Education Act 1981 came into force in April 1983. Figures up to 1983 give numbers ascertained by LEAs under the Education Act 1944; the 1985 figure covers those with statements under the 1981 Act; the 1984 figure is a hybrid in a transitional year. | ||||||
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received concerning the provision of full-time education for students with special education needs aged 16 to 19 years; whether he intends to produce a circular relating to the provision; and if he will make a statement.
special education for each year since 1979; how many children with special education needs have been educated; and how many and what percentage of students with special education needs aged 16 to 19 years have received full-time education, in each local education authority for each year since 1979;
(2) whether he will give, for each year since 1979 (a) the cost of provision of full-time education for students aged 16 to 19 years with special needs, (b) the numbers and percentages of students aged 16 to 19 years with special needs receiving full-time education, (c) the numbers of requests for full-time education for students aged 16 to 19 years with special needs and (d) the number of complaints received from parents under sections 68 and 99 of the Education Act 1944 asking him to intervene or overrule a local education authority's decision.
The information available is given in the table. I shall write to the hon. Member with a breakdown between local education authorities of the numbers in lines II and III of the table. No information is available about the cost of provision for young people with special educational needs other than that relating to all age groups in maintained special schools and units given in line I of the table; or about those aged 16 to 19 receiving full-time education in ordinary maintained schools, in non-maintained schools or in the further education sector. It is not possible to provide the percentage figures requested relating to the 16 to 19 age group.Requests for full-time education between the ages of 16 and 19 are made to local education authorities, and no information is collected by my Department. Since August 1983, I have received 27 complaints about issues related to the provision of full-time education for young people aged 16 to 19 with special education needs.
I receive representations from time to time, both general and specific to certain cases. I am considering what general advice can usefully be offered.
Scientific Research
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what factors he took into account when he decided to allocate the sum of £15 million a year for scientific research over the next three years.
My right hon. Friend decided to allocate an additional £15 million a year to the science budget to assist the research councils to follow up promising new developments in a variety of scientific fields and so provide more opportunities for talented scientists to pursue research in this country. The allocation of the additional money between the research councils and other bodies grant-aided from the science budget will be determined following advice from the advisory board for the research councils.
Educational And Vocational Courses (Books)
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what funding is provided for book resources to support educational and vocational courses organised by the Manpower Services Commission.
The payment made to a local education authority from Manpower Services Commission funds or from funds provided by the MSC to an intermediary for training purposes takes account of the full cost of operating the course, including essential non-teaching items such as books, materials and equipment.
School Places
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish figures to show the number of school places taken out of use by each education authority in London (a) between 1978 and 1982 and (b) since 1982; and if he will give the same information for Leicestershire.
On the basis of returns submitted by local education authorities the figures are as follows:
| LEA | Places taken out of use | |
| July 1978–December 1982 | January 1983–December 1984 | |
| Barking | 1,113 | 75 |
| Barnet | 2,012 | 480 |
| Bexley | 1,254 | 700 |
| Brent | 995 | 30 |
| Bromley | 4,520 | 600 |
| Croydon | 2,048 | 1,710 |
| Ealing | 3,288 | 2,370 |
| Enfield | 630 | — |
| Haringey | 1,926 | 1,685 |
| Harrow | 2,463 | 907 |
| Havering | 1,127 | 1,026 |
| Hillingdon | 800 | 794 |
| Hounslow | 2,140 | 841 |
| Kingston-upon-Thames | 1,585 | 935 |
| Merton | 1,120 | 1,465 |
| Newham | *2,425 | 890 |
| Redbridge | †1,900 | 502 |
| Richmond-upon-Thames | 469 | 330 |
| Sutton | 2,340 | 30 |
| Waltham Forest | 1,450 | 120 |
| ILEA | 18,565 | 13,541 |
| Leicestershire | 11,708 | 5,777 |
* 1980–82 only. | ||
| † No return for 1980. | ||
| The figures relate to numbers of maintained primary and secondary school places permanently taken out of use, taking account of transfers of places between the primary and secondary sectors. |
University Lecturers
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to how many university lecturers have left the profession since 1979.
The numbers of full-time academic non-clinical lecturers and assistant lecturers, wholly university financed, who have left a university each year between January 1980 and December 1983 are shown in the following table. Information for 1984 is not yet available.
| Great Britain | ||||
| 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | |
| Total of which: | 732 | 717 | 1,067 | 813 |
| Retirement | 108 | 140 | 457 | 261 |
| Other education employment | 72 | 55 | 47 | 34 |
| University employment overseas | 90 | 77 | 73 | 43 |
| Other employment overseas | 51 | 50 | 63 | 28 |
| Private industry or commerce | 50 | 56 | 69 | 53 |
| Central government | 19 | 8 | 10 | 16 |
| Self employed | 16 | 13 | 16 | 23 |
| Death | 43 | 33 | 24 | 26 |
| Other | 283 | 285 | 308 | 329 |
University Students
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science on what factors he bases his conclusion that the approximate cost of reducing the age of independence in respect of university students from 25 years to 21 years would be around £68 million.
£68 million is an approximate estimate of the cost in 1985–86 of reducing the age of independence to 21 for all mandatory award holders. It is based on an estimate of the number of dependent mandatory award holders in England and Wales aged 21 to 24 at about 100,000 and of the average net loss of parental contributions assessed in respect of students at about £680.
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to introduce into the procedure of grant assessment a system for calculating the cost of living to university students who as part of their degree course are required to spend one year abroad in a high-cost country; and if he will make a statement.
The present method of assessing the mandatory grant payable to students already makes provision for those required to spend a year in a country with a high cost of living. Consideration is, however, being given to changing the present system, without increasing its overall cost, in order to make additional provision available in respect of countries with especially high costs.
Scientists
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the report which has been submitted to him by the advisory board for the research councils about the decrease in the numbers of scientists from research laboratories; and what action he proposes to take resulting from the findings of the report.
The "brain drain" inquiry of the advisory board for the research councils sought evidence from some 40 university and other research groups about the flows of natural scientists into and out of the United Kingdom. The inquiry found evidence of increasing losses overseas of talented students, post-doctoral research workers and more senior scientists. The findings of the inquiry were published last month and copies were placed in the Library.In response to the findings, my right hon. Friend intends to add £45 million to the science budget compared with previous plans over the three years 1986–87 to 1988–89. My right hon. Friend also intends to increase the amount available to the University Grants Committee for the improvement of equipment in selected centres of research from £7 million to £10 million in each of the financial years 1986–87 and 1987–88 and to make the same provision in 1988–89. The additions to the science budget will be distributed following advice from the ABRC. The UGC will be responsible for distributing the selective equipment funds. My right hon. Friend hopes that together the additional provisions will provide more opportunities and better facilities for talented scientists to pursue their work in this country.
Course-Related Expenses
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to arrange payments of course-related expenses to unemployed people who decide to undertake courses of further or higher education; and if he will make a statement.
Local education authorities already have discretionary powers to make grants to unemployed people who undertake courses of further or higher education but who do not qualify for a mandatory student award; and they can also remit fees in the case of their own institutions. In addition, under the so-called "21 hours rule", unemployed people can, subject to certain conditions, undertake part-time study for up to 21 hours a week without affecting their entitlement to supplementary benefit.
Social Work Courses
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if the national advisory body for higher education is currently considering any proposal to reduce the number or scope of courses in universities or colleges leading to qualifications in social work; and if he will make a statement.
No. The national advisory body for public sector higher education advises my right hon. Friend about the academic provision to be made in public sector institutions only. The NAB plans student numbers in terms of broad programme areas, not of individual subjects or courses. My right hon. Friend has not yet received advice from the NAB on the disposition of student number targets or financial resources in 1986–87.
Poundswick School
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what correspondence he has received about the Poundswick school dispute in Manchester; and what replies he has sent or will be sending.
I shall reply to the right hon. Member as soon as possible.
Disabled Students
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his reply to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe, on 25 November, Official Report, column 397, about deaf, blind, physically handicapped and other disabled children, what he estimates would be the cost of collecting the information he was requested to give the House.
In order to collect this information, it would be necessary to check the destination of every pupil who has left one of these schools since 1981. Since the Department does not know the form in which these schools keep their records, it is impossible to estimate the cost or feasibility of such an exercise.
Attorney-General
Appeals Tribunals
asked the Attorney-General if he lays down any residential qualifications for chairmen of appeals tribunals; and if he will make a statement.
There is no residential qualification.
asked the Attorney-General if he has made any recent changes in the procedure for the appointment of chairmen of appeals tribunals; and if he will make a statement.
There have been no recent changes in the procedure.
Employment
Wages Councils (Women Workers)
asked the Paymaster General what percentage of workers currently covered by wages councils are women working part-time.
The information is not available in the form requested. We estimate that about four-fifths of workers covered by wages councils are female and about two thirds of all workers work part-time.
"Careers Bulletin"
asked the Paymaster General what grade within the Civil Service the editor of Careers Bulletin is; and what percentage of her time it is estimated is devoted to editing Careers Bulletin.
Information officer; approximately 60 per cent.
asked the Paymaster General how many members of the staff of the Department of Employment are directly involved in the publication of Careers Bulletin; what are their grades; and what proportion of their time it is estimated is devoted to Careers Bulletin.
Two, apart from the editor; principal and senior executive officer; 5 per cent. and 10 per cent. respectively.
asked the Paymaster General what was the estimated cost to the Department of Employment of publishing Careers Bulletin in 1982–83; and, in real terms, what was the cost for the most recent year for which figures are available.
I shall write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library.
asked the Paymaster General how many times a year Careers Bulletin is published; what is its purpose; and if he will make a statement.
Three times a year. Its purpose is to provide a means of communication between careers officers, careers teachers and the Department of Employment's careers service branch, with the aim of publicising and promoting good practice in careers work with young people. The content of the bulletin and the best means of producing and distributing copies widely to careers service staff and careers teachers are currently being considered.
Textile And Clothing Industry
asked the Paymaster General if he will estimate the total number of jobs lost in the textile and clothing industry since 1960.
Information about job gains and job losses is not available from the Department's statistics, but an indication of the net changes can be seen by comparing levels of employment at different dates. Between June 1960 and June 1985 (the latest date for which figures are available) the total number of employees in employment in the textiles and clothing industries in Great Britain decreased by about 715,000.
asked the Paymaster General how many people have been employed in the clothing industry in the United Kingdom in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and what is this figure as a percentage of the total manufacturing labour force in each of those years.
Statistics of employees employed in the clothing industry are not available for the United Kingdom, but the Great Britain figures for the period for June 1975 to June 1985 are as follows:
| Estimated numbers of employees in employment in the clothing industry* in Great Britain | ||
| June of each year | Number | As percentage of all employees in manufacturing industries |
| 1975 | 311,900 | 4·2 |
| 1976 | 294,200 | 4·1 |
| 1977 | 300,400 | 4·2 |
| 1978 | 293,500 | 4·1 |
| 1979 | 291,200 | 4·1 |
| 1980 | 262,400 | 3·9 |
June of each year
| Number
| As percentage of all employees in manufacturing industries
|
| 1981 | 224,200 | 3·7 |
| 1982 | 210,000 | 3·6 |
| 1983 | 197,100 | 3·6 |
| 1984 | 196,400 | 3·6 |
| 1985 | 191,600 | 3·6 |
* Groups 453 and 456 of the 1980 Standard Industrial Classification | ||
Tourism
asked the Paymaster General how the extra funding for tourism which he announced on 12 November, Official Report, column 445, will be allocated; on what terms; and if he will make a statement.
I cannot give details on how the extra funds will be allocated at this stage. I have asked the British Tourist Authority and the English Tourist Board to submit details to me by Christmas on how they would propose to spend the funds. I have asked them to give additional emphasis in their new plans to improving employment opportunities, encouraging the dispersal of visitors throughout the United Kingdom and extending the tourism season.
Wales
Pay Settlements
asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will define the phrase "excessive pay settlement" as used in the letter sent on 21 August by his Department to the North Wales provincial council for local authority services.
The level of pay settlements is a key element in the Government's economic strategy. Since pay accounts for around 70 per cent. of local government spending, it is important that settlements for local authority employers should be moderate and at a level the country can afford. In making my proposals for the 1986–87 rate support grant settlement in July I announced that current expenditure provision was estimated to be £1,368 million. The Government are not prepared to increase block support to finance pay awards which cannot be absorbed within this amount.
Local Authority Expenditure
asked the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of local government current spending in Wales in 1983–84 was represented by spending under section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972.
The Department does not collect information on current spending under section 137. However, total revenue expenditure under section 137 in 1983–84 was £2·9 million and represented 0·23 per cent. of total local authority revenue expenditure.
Farmers (Exceptional Weather Aid)
asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many farmers in Mid Glamorgan, Gwent and Wales, respectively, will receive exceptional payments pursuant to his statement of 28 November; and what he expects to be the average payment made per application and the maximum payment made on any single application.
The estimated numbers of farmers of three hectares and over who can qualify for assistance are as follows:
| Number | |
| Mid Glamorgan | 450 |
| Gwent | 430 |
| Wales | 6,000 |
Non-Departmental Public Bodies
asked the Secretary of State for Wales what progress he has made in the review of major non-departmental public bodies under his control.
In accordance with the arrangements outlined by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 19 November 1984, at columns 57–58, I have arranged for reviews of all the executive non-departmental public bodies under my control so that the main programme of work will be completed by April 1987. A review of the Wales Tourist Board has already been carried out; and over the next year or so reviews will be undertaken of the Welsh Development Agency, the Sports Council for Wales, the National Museum of Wales, the Development Board for Rural Wales, the National Library of Wales and the Land Authority for Wales.
Prime Minister
Clothing And Textile Industries
asked the Prime Minister what information she has as to how the number of people employed in the clothing and textile industries compares with the numbers employed in the motor manufacturing industry and the coal mining industry both in the United Kingdom and throughout the European Economic Community.
| Employees in employment by sex and NACE class | ||||||||||
| 1,000 | ||||||||||
| West Germany | France | Italy | Netherlands | Belgium | Luxembourg | United kingdom | Ireland | Denmark | EUR 9 | |
| TEXTILE INDUSTRY—NACE 43 | ||||||||||
| Total | ||||||||||
| 1974 | 425·9 | 387·5 | 549·0 | 59·8 | 106·0 | † | 527·3 | 20·5 | 18·5 | 2,094·5 |
| 1975 | 396·7 | 365·3 | 554·3 | 55·5 | 96·6 | † | 485·6 | 16·7 | 14·5 | 1,985·2 |
| 1976 | 368·9 | 343·2 | 482·1 | 46·4 | 90·8 | † | 458·2 | 18·1 | 15·6 | 1,823·3 |
| 1977 | 359·6 | 333·3 | 490·3 | 44·0 | 84·2 | † | 460·5 | 18·9 | 16·9 | 1,807·7 |
| 1978 | 348·5 | 318·5 | 477·9 | 39·2 | 75·6 | † | 444·9 | 18·5 | 15·5 | 1,738·6 |
| 1979 | 338·9 | 301·5 | 480·8 | 34·6 | 69·4 | † | 399·0 | 18·5 | 15·0 | 1,657·7 |
| 1980 | 335·8 | 292·1 | 475·5 | 32·9 | 67·6 | † | 358·0 | 18·1 | 15·1 | 1,595·1 |
| 1981 | 319·0 | 273·3 | 479·6 | 29·2 | 65·0 | † | 299·0 | 15·8 | 13·9 | 1,494·8 |
| 1982 | 290·1 | 259·1 | 476·5 | 26·4 | *61·8 | † | 277·0 | 14·7 | 13·9 | *1,419·5 |
| 1983 | 268·7 | 251·5 | 463·0 | 22·7 | — | † | 253·0 | 11·9 | 14·1 | *1,346·7 |
| Males | ||||||||||
| 1974 | 194·8 | 171·4 | 151·2 | 43·0 | 59·1 | † | 281·6 | — | 7·9 | *920·7 |
| 1975 | 183·1 | 161·1 | 164·3 | 40·7 | 54·0 | † | 261·4 | — | 6·2 | *880·3 |
| 1976 | 170·7 | 153·1 | 187·7 | 35·2 | 50·4 | † | 248·8 | — | 6·7 | *862·9 |
| 1977 | 165·7 | 147·8 | 192·9 | 33·2 | 46·8 | † | 249·8 | — | 7·3 | *854·5 |
| 1978 | 160·6 | 140·8 | — | 29·9 | 41·4 | † | 240·2 | — | 6·8 | *818·1 |
| 1979 | 156·7 | 133·3 | — | 26·1 | 38·6 | † | 209·0 | — | 6·3 | *769·5 |
| 1980 | 153·7 | 129·1 | — | 24·4 | 38·0 | † | 185·0 | — | 6·2 | *722·8 |
| 1981 | 145·6 | 121·7 | — | 21·6 | 36·7 | † | 154·0 | — | 6·0 | *673·3 |
| 1982 | 132·9 | 115·4 | — | 19·4 | *35·2 | † | 141·0 | — | 5·8 | *635·8 |
| 1983 | 125·1 | 112·3 | — | 16·6 | — | † | 130·0 | — | 6·0 | *604·5 |
| Females | ||||||||||
| 1974 | 231·1 | 216·0 | 397·8 | 16·8 | 46·9 | † | 245·7 | — | 10·6 | *1,173·7 |
| 1975 | 213·5 | 204·2 | 389·8 | 14·8 | 42·6 | † | 224·2 | — | 8·3 | *1,104·6 |
| 1976 | 198·2 | 190·1 | 294·3 | 11·2 | 40·4 | † | 209·4 | — | 8·9 | *960·3 |
| 1977 | 193·9 | 185·5 | 297·4 | 10·5 | 37·4 | † | 210·7 | — | 9·6 | *953·2 |
| 1978 | 187·9 | 177·8 | — | 9·3 | 34·2 | † | 204·7 | — | 8·7 | *920·6 |
| 1979 | 182·2 | 168·2 | — | 8·5 | 30·8 | † | 189·0 | — | 8·6 | *887·1 |
| 1980 | 182·0 | 163·0 | — | 8·4 | 29·6 | † | 173·0 | — | 8·9 | *872·1 |
| 1981 | 173·4 | 151·7 | — | 7·6 | 28·3 | † | 145·0 | — | 7·9 | *821·6 |
| 1982 | 157·2 | 143·6 | — | 7·0 | *26·6 | † | 135·0 | — | 8·1 | *782·6 |
| 1983 | 143·6 | 139·3 | — | 6·2 | — | † | 124·0 | — | 8·1 | *743·2 |
| LEATHER AND LEATHER GOODS INDUSTRY—NACE 44 (EXCEPT FOOTWEAR AND CLOTHING) | ||||||||||
| Total | ||||||||||
| 1974 | 50·6 | 45·2 | 64·9 | 5·7 | 6·0 | — | 38·4 | 2·2 | 2·2 | 215·3 |
| 1975 | 48·1 | 43·7 | 66·0 | 4·9 | 5·4 | — | 37·7 | 2·1 | 2·1 | 210·0 |
| 1976 | 48·3 | 42·3 | 79·2 | 4·3 | 5·2 | — | 36·3 | 2·0 | 1·9 | 219·5 |
| 1977 | 46·6 | 41·0 | 80·6 | 4·3 | 4·6 | — | 37·2 | 2·0 | 2·1 | 218·4 |
| 1978 | 44·9 | 40·4 | 79·3 | 4·0 | 4·1 | — | 35·9 | 1·9 | 2·0 | 212·5 |
| 1979 | 44·7 | 37·9 | 78·9 | 3·5 | 3·7 | — | 35·0 | 1·7 | 2·1 | 207·5 |
| 1980 | 43·8 | 37·2 | 77·5 | 3·5 | 3·3 | — | 34·0 | 1·6 | 2·1 | 203·0 |
| 1981 | 39·7 | 34·8 | 77·8 | 3·2 | 3·1 | — | 29·0 | 1·4 | 1·6 | 190·6 |
| 1982 | 38·4 | 34·3 | 76·6 | 3·0 | *2·9 | — | 27·0 | 1·1 | 1·4 | *184·7 |
| 1983 | 35·9 | 32·6 | 76·8 | 2·7 | — | — | 25·0 | 1·1 | 1·4 | *178·4 |
| Males | ||||||||||
| 1974 | 19·6 | 21·6 | 18·7 | 3·7 | 3·5 | — | 21·6 | — | 1·1 | *91·5 |
| 1975 | 18·7 | 21·4 | 19·6 | 3·2 | 3·2 | — | 21·1 | — | 1·0 | *89·8 |
| 1976 | 18·9 | 20·4 | 38·1 | 2·8 | 3·0 | — | 20·7 | — | 0·9 | *106·3 |
| 1977 | 18·0 | 19·3 | 37·5 | 2·7 | 2·7 | — | 21·2 | — | 0·8 | *103·7 |
| 1978 | 17·4 | 18·8 | — | 2·7 | 2·4 | — | 20·1 | — | 0·8 | *100·5 |
| 1979 | 17·3 | 17·2 | — | 2·3 | 2·0 | — | 19·0 | — | 0·8 | *96·7 |
The latest available data for most countries relate to 1983 and are given in "Employment and Unemployment 1985", published by the Statistical Office of the European Communities, a copy of which is in the Library. the relevant information for the textile industry is on page 146, for the clothing and footwear industry on page 147, for manufacture of motor vehicles and so on on page 143, and for extraction and briquetting of solid fuels and coke ovens (the closest available approximation to the coal mining industry) on page 134.
West Germany
| France
| Italy
| Netherlands
| Belgium
| Luxembourg
| United Kingdom
| Ireland
| Denmark
| EUR 9
| |
| 1980 | 16·6 | 16·8 | — | 2·2 | 1·8 | — | 18·0 | — | 0·8 | *91·7 |
| 1981 | 15·5 | 15·5 | — | 2·1 | 1·7 | — | 16·0 | — | 0·7 | *87·0 |
| 1982 | 15·1 | 15·4 | — | 1·9 | *1·5 | — | 15·0 | — | 0·5 | *84·1 |
| 1983 | 14·3 | 14·7 | — | 1·8 | — | — | 15·0 | — | 0·6 | *82·7 |
Females
| ||||||||||
| 1974 | 31·0 | 23·6 | 46·2 | 2·0 | 2·6 | — | 16·8 | — | 1·1 | *123·8 |
| 1975 | 29·4 | 22·3 | 46·4 | 1·7 | 2·2 | — | 16·6 | — | 1·1 | *120·2 |
| 1976 | 29·4 | 21·9 | 41·1 | 1·5 | 2·2 | — | 15·6 | — | 1·0 | *113·2 |
| 1977 | 28·6 | 21·7 | 43·0 | 1·6 | 1·9 | — | 16·0 | — | 1·3 | *114·6 |
| 1978 | 27·4 | 21·6 | — | 1·3 | 1·7 | — | 15·8 | — | 1·3 | *112·0 |
| 1979 | 27·4 | 20·8 | — | 1·3 | 1·7 | — | 16·0 | — | 1·3 | *111·0 |
| 1980 | 27·2 | 20·4 | — | 1·3 | 1·5 | — | 15·0 | — | 1·2 | *110·2 |
| 1981 | 24·3 | 19·3 | — | 1·1 | 1·4 | — | 13·0 | — | 0·9 | *103·7 |
| 1982 | 23·3 | 18·9 | — | 1·1 | *1·4 | — | 12·0 | — | 0·8 | *100·5 |
| 1983 | 21·7 | 17·9 | — | 0·9 | — | — | 10·0 | — | 0·8 | *95·8 |
| † included in NACE 45. | ||||||||||
| FOOTWEAR AND CLOTHING INDUSTRY—NACE 45 | ||||||||||
Total
| ||||||||||
| 1974 | 409·7 | 415·4 | 501·7 | 51·7 | 92·7 | 1·0 | 480·8 | 23·0 | 23·0 | 1,999·0 |
| 1975 | 395·8 | 367·3 | 517·6 | 42·4 | 86·5 | 1·0 | 459·8 | 21·1 | 18·9 | 1·990·4 |
| 1976 | 379·8 | 348·9 | 555·9 | 39·4 | 76·3 | 1·0 | 431·1 | 19·3 | 21·6 | 1,873·3 |
| 1977 | 370·5 | 345·1 | 565·3 | 35·5 | 68·6 | 1·0 | 434·8 | 19·6 | 25·3 | 1,865·7 |
| 1978 | 361·2 | 330·5 | 555·4 | 33·2 | 61·3 | 0·9 | 427·0 | 19·3 | 23·5 | 1,812·3 |
| 1979 | 361·2 | 324·1 | 547·3 | 32·0 | 56·4 | 0·9 | 418·0 | 19·8 | 22·8 | 1,782·5 |
| 1980 | 356·9 | 320·5 | 552·2 | 30·3 | 54·1 | 0·9 | 396·0 | 19·6 | 22·0 | 1,752·5 |
| 1981 | 341·2 | 296·5 | 547·1 | 26·4 | 49·8 | 0·9 | 337·0 | 18·0 | 19·1 | 1,636·0 |
| 1982 | 312·4 | 283·5 | 543·2 | 23·5 | *47·3 | 0·8 | 311·0 | 17·2 | 19·5 | *1,558·4 |
| 1983 | 290·5 | 281·2 | 527·3 | 22·1 | — | 0·8 | 293·0 | 15·3 | 20·0 | *1,497·5 |
Males
| ||||||||||
| 1974 | 81·5 | 80·3 | 144·7 | 17·4 | 13·8 | — | 124·3 | — | 4·8 | *473·2 |
| 1975 | 78·6 | 79·3 | 153·4 | 15·0 | 12·5 | — | 117·6 | — | 4·0 | *466·3 |
| 1976 | 75·8 | 76·1 | 117·9 | 14·6 | 11·1 | — | 111·6 | — | 4·5 | *417·1 |
| 1977 | 74·2 | 73·9 | 120·8 | 13·4 | 9·9 | — | 109·8 | — | 4·7 | *412·3 |
| 1978 | 71·6 | 71·3 | — | 12·3 | 8·8 | — | 108·2 | — | 4·8 | *400·9 |
| 1979 | 71·0 | 69·6 | — | 11·5 | 8·0 | — | 103·0 | — | 4·6 | *389·7 |
| 1980 | 68·9 | 68·4 | — | 10·9 | 7·7 | — | 97·0 | — | 4·2 | *372·7 |
| 1981 | 66·6 | 65·2 | — | 9·9 | 7·2 | — | 87·0 | — | 4·1 | *348·1 |
| 1982 | 62·2 | 64·6 | — | 8·9 | *6·8 | — | 80·0 | — | 4·1 | *333·7 |
| 1983 | 59·7 | 63·4 | — | 8·5 | — | — | 75·0 | — | 4·2 | *321·2 |
Females
| ||||||||||
| 1974 | 328·1 | 335·0 | 357·0 | 34·3 | 78·8 | — | 356·5 | — | 18·2 | *1,525·5 |
| 1975 | 317·2 | 288·0 | 364·2 | 27·4 | 74·0 | — | 342·2 | — | 14·9 | *1,444·1 |
| 1976 | 304·0 | 272·8 | 438·0 | 24·8 | 65·2 | — | 319·5 | — | 17·1 | *1,456·2 |
| 1977 | 296·3 | 271·1 | 444·5 | 22·1 | 58·7 | — | 325·0 | — | 20·6 | *1,453·3 |
| 1978 | 289·6 | 259·2 | — | 21·0 | 52·5 | — | 319·8 | — | 18·6 | *1,412·4 |
| 1979 | 290·2 | 254·4 | — | 20·5 | 48·5 | — | 315·0 | — | 18·2 | *1,392·8 |
| 1980 | 288·0 | 252·0 | — | 19·3 | 46·4 | — | 299·0 | — | 17·7 | *1,379·5 |
| 1981 | 274·6 | 231·3 | — | 16·6 | 42·6 | — | 250·0 | — | 15·0 | *1,288·0 |
| 1982 | 250·3 | 218·9 | — | 14·6 | *40·5 | — | 231·0 | — | 15·4 | *1,224·8 |
| 1983 | 230·8 | 217·8 | — | 13·6 | — | — | 218·0 | — | 15·8 | *1,176·3 |
| TIMBER AND WOODEN FURNITURE INDUSTRIES—NACE 46 | ||||||||||
Total
| ||||||||||
| 1974 | 470·7 | 242·8 | 335·6 | 54·3 | 54·8 | 0·7 | 274·2 | 10·5 | 27·7 | 1471·3 |
| 1975 | 445·5 | 233·4 | 341·1 | 52·0 | 51·3 | 0·6 | 256·9 | 9·9 | 22·6 | 1413·3 |
| 1976 | 439·6 | 227·3 | 333·2 | 47·3 | 48·3 | 0·7 | 252·6 | 10·1 | 25·9 | 1385·0 |
| 1977 | 446·5 | 228·2 | 350·8 | 47·2 | 47·6 | 0·6 | 251·6 | 10·3 | 29·9 | 1412·7 |
| 1978 | 460·0 | 226·0 | 348·8 | 46·5 | 44·8 | 0·6 | 245·7 | 10·2 | 28·9 | 1411·5 |
| 1979 | 471·8 | 223·8 | 339·7 | 46·8 | 41·3 | 0·6 | 254·0 | 9·9 | 28·1 | 1416·0 |
| 1980 | 485·7 | 222·7 | 345·5 | 45·8 | 39·6 | 0·6 | 243·0 | 9·4 | 29·1 | 1421·4 |
| 1981 | 478·4 | 216·6 | 352·6 | 42·2 | 37·7 | 0·6 | 224·0 | 8·9 | 27·2 | 1388·2 |
| 1982 | 446·0 | 209·9 | 350·7 | 37·3 | 36·3 | 0·6 | 207·0 | 9·0 | 26·5 | *1323·3 |
| 1983 | 424·1 | 203·4 | 341·4 | 31·5 | — | 0·6 | 206·0 | 8·5 | 26·3 | *1278·1 |
Males
| ||||||||||
| 1974 | 370·9 | 184·4 | 257·7 | 49·0 | 46·5 | — | 224·1 | — | 22·7 | *1165·3 |
| 1975 | 352·9 | 177·2 | 263·3 | 47·1 | 43·4 | — | 209·9 | — | 18·5 | *1121·6 |
| 1976 | 350·5 | 172·3 | 261·8 | 42·8 | 41·0 | — | 207·0 | — | 21·0 | *1106·0 |
| 1977 | 356·0 | 171·8 | 279·8 | 42·9 | 40·4 | — | 205·5 | — | 24·3 | *1130·4 |
| 1978 | 367·3 | 169·1 | — | 42·0 | 38·3 | — | 200·0 | — | 23·4 | *1128·0 |
| 1979 | 376·4 | 168·0 | — | 42·1 | 35·5 | — | 205·0 | — | 22·7 | *1130·0 |
West Germany
| France
| Italy
| Netherlands
| Belgium
| Luxembourg
| United Kingdom
| Ireland
| Denmark
| EUR 9
| |
| 1980 | 385·4 | 167·3 | — | 41·1 | 34·0 | — | 196·0 | — | 22·2 | *1129·9 |
| 1981 | 380·5 | 162·2 | — | 37·8 | 32·4 | — | 181·0 | — | 21·2 | *1105·4 |
| 1982 | 355·5 | 157·7 | — | 33·7 | 31·4 | — | 167·0 | — | 20·8 | *1055·0 |
| 1983 | 339·8 | 152·8 | — | 28·7 | — | — | 167·0 | — | 20·9 | *1021·6 |
Females
| ||||||||||
| 1974 | 99·9 | 58·4 | 77·9 | 5·3 | 8·3 | — | 50·1 | — | 5·0 | *306·1 |
| 1975 | 92·6 | 56·2 | 77·7 | 4·9 | 7·8 | — | 47·0 | — | 4·1 | *291·5 |
| 1976 | 89·2 | 54·9 | 71·4 | 4·5 | 7·2 | — | 45·6 | — | 4·9 | *278·9 |
| 1977 | 90·5 | 56·4 | 70·9 | 4·3 | 7·1 | — | 46·1 | — | 5·5 | *282·0 |
| 1978 | 92·6 | 56·9 | — | 4·5 | 6·5 | — | 45·7 | — | 5·5 | *283·4 |
| 1979 | 95·4 | 55·9 | — | 4·7 | 5·8 | — | 49·0 | — | 5·5 | *286·2 |
| 1980 | 100·4 | 55·4 | — | 4·7 | 5·6 | — | 48·0 | — | 6·9 | *292·6 |
| 1981 | 97·9 | 54·4 | — | 4·4 | 5·2 | — | 43·0 | — | 6·0 | *282·7 |
| 1982 | 90·6 | 52·1 | — | 3·6 | 4·9 | — | 41·0 | — | 5·7 | *269·3 |
| 1983 | 84·3 | 50·6 | — | 2·8 | — | — | 40·0 | — | 5·4 | *257·5 |
| ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING—NACE 34 | ||||||||||
Total
| ||||||||||
| 1974 | 1,167·6 | 481·4 | 375·2 | 122·7 | 101·7 | 0·8 | 794·4 | 11·3 | 41·0 | 3,092·1 |
| 1975 | 1,097·7 | 509·3 | 373·3 | 122·8 | 96·4 | 0·7 | 763·8 | 9·6 | 35·0 | 3,008·6 |
| 1976 | 1,031·0 | 498·4 | 395·3 | 116·7 | 91·9 | 0·7 | 696·9 | 10·7 | 34·2 | 2,875·8 |
| 1977 | 1,034·6 | 505·6 | 391·7 | 115·8 | 86·7 | 0·9 | 709·0 | 11·2 | 39·5 | 2,895·0 |
| 1978 | 1,019·3 | 499·9 | 394·2 | 115·1 | 84·9 | 0·9 | 716·2 | 11·8 | 39·0 | 2,881·3 |
| 1979 | 1,029·9 | 493·0 | 383·8 | 115·9 | 83·1 | 1·1 | 749·0 | 12·6 | 40·3 | 2,908·7 |
| 1980 | 1,048·2 | 485·7 | 382·0 | 117·3 | 82·0 | 1·1 | 742·0 | 13·7 | 41·5 | 2,913·5 |
| 1981 | 1,028·9 | 477·1 | 384·6 | 117·1 | 79·8 | 1·1 | 688·0 | 13·8 | 36·9 | 2,827·3 |
| 1982 | 990·2 | 472·9 | 369·1 | 112·6 | 75·5 | 1·2 | 655·0 | 15·0 | 36·0 | *2,727·5 |
| 1983 | 949·0 | 470·1 | 352·6 | 113·2 | — | 1·2 | 648·0 | 14·4 | 35·4 | *2,659·4 |
Males
| ||||||||||
| 1974 | 700·7 | 288·0 | 206·1 | 100·7 | 64·6 | — | 463·1 | — | 25·0 | *1,855·0 |
| 1975 | 676·3 | 302·1 | 192·4 | 100·9 | 61·6 | — | 461·2 | — | 21·4 | *1,821·7 |
| 1976 | 644·5 | 298·6 | 233·2 | 96·8 | 59·6 | — | 436·8 | — | 20·9 | *1,796·7 |
| 1977 | 642·1 | 301·3 | 226·3 | 96·8 | 57·2 | — | 442·2 | — | 25·8 | *1,798·6 |
| 1978 | 637·4 | 300·3 | — | 96·5 | 56·7 | — | 447·4 | — | 26·1 | *1,799·3 |
| 1979 | 645·4 | 298·0 | — | 96·9 | 55·5 | — | 475·0 | — | 26·4 | *1,826·6 |
| 1980 | 654·6 | 295·0 | — | 97·6 | 55·5 | — | 473·0 | — | 27·2 | *1,826·8 |
| 1981 | 650·4 | 293·5 | — | 97·8 | 54·5 | — | 455·0 | — | 23·3 | *1,800·4 |
| 1982 | 634·6 | 293·8 | — | 94·8 | 52·0 | — | 439·0 | — | 23·1 | *1,755·2 |
| 1983 | 617·0 | 293·3 | — | 95·8 | — | — | 438·0 | — | 22·9 | *1,727·2 |
Females
| ||||||||||
| 1974 | 466·9 | 193·4 | 169·1 | 22·0 | 37·1 | — | 327·3 | — | 16·0 | *1,237·1 |
| 1975 | 421·4 | 207·2 | 181·0 | 21·9 | 34·8 | — | 302·6 | — | 13·6 | *1,187·0 |
| 1976 | 386·5 | 199·8 | 162·1 | 19·9 | 32·3 | — | 260·1 | — | 13·3 | *1,079·1 |
| 1977 | 392·5 | 204·3 | 165·4 | 19·0 | 29·5 | — | 266·8 | — | 13·7 | *1,096·4 |
| 1978 | 381·9 | 199·6 | — | 18·6 | 28·1 | — | 268·8 | — | 12·9 | *1,081·9 |
| 1979 | 384·6 | 195·0 | — | 19·0 | 27·6 | — | 274·0 | — | 13·8 | *1,082·1 |
| 1980 | 393·6 | 190·7 | — | 19·7 | 26·5 | — | 269·0 | — | 14·3 | *1,086·7 |
| 1981 | 378·5 | 183·6 | — | 19·3 | 25·3 | — | 233·0 | — | 13·5 | *1,026·8 |
| 1982 | 355·5 | 179·1 | — | 17·8 | 23·5 | — | 216·0 | — | 12·8 | *972·2 |
| 1983 | 332·0 | 176·7 | — | 17·4 | — | — | 210·0 | — | 12·5 | *932·1 |
| MANUFACTURE OF MOTOR VEHICLES AND OF MOTOR VEHICLE PARTS AND ACCESSORIES—NACE 35 | ||||||||||
Total
| ||||||||||
| 1974 | 634·1 | 414·8 | 253·7 | 22·8 | 50·7 | 0·6 | 497·8 | 8·0 | 4·8 | 1,887·3 |
| 1975 | 591·5 | 446·7 | 242·5 | 21·8 | 46·4 | 0·8 | 478·3 | 6·6 | 4·0 | 1,838·6 |
| 1976 | 589·7 | 463·7 | 240·6 | 21·4 | 50·5 | 0·8 | 448·3 | 6·4 | 3·9 | 1,825·3 |
| 1977 | 619·5 | 487·0 | 230·6 | 22·4 | 52·5 | 0·9 | 464·2 | 6·5 | 5·1 | 1,888·7 |
| 1978 | 646·9 | 488·9 | 234·4 | 22·6 | 54·6 | 0·8 | 473·9 | 6·3 | 5·2 | 1,933·6 |
| 1979 | 672·8 | 485·5 | 241·5 | 24·1 | 56·0 | 0·6 | 436·0 | 6·3 | 6·0 | 1,928·8 |
| 1980 | 692·0 | 478·8 | 260·4 | 24·4 | 57·5 | 0·7 | 425·0 | 6·6 | 6·4 | 1,951·8 |
| 1981 | 657·7 | 450·1 | 240·4 | 24·3 | 55·9 | 0·9 | 371·0 | 6·5 | 5·0 | *1,811·8 |
| 1982 | 666·4 | 432·8 | 216·5 | 23·3 | 55·2* | 0·9 | 335·0 | 5·8 | 4·9 | *1,740·8 |
| 1983 | 657·3 | 429·4 | 198·1 | 21·4 | 0·9 | 310·0 | 5·4 | 5·3 | *1,683·0 | |
Males
| ||||||||||
| 1974 | 527·6 | 338·9 | 238·9 | 21·4 | 45·0 | 0·5 | 436·0 | — | 4·4 | *1,620·3 |
| 1975 | 494·8 | 365·5 | 227·9 | 20·4 | 40·9 | 0·6 | 419·5 | — | 3·6 | *1,579·5 |
| 1976 | 497·7 | 379·7 | 220·9 | 20·2 | 44·8 | 0·6 | 394·8 | — | 3·6 | *1,568·4 |
| 1977 | 524·8 | 398·7 | 217·5 | 21·1 | 46·7 | 0·7 | 408·9 | — | 4·6 | *1,629·2 |
| 1978 | 549·2 | 401·7 | — | 21·4 | 49·0 | 0·6 | 417·1 | — | 4·7 | *1,670·8 |
| 1979 | 571·6 | 398·3 | — | 22·8 | 50·4 | 0·5 | 383·0 | — | 5·3 | *1,665·7 |
| 1980 | 587·4 | 392·4 | — | 23·0 | 51·9 | 0·6 | 373·0 | — | 5·6 | *1,686·5 |
| 1981 | 557·3 | 369·5 | — | 22·9 | 50·5 | 0·7 | 328·0 | — | 4·3 | *1,565·7 |
West Germany
| France
| Italy
| Netherlands
| Belgium
| Luxembourg
| United Kingdom
| Ireland
| Denmark
| EUR 9
| |
| 1982 | 566·6 | 355·9 | — | 22·0 | 50·2* | 0·7 | 296·0 | — | 4·2 | *1,504·9 |
| 1983 | 560·8 | 353·2 | — | 20·1 | — | 0·7 | 275·0 | — | 4·6 | *1,456·2 |
Females
| ||||||||||
| 1974 | 106·5 | 75·8 | 14·9 | 1·4 | 5·7 | 0·1 | 61·8 | — | 0·4 | *267·0 |
| 1975 | 96·7 | 81·2 | 14·6 | 1·4 | 5·5 | 0·2 | 58·8 | — | 0·4 | *259·1 |
| 1976 | 92·0 | 84·0 | 19·7 | 1·2 | 5·7 | 0·2 | 53·5 | — | 0·3 | *256·9 |
| 1977 | 94·7 | 88·3 | 13·1 | 1·3 | 5·8 | 0·2 | 55·3 | — | 0·5 | *259·5 |
| 1978 | 97·7 | 87·2 | — | 1·3 | 5·6 | 0·2 | 56·8 | — | 0·5 | *262·9 |
| 1979 | 101·2 | 87·2 | — | 1·3 | 5·6 | 0·1 | 52·0 | — | 0·6 | *262·0 |
| 1980 | 104·5 | 86·4 | — | 1·5 | 5·6 | 0·1 | 52·0 | — | 0·8 | *265·3 |
| 1981 | 100·4 | 80·6 | — | 1·5 | 5·4 | 0·2 | 44·0 | — | 0·7 | *247·3 |
| 1982 | 99·8 | 76·9 | — | 1·4 | 5·0* | 0·2 | 40·0 | — | 0·7 | *237·0 |
| 1983 | 96·5 | 76·2 | — | 1·3 | — | 0·2 | 35·0 | — | 0·7 | *226·8 |
| EXTRACTION AND BRIQUETTING OF SOLID FUELS, COKE OVENS—NACE 11/12 | ||||||||||
Total
| ||||||||||
| 1974 | 191·4 | 100·2 | 6·2 | 4·2 | 32·5 | — | 308·5 | 0·3 | — | *643·3 |
| 1975 | 207·9 | 85·3 | 6·9 | 1·7 | 31·2 | — | 315·2 | 0·3 | — | *648·5 |
| 1976 | 220·9 | 83·9 | 6·3 | 0·7 | 28·7 | — | 308·5 | 0·4 | — | *649·4 |
| 1977 | 228·3 | 79·2 | 6·2 | 0·7 | 26·4 | — | 307·5 | 0·4 | — | *648·7 |
| 1978 | 216·5 | 73·5 | 6·5 | 0·3 | 25·1 | — | 305·6 | 0·3 | — | *627·8 |
| 1979 | 216·8 | 68·6 | 6·4 | 0·3 | 24·5 | — | 302·0 | 0·3 | — | *618·9 |
| 1980 | 172·4 | 63·5 | 6·2 | 0·3 | 23·4 | — | 303·0 | 0·3 | — | *569·1 |
| 1981 | 209·4 | 60·7 | 6·5 | 0·0 | 23·2 | — | 303·0 | 0·3 | — | *603·1 |
| 1982 | 196·5 | 59·0 | 6·6 | 0·0 | *23·1 | — | 278·0 | 0·3 | — | *563·5 |
| 1983 | 207·2 | 58·2 | 6·3 | 0·0 | — | — | 267·0 | — | — | *562·1 |
Males
| ||||||||||
| 1974 | 187·0 | 100·7 | 6·0 | 4·0 | 32·2 | — | 298·1 | — | — | *627·8 |
| 1975 | 203·0 | 83·2 | 6·7 | 1·6 | 31·0 | — | 304·9 | — | — | *630·7 |
| 1976 | 215·0 | 81·3 | 6·2 | 0·6 | 28·5 | — | 298·0 | — | — | *630·0 |
| 1977 | 222·4 | 76·5 | 6·2 | 0·6 | 26·2 | — | 296·6 | — | — | *628·9 |
| 1978 | 211·0 | 70·8 | — | 0·3 | 25·0 | — | 294·3 | — | — | *608·2 |
| 1979 | 211·3 | 65·9 | — | 0·2 | 24·3 | — | 290·0 | — | — | *598·4 |
| 1980 | 167·0 | 61·0 | — | 0·2 | 23·3 | — | 292·0 | — | — | *550·0 |
| 1981 | 203·9 | 58·3 | — | 0·0 | 23·1 | — | 281·0 | — | — | *573·1 |
| 1982 | 191·5 | 56·8 | — | 0·0 | *23·0 | — | 267·0 | — | — | *545·0 |
| 1983 | 201·8 | 55·6 | — | 0·0 | — | — | 256·0 | — | — | *543·0 |
Females
| ||||||||||
| 1974 | 4·4 | 0·0 | 0·2 | 0·2 | 0·3 | — | 10·4 | — | — | *15·5 |
| 1975 | 4·8 | 2·2 | 0·2 | 0·1 | 0·2 | — | 10·3 | — | — | *17·8 |
| 1976 | 5·9 | 2·6 | 0·0 | 0·1 | 0·2 | — | 10·5 | — | — | *19·3 |
| 1977 | 6·0 | 2·7 | 0·0 | 0·1 | 0·2 | — | 10·9 | — | — | *19·9 |
| 1978 | 5·5 | 2·8 | — | 0·0 | 0·1 | — | 11·3 | — | — | *19·7 |
| 1979 | 5·5 | 2·6 | — | 0·0 | 0·1 | — | 12·0 | — | — | *20·2 |
| 1980 | 5·4 | 2·5 | — | 0·0 | 0·1 | — | 12·0 | — | — | *20·1 |
| 1981 | 5·5 | 2·4 | — | 0·0 | 0·1 | — | 12·0 | — | — | *20·0 |
| 1982 | 5·0 | 2·4 | — | 0·0 | *0·1 | — | 11·0 | — | — | "18·5 |
| 1983 | 5·4 | 2·6 | — | 0·0 | — | — | 11·0 | — | — | *19·1 |
| OF WHICH: COKE OVENS—NACE 12 | ||||||||||
Total
| ||||||||||
| 1974 | — | 0·3 | 3·4 | — | 1·6 | — | 11·3 | — | — | — |
| 1975 | — | 0·3 | 3·7 | — | 1·6 | — | 12·2 | — | — | — |
| 1976 | — | 0·3 | 3·7 | — | 1·5 | — | 11·0 | — | — | — |
| 1977 | — | 0·3 | 3·6 | — | 1·5 | — | 10·5 | — | — | — |
| 1978 | — | 0·3 | 3·6 | — | 1·6 | — | 10·7 | — | — | — |
| 1979 | — | 0·3 | 3·5 | † | 1·5 | — | 4·8 | — | — | — |
| 1980 | — | 0·3 | 3·6 | † | 1·5 | — | 4·8 | — | — | — |
| 1981 | — | 0·3 | 3·9 | † | 1·5 | — | 4·5 | — | — | — |
| 1982 | — | 0·3 | 3·9 | † | *1·5 | — | 4·3 | — | — | — |
| 1983 | — | 0·3 | 3·9 | † | — | — | 4·3 | — | — | — |
Males
| ||||||||||
| 1974 | — | 0·3 | 3·2 | — | 1·5 | — | 10·8 | — | — | — |
| 1975 | — | 0·3 | 3·5 | — | 1·5 | — | 11·6 | — | — | — |
| 1976 | — | 0·3 | 3·6 | — | 1·5 | — | 10·5 | — | — | — |
| 1977 | — | 0·3 | 3·6 | — | 1·5 | — | 10·1 | — | — | — |
| 1978 | — | 0·3 | — | — | 1·6 | — | 10·2 | — | — | — |
| 1979 | — | 0·3 | — | † | 1·5 | — | 4·6 | — | — | — |
| 1980 | — | 0·3 | — | † | 1·5 | — | 4·6 | — | — | — |
| 1981 | — | 0·3 | — | † | 1·5 | — | 4·3 | — | — | — |
| 1982 | — | 0·3 | — | † | *1·5 | — | 4·1 | — | — | — |
| 1983 | — | 0·3 | — | † | — | — | 41 | — | — | — |
West Germany
| France
| Italy
| Netherlands
| Belgium
| Luxembourg
| United Kingdom
| Ireland
| Denmark
| EUR 9
| |
Females
| ||||||||||
| 1974 | — | 0 | 0·2 | — | 0·0 | — | 0·5 | — | — | — |
| 1975 | — | 0 | 0·2 | — | 0·0 | — | 0·6 | — | — | — |
| 1976 | — | 0 | 0·0 | — | 0·0 | — | 0·5 | — | — | — |
| 1977 | — | 0 | 0·0 | — | 0·0 | — | 0·4 | — | — | — |
| 1978 | — | 0 | — | — | 0·0 | — | 0·5 | — | — | — |
| 1979 | — | 0 | — | † | 0·0 | — | 0·2 | — | — | — |
| 1980 | — | 0 | — | † | 0·0 | — | 0·2 | — | — | — |
| 1981 | — | 0 | — | † | 0·0 | — | 0·2 | — | — | — |
| 1982 | — | 0 | — | † | 0·0 | — | 0·2 | — | — | — |
| 1983 | — | 0 | — | † | — | — | 0·2 | — | — | — |
| † Included in NACE 14 |
asked the Prime Minister how the level of Government investment in the textile and clothing industries per capita employee in those industries compares to the level of Government investment per capita employee in (a) the coal mining industry, (b) the motor manufacturing industry, (c) the aerospace industry, (d) the shipbuilding industry and (e) computer manufacture in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Information on Government support for investment is given in the annual reports of the Industrial Development Act 1982 (formerly the Industry Act 1972) of which copies are in the Library of the House. The totals for the clothing industry, coal mining, the motor manufacturing industry, the aerospace industry and computer manufacture are not separately identifiable. However, the reports do give a breakdown of Government support for investment by broader industrial sectors.Statistics of employment in the industries concerned are published in the
Employment Gazette, of which copies are also in the Library, but these statistics are not compiled on quite the same basis as statistics on Government support for investment.
Horticultural Research
asked the Prime Minister if she is satisfied with the co-ordination between the Department of the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in respect of the identification of needs and derivation of priorities in respect of horticultural research.
Yes. There is close collaboration between the chief scientists of the two Departments in relation to research matters which are of mutual interest, but if my hon. Friend has any particular points in mind perhaps he would write to me.
Liverpool City Council
asked the Prime Minister whether, pursuant to her answer of 29 November, Official Report, column 720, the information given by the Department of the Environment that the arrangements did not require Government approval was in response to representations from the commercial organisations concerned seeking Government approval; and if she will make a statement.
The information was given in response to a request for observations from the organisations concerned.
Transport
Ml (Junction 12)
asked the Secretary of State for Transport on what date the junction 12 signpost on the southbound section of the M1 motorway between Wakefield and London was reported damaged; and on what date it will be repaired.
The half mile advance warning sign at junction 12 was reported damaged following an accident on 15 November. The sign is due to be replaced in early January as part of the general sign replacement programme on this section of the M1.
Al (Wetherby)
asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will now give a date for the commencement to works to improve the Al north of Wetherby.
I shall write to my hon. Friend shortly about the prospects for a start of work on improving the Al north of Wetherby.
Road Schemes
asked the Secretary of State for Transport what progress his Department has made in investigating the prospect of speeding up road schemes currently planned to start after 1986.
We are looking at ways of speeding up preparation of schemes in the light of the Civil Engineering Economic Development Committee's report "A Fairer and Faster Route to Major Road Construction". The additional funds we are allocating to the new construction programme will make some acceleration possible after 1986.
asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the list of road schemes which the Department of Transport-Confederation of British Industry-Trades Union Congress review team examined in order to assess the economic benefits of accelerating construction, showing for each scheme (a) the first year economic benefits, (b) the discounted cost of bringing forward the scheme's completion by one year and (c) the net present value of advancing the scheme's completion by one year.
The Department of Transport schemes examined by the review team are listed in the annex to the Confederation of British Industry's report "The Fabric of the Nation", published in June 1984. I regret that the information requested for each scheme could be provided only at disproportionate cost. If the hon. Member is interested in a particular scheme, perhaps he will write to me.
asked the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration he has given to the report of the review team of the Department of Transport-Confederation of British Industry-Trades Union Council on the consequences for employment of £500 million worth of road construction.
I have seen the review team's report, which states that it came to no agreement about the precise number of jobs which could be created as a result of an increase in road construction activity.
asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will show how his Department's trunk road new construction budget for 1986–87 will be allocated between (a) schemes to be started in 1986–87, (b) schemes started in 1985–86 and (c) schemes started in 1984–85 giving in each case the number of contracts involved.
I regret that it is not possible to supply the information requested. The allocation of resources between the various elements of the national road programme has yet to be finalised. Details will be published in the Supply Estimates to be presented to Parliament on Budget day.
asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give his Department's latest forecast of capital expenditure on roads by English local authorities in 1985–86 and the provision made for such expenditure in 1986–87, 1987–88 and 1988–89.
The provisional forecast of net capital expenditure on roads by English local authorities in 1985–86 is £494 million. Provision for 1986–87 is £533 million. Final decisions on provision for 1987–88 and 1988–89 will be taken at the usual time, in the autumn preceding those years.
asked the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria Her Majesty's Government have for trunking roads in the Vauxhall constituency.
I have no such proposals.
asked the Secretary of State for Transport what plans Her Majesty's Government have for increasing road capacity in the Vauxhall constituency.
None.
asked the Secretary of State for Transport what plans Her Majesty's Government have to allocate the £1·5 billion they have scheduled for trunk roads in London.
Details of the Government's current proposals for trunk road expenditure in the London area an on the M25, totalling some £900 million, are set out in the report "National Roads England 1985", a copy of which is in the Library.
Wardair (Transatlantic Scheduled Services)
asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will now approve the application by Wardair to operate transatlantic scheduled services between Canada and regional airports in the United Kingdom, including Cardiff-Wales airport.
To date neither the Canadian Government nor Wardair has applied to operate scheduled passenger services other than to London, Manchester and Prestwick. Bilateral discussions with the Canadian Government will take place in January next, when there will be an opportunity to discuss the creation of wider opportunities for British and Canadian airlines.
Light Rail Transport Systems
asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will indicate which light rail passenger transport systems have received funding from central Government; and what was the amount of such assistance.
The capital cost of the Tyne and Wear Metro has amounted to about £280 million. Of this some two thirds has been met by central Government grant. In addition, the first phase of the London Docklands light railway, currently under construction, will cost £77 million. It is funded equally by London Regional Transport and the London Docklands Development Corporation out of central Government grants; up to two-thirds of the LRT grant is recovered from London ratepayers.
asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he plans to provide financial assistance for the proposed light rapid transit system in Greater Manchester.
I am considering an application by Greater Manchester passenger transport executive for a grant under section 56 of the Transport Act 1968 towards the cost of its proposed light rapid transit system. The PTE has, however, acknowledged that it needs to undertake further work before the project can be fully appraised.
Usa-Ussr Communications Agreement
asked the Secretary of State for Transport what effect the agreement between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics over communications in the north Pacific will have on British airlines; and if he will make a statement.
The agreement between the USA, Japan and the USSR was signed on 19 November 1985 and provides for new communication links between Anchorage, Tokyo and Khabarovsk when civil aircraft are in trouble on north Pacfic air routes, and for the use of a radio broadcasting station on Kamchatka as a navigation aid.The agreement should help to reduce the danger of repetition of the incident involving the shooting down of a Korean airliner and will benefit the aircraft of all nations flying on north Pacific routes.
British Rail
asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he is satisfied that British Rail will be able to meet its financial targets in the current financial year; and if he will make a statement.
I have set the board the target of reducing its call on PSO grant to £635 million (in 1983 prices) in 1986–87. The freight and inter-city businesses have been set the target of earning a 5 per cent. rate of return on their assets, on a current costs accounting basis, but excluding interest charges, by 1988–89. I expect the board to make progress towards these targets during this financial year. I set a cash ceiling on the current year's PSO grant of £820 million (equivalent to £740 million at 1983 prices); I am pleased to say that I was able to agree a grant settlement £7 million below that ceiling.
Airlines (Caa Charges)
asked the Secretary of State for Transport what was the total sum of charges to British-based airlines by the Civil Aviation Authority during the last financial year; and what was the cost of the meteorological services included in this charge.
Revenue from charges for air traffic control services supplied by the Civil Aviation Authority totalled £173–2 million in the financial year ending 31 March 1985. Meteorological services included in these charges cost £15·5 million. The exact amount charged to British airlines cannot be calculated except at disproportionate cost. The CAA estimates, however, that about 50 per cent. of the charges were recovered from operators of British registered aircraft.
Home Department
Prison Officers
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to introduce regular health checks on serving prison officers.
No, but the possibility is among matters being considered in a current review of occupational health arrangements in the prison service. Should any firm proposals emerge, staff and other interests will be consulted before their introduction.
Mr Eric Alley
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list forthcoming visits to local authorities that have been arranged for Mr. Eric Alley, his Department's civil defence adviser, and the dates on which they are to take place.
The civil defence adviser will be visiting west Glamorgan on 19 December.
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those local authorities which have received visits from Mr. Eric Alley, his Department's civil defence adviser; and when they took place.
In the course of his programme of reviewing local authority progress in civil defence preparedness, the civil defence adviser has visited the following counties:
| Local authority | Date visited |
| Avon | 20 November 1985 |
| Bedfordshire | 18 June 1985 |
| Berkshire | 19 December 1984 |
| Buckinghamshire | 23 November 1984 |
Local authority
| Date visited
|
| Cambridgeshire | 4 July 1985 |
| Cheshire | 17 July 1985 |
| Cleveland | 20 August 1985 |
| Clwyd | 1 April 1985 |
| Cornwall | 3 October 1985 |
| Cumbria | 30 July 1985 |
| Derbyshire | 27 March 1985 |
| Devon | 2 October 1985 |
| Dorset | 3 May 1985 |
| Durham | 8 July 1985 |
| Dyfed | 26 March 1985 |
| East Sussex | 11 September 1985 |
| Essex | 17 June 1985 |
| Gloucestershire | 8 May 1985 |
| Greater Manchester | 19 November 1985 |
| Gwent | 17 December 1984 |
| Hampshire | 3 July 1985 |
| Hereford and Worcester | 22 June 1985 |
| Hertfordshire | 16 April 1985 |
| Humberside | 29 April 1985 |
| Isle of Wight | 23 April 1985 |
| Kent | 13 June 1985 |
| Lancashire | 18 July 1985 |
| Leicestershire | 21 March 1985 |
| Lincolnshire | 19 July 1985 |
| Merseyside | 9 July 1985 |
| Mid Glamorgan | 22 August 1985 |
| Norfolk | 5 August 1985 |
| Northamptonshire | 3 April 1985 |
| Northumberland | 6 June 1985 |
| North Yorkshire | 6 June 1985 |
| Nottinghamshire | 23 July 1985 |
| Oxfordshire | 1 May 1985 |
| Powys | 19 March 1985 |
| Shropshire | 1 August 1985 |
| Somerset | 12 June 1985 |
| South Glamorgan | 18 March 1985 |
| South Yorkshire | 29 July 1985 |
| Staffordshire | 21 June 1985 |
| Suffolk | 5 June 1985 |
| Surrey | 15 August 1985 |
| Tyne and Wear | 11 November 1985 |
| Warwickshire | 24 July 1985 |
| West Midlands | 10 July 1985 |
| West Sussex | 14 May 1985 |
| West Yorkshire | 4 September 1985 |
| Wiltshire | 7 June 1985 |
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will outline the conditions of employment of Mr. Eric Alley, his Department's civil defence adviser.
Mr. Alley's appointment is for three years in the first instance with the possibility of an extension. The post attracts a salary on the Civil Service principal scale.
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will outline the terms of reference of Mr. Eric Alley, his Department's civil defence adviser.
The civil defence adviser's main responsibility is to advise my right hon. Friend on matters affecting the civil defence functions of local authorities.
Government Wartime Headquarters
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a site has been found for the central Government wartime headquarters in civil defence zone 81, in north Wales.
Yes.
Aircraft (Hijacking Incidents)
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all aircraft hijacking incidents in the United Kingdom since 1970 which required a police presence or intervention; and if, for each incident, he will estimate the policing costs involved.
The incidents concerned are as follows. The additional cost to the police of handling the incidents could not be determined without disproportionate cost.
6 September 1970 An attempted hijack of an E1 A1 Boeing 707 en route from Amsterdam to New York was foiled when one of the two hijackers was shot dead by armed sky marshals and the other was overpowered by the crew. The aircraft made a emergency landing at Heathrow airport where the second hijacker was taken into police custody.
11 January 1977 A lone hijacker threatened to blow up a TWA Boeing 747 over the Atlantic whilst en route from New York to London. The crew recognised the man as being mentally disturbed and were able to restrain him until after the aircraft landed at Heathrow where the police boarded the aircraft and took the man into custody.
26 February 1982 Five Tanzanians hijacked a Tanzanian Airways internal flight. After refuelling at Nairobi the aircraft travelled to Jeddah and Athens before finally arriving at Stansted on 27 February 1982. After negotiations the aircrew were released the following day and the five men surrendered to the police.
29 March 1985 A lone male British national who was being deported from the Federal Republic of Germany hijacked a Lufthansa Boeing 737 en route from Hamburg to London. The aircraft landed safely at Heathrow and after a period of negotiations the hijacker, who proved to be unarmed and seemingly mentally unstable, surrendered to the police.
Police Operations, Tottenham
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 19 November, Official Report, column 136, when he intends to write to the hon. Member for Tottenham giving the information requested about police operations in Tottenham.
I wrote to the hon. Member on 28 November 1985 and have placed a copy of my letter in the Library.
Tactical Options Manual
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make available to Members of Parliament and to police committees the tactical options manual.
The tactical options manual was prepared by the Association of Chief Police Officers as a guide to the range of tactics police forces might adopt in dealing with disorder. I understand that ACPO has no plans at present to publish the manual.
Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs
Commercial Staff
asked the Secretary on State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many commercial staff (diplomatic grades) are currently in post at British embassies, consulates and high commissions; how many of those have been in post longer than three years; and how many were recruited specifically because of their commercial expertise.
There are around 350 UK-based staff serving with diplomatic status in posts overseas in which they are wholly or mainly engaged in commercial work. Four years is the normal length of tour in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and some other countries. Three years is the standard tour elsewhere, except in a few particularly hard posts. About 50 of the staff in question have currently been in post for longer than three years. The diplomatic service generally seeks to recruit staff for a long-term career, rather than for specific posts or functions. There have been additional special competitions open to older candidates which have attracted officers at first secretary level from the private sector.
Joint Liaison Group Meeting (Peking)
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress was made at the recent joint liaison group meeting in Peking; whether agreement was reached on the right of abode endorsement to be placed in BN(0) passports; and if he will make a statement.
We are arranging for the text of the communiqué issued after the joint liaison group meeting to be placed in the Library of the House. I am happy to say that the Chinese side agreed in principle that the wording of the endorsement should be as follows:
It is expected that formal agreement on this and other related matters will be reached at the next meeting of the joint liaison group."The holder of this passport has Hong Kong permanent identity card no (XYZ) which states that the holder has the right of abode in Hong Kong".
Council Of Ministers
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report a statement of forthcoming business in the European Community Council of Ministers.
The usual written forecast was deposited in the House earlier today. At present, 11 meetings of the Council are scheduled for December.The Labour and Social Affairs Council will meet on 5 December and will discuss the draft directive on the protection of workers from noise at work and the draft decision on an action programme in education and training for technology—the COMETT proposals. There is a possibility that these two items may be agreed. Other items on the agenda include the draft directive on parental leave and leave for family reasons, and the Commission memorandum on political guidelines in the employment, education and training of young people. The Council will also consider two proposals to amend European social fund rules: (i) in order that fund support may be given to schemes where the jobs created are for self-employed people, and (ii) in view of the accession of Spain and Portugal.The Economic and Finance Council is expected to meet on 9 December to discuss the annual report on the economic situation in the Community and an Economic Policy Committee report on labour markets and employment. The Council is also likely to consider the calculation of commercial interest reference rates which apply to export finance; abolition of tax borders; tax measures to encourage cooperation between firms in different member states; and a statement by the Belgian delegation concerning application of the treaty rules on competition to insurance.The Agriculture Council is expected to meet on 9 and 10 December to consider cereal and rapeseed prices; the review of the sugar regime; sugar for the chemical industry; reform of the starch regime; GATT beef quotas and the beef balance sheet; disposal of intervention alcohol; the rationalisation of abattoirs; forestry protection; hormones; battery hens and possibly the annual premia for goats and mountain ewes and certain harmonisation issues in the veterinary/phytosanitary/ foodstuff sectors. A further meeting is expected to take place on 19 December to discuss perspectives for the common agricultural policy.The Research Council will meet on 10 December and will discuss R&D programmes in the fields of materials and the environment together with a proposal for a programme of assistance for the development of endogenous scientific and research capacities in the developing countries. The Council will also consider a report from a seminar to be held on 3 and 4 December on an initiative for research in informatics applied to society and a progress report on the European Community's joint research centre multiannual programme 1984–87. There may also be a follow-up discussion to the European Council of 2 and 3 December on the European technological Community.The Council will discuss, amongst other things, cooperation between member states and EC in developing links between customs computer systems to facilitate inter-Community trade.The Internal Market/Consumer Council will look at questions related to the entry into force of the community patent convention (CPC) and the status of the proposed common patent appeal convention and any other problem that may arise at the conference on the CPC.The Foreign Affairs Council will discuss proposals for further finance to support social measures taken by member states to ease the problem of restructuring the coal and steel industries.The Council may review progress on EC-EFTA consultations to take account of enlargement. The Council will review progress in the negotiations on the future of the multi-fibre arrangement.The Council will be asked to adopt the final series of non-quota measures proposed under the old ERDF regulation. The Council will discuss trade relations between the Community and Japan.The Fisheries Council is expected to meet on 16 and 17 December to discuss 1986 total allowable catch quotas; 1986 quotas in certain third country waters; Norway pout; amendment of the fishing control regulation; various enlargement measures and possibly 1986 guide prices.
The Culture Ministers' meeting will receive a report from the Commission on the operation of resale price maintenance on books in the Community.
Uganda
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to promote further the peace process in Uganda.
We believe that the prospects for a stable and prosperous Uganda depend on a reconciliation between the parties to the peace talks currently taking place in Nairobi. We wholeheartedly support these talks and wish them every success.As an earnest of the importance we attribute to the peace process we have, with the agreement of President Moi, attached Major General Pollard to our High Commission in Nairobi: His role will be to offer advice on the military aspects of any settlement once agreement has been reached, and to recommend what form future British military assistance to Uganda might take.We are also considering with other donors what economic assistance we intend to provide to help a new Government put Uganda back on the road to economic recovery.
Trade And Industry
South Africa
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many British companies are known to his Department to be currently operating in South Africa.
My Department does not keep records of the companies operating in particular markets. However, under the EC code of conduct for companies with interests in South Africa, 171 United Kingdom companies submitted reports to my Department for the year ended 30 June 1984.
Dangerous Products (Information)
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will introduce a rapid information exchange system on dangerous products; and if he will make a statement.
The European Community has already introduced a system for the rapid exchange of information on hazardous consumer products under which member states advise each other through the Commission of consumer goods posing an immediate hazard against which they have taken action. Within the United Kingdom local authority enforcement agencies, in conjunction with the Government, run a regular national information service to keep each other up to date on potentially hazardous consumer products giving them concern and on prosecutions for supplying unsafe products.
Small Firms (Liquidations)
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many small firms in England have gone into liquidation since May 1979.
I regret that the information is not available in the form requested. There are no separate figures for either bankruptcies or company liquidations affecting small firms, figures for company liquidations are not available for England on its own, and there are no monthly bankruptcy statistics for England in 1979.
Pharmaceutical Products
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the United Kingdom trade balance in pharmaceutical goods in the last 12 months for which figures are available.
In the period from November 1984 to October 1985 the United Kingdom had a crude trade surplus of £824 million in medicinal and pharmaceutical products.
Advancement Of Women
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has had any meetings with the Equal Opportunities Commission to discuss the implementation of those parts of the conclusions of the Nairobi conference on forward-looking strategies for the advancement of women relevant to his Department; and if he has any future plans for such meetings.
[pursuant to his reply, 2 December 1985, c. 17.: My right hon. and learned Friend has not met the Equal Opportunities Commission in his present ministerial capacity since the Nairobi conference. I met Baroness Platt, chairman of the Equal Opportunities Commission, to discuss women in engineering on 7 November 1984. I shall be meeting the Equal Opportunities Commission shortly to discuss the participation of women in commerce as part of Industry Year 1986.
Goat Cheese
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information he has as to the present consumption of goat cheese in the United Kingdom; and how much is imported in both volume and money terms.
I have been asked to reply.There are no official statistics on the consumption of goat cheese in the United Kingdom and goat cheese is not separately identified in United Kingdom trade statistics. It is understood, however, that some 130 tonnes of goat cheese was exported by France to the United Kingdom in 1984. Information from the industry suggests that domestic production is very small.
National Finance
Privatisation
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the receipts to the Treasury have been from privatisation in each year from 1979–80 to 1984–85 inclusive, expressed in 1984–85 price levels, using the assumptions for the gross domestic product deflator given in footnote 2 to table 2·1 of the autumn statement.
Proceeds treated as special sales of assets expressed in 1984–85 prices for the years 1979–80 to 1984–85 were as follows:
| £ million | |
| 1979–80 | 565 |
| 1980–81 | 521 |
| 1981–82 | 577 |
| 1982–83 | 533 |
| 1983–84 | 1,194 |
| 1984–85 | 2,091 |
Note:
Excludes advance oil payments from BNOC which net out to zero. These figures are calculated using assumptions incorporated in table 2.1 of the autumn statement but not stated in footnote 2.
Inland Revenue Records
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 26 November, Official Report, column 523, about asbestos at Bradford central depository for the Inland Revenue, if he will list the number of requests for information which have been received and not yet dealt with.
Seven thousand requests for information have been received since 2 November 1984. Tax offices have reconsidered these cases and normally have been able to deal with them without recourse to the papers held in the repository.
International Trade (Tax Arrangements)
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he plans to seek any amendment of the arm's length principle in tax arrangements for international trade in transfer price goods.
No. The arm's length principle is internationally accepted and we adhere to it both in our domestic legislation and in our double taxation agreements.
Child Tax Allowance And Benefit
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing for each year since 1965 the weekly value at 1985 prices of child tax allowance and child benefit.
The table below gives the weekly value of child support to families paying tax at the basic rate. Child support covers child tax allowances, family allowances and child benefit. Values are expressed at November 1984 prices, since the general index of retail prices for the 12 months to November 1985 is not yet available. The weekly value shown for November 1985 at November 1984 prices is therefore provisional.
Value of child support* for each child in basic rate tax-paying families expressed at November 1984 prices†
| |||||||||
Children under age 11
| Children aged 11 to 15
| Children aged 16 and over
| |||||||
Date
| 1st child
| 2nd child
| ||3rd
| 1st child
| 2nd child
| ||3rd
| 1st child
| 2nd child
| ||3rd
|
| April 1965 | 5·59 | 7·31 | 7·68 | 6·82 | 8·48 | 8·91 | 8·05 | 9·71 | 10·14 |
| April 1966 | 5·40 | 7·06 | 7·42 | 6·59 | 8·19 | 8·60 | 7·77 | 9·37 | 9·79 |
| April 1967 | 5·24 | 6·85 | 7·20 | 6·39 | 7·95 | 8·35 | 7·54 | 9·10 | 9·50 |
| April 1968 | 5·02 | 6·29 | 6·67 | 6·12 | 7·39 | 7·72 | 7·22 | 8·44 | 8·82 |
| April 1969 | 4·75 | 6·22 | 6·58 | 5·80 | 7·26 | 7·63 | 6·84 | 8·31 | 8·62 |
| April 1970 | 4·50 | 5·89 | 6·23 | 5·49 | 6·88 | 7·22 | 6·48 | 7·87 | 8·16 |
| April 1971 | 5·25 | 6·65 | 6·96 | 6·06 | 7·51 | 7·82 | 6·92 | 8·32 | 8·64 |
| April 1972 | 4·93 | 6·25 | 6·55 | 5·70 | 7·06 | 7·86 | 6·51 | 7·83 | 8·12 |
| April 1973 | 4·48 | 5·61 | 5·88 | 5·30 | 6·39 | 6·66 | 5·96 | 7·05 | 7·32 |
| April 1974 | 5·14 | 6·09 | 6·32 | 5·92 | 6·80 | 7·07 | 6·56 | 7·44 | 7·71 |
| April 1975 | 4·50 | 6·23 | 6·23 | 5·14 | 6·86 | 6·86 | 5·70 | 7·45 | 7·45 |
| April 1976 | 4·72 | 6·19 | 6·19 | 5·26 | 6·73 | 6·73 | 5·75 | 7·20 | 7·20 |
| April 1977 | 4·54 | 5·19 | 5·19 | 4·99 | 5·65 | 5·65 | 5·39 | 6·03 | 6·03 |
| April 1978 | 5·40 | 5·40 | 5·40 | 5·83 | 5·83 | 5·83 | 6·18 | 6·19 | 6·18 |
| April 1979‡ | 6·70 | 6·70 | 6·70 | 6·70 | 6·70 | 6·70 | 6·70 | 6·70 | 6·70 |
| November 1980 | 6·22 | 6·22 | 6·22 | 6·22 | 6·22 | 6·22 | 6·22 | 6·22 | 6·22 |
| November 1981 | 6·14 | 6·14 | 6·14 | 6·14 | 6·14 | 6·14 | 6·14 | 6·14 | 6·14 |
| November 1982 | 6·44 | 6·44 | 6·44 | 6·44 | 6·44 | 6·44 | 6–44 | 6·44 | 6·44 |
| November 1983 | 6·82 | 6·82 | 6·82 | 6·82 | 6·82 | 6·82 | 6·82 | 6·82 | 6·82 |
| November 1984 | 6·85 | 6·85 | 6·85 | 6·85 | 6·85 | 6·85 | 6·85 | 6·85 | 6·85 |
| November 1985¶ | 6·64 | 6·64 | 6·64 | 6·64 | 6·64 | 6·64 | 6·64 | 6·64 | 6·64 |
* The combined value of child tax allowances after clawback and family allowance/child benefit.
† Based on the movement in the general index of retail prices.
‡ Child tax allowance ceased after the 1978–79 tax year and uprating dates for child benefit are shown from 1979 onwards.
|| And subsequent children.
¶Provisional. The November 1985 rate of child benefit (£7·00) has been expressed at November 1984 prices using an assumption of an increase in the General Index of Retail Prices of 5 1/2 per cent. over the 12 month period, consistent with the forecast of the annual rate of inflation for the fourth quarter of 1985, published in the autumn statement.
Value Added Tax
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost to Her Majesty's Government's Customs and Excise in lost revenue if the value added tax threshold was raised to £50,000.
It is not known how many traders would deregister if the threshold were raised to £50,000, but the best estimate that can be made in the circumstances is that the revenue cost would be between £100 million and £200 million a year.
| Resolutions made | Resolutions made | |||||
| 1982 | 1983 | 1984* | 1982 | 1983 | 1984* | |
| Regions | ||||||
| Borders | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — |
| Central | 17 | 2 | — | 1 | — | 4 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 3 | — | 2 | — | — | — |
| Fife | 7 | 8 | 7 | — | — | — |
| Grampian | 32 | 11 | 22 | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Highland | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| Lothian | 135 | 41 | 25 | 19 | 19 | 8 |
| Tayside | 29 | 27 | 13 | — | — | — |
| Orkney | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Shetland | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Westem Isles | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
* Provisional.
The other information is not available in the form requested. Table 2 gives by court district the number of determinations by courts of cases where resolutions were
Scotland
Children In Care
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many parental rights resolutions were passed or rescinded annually; what was the proportion of these in respect of which parental objections were lodged; and what was the outcome of sheriff court hearings in respect of the latter group in each regional and island area.
Table 1 below gives the number of parental rights resolutions made and rescinded for each regional and islands area (except Strathclyde for which no information is available) for the three years ending 31 March 1984.opposed for the three years ending 31 December 1984. Information on the outcomes of determinations by the courts is not held centrally.
Determinations under section 16(8) of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968
| |||
1982
| 1983
| 1984
| |
| Glasgow | — | 5 | 9 |
| Aberdeen | — | 2 | — |
| Stonehaven | 1 | — | — |
| Banff | — | — | 1 |
| Stornoway | — | — | 1 |
| Edinburgh | 8 | 5 | 1 |
| Linlithgow | 1 | — | — |
| Jedburgh | 1 | — | — |
| Selkirk | 1 | — | 2 |
| Paisley | 4 | 2 | — |
| Dumbarton | 1 | 1 | — |
| Greenock | 1 | 1 | — |
| Hamilton | 8 | 5 | — |
| Airdrie | — | 1 | 3 |
| Ayr | 1 | — | 1 |
| Dumfries | — | 1 | 1 |
| Dundee | 10 | 4 | — |
| Perth | — | 3 | — |
| Kirkcaldy | 30 | — | — |
| Cupar | — | — | 1 |
| Stirling | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Alloa | 1 | — | 4 |
Regional Authorities (Public Services)
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make funds available to regional authorities in Scotland for the purpose of advertising the public services they provide; and if he will make a statement.
No. It is for authorities to determine within the resources available to them their own priorities for expenditure on particular items, including advertising the services they provide.
Teachers And Social Workers (Training)
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make funds available for the in-service training of teachers and social workers in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.
Provision for the in-service training of both teachers and social workers is included in local authorities' rate support grant relevant expenditure, although it is not separately identified.In addition, so far as teachers are concerned, (i) the full-time equivalent of some 200 academic staff in colleges of education are engaged on in-service training; (ii) in 1984 my right hon. Friend introduced two schemes of assistance towards the expense of teachers attending approved in-service training; the specific grant available under these schemes for the current financial year is £763,000; and (iii) for the financial years 1985–86 and 1986–87 a total of about £2·5 million is available to education authorities in Scotland through the Manpower Services Commission's scheme for in-service training in the field of its technical and vocational education initiative.
Rate Support Grant
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report the amounts of rate support grant paid to (a) all Scottish district councils as a group and (b) Glasgow distric council in each of the years since 1978–79; and if he will express these figures at constant prices.
The information is as follows:
| Glasgow district | All Scottish districts | |||
| Cash | 1985–86 Prices | Cash | 1985–86 Prices | |
| £000 | £000 | £000 | £000 | |
| 1978–79 | 27,572 | 51,707 | 119,679 | 224·439 |
| 1979–80 | 34,223 | 54,917 | 140,701 | 225,779 |
| 1980–81 | 41,886 | 56,586 | 169,114 | 228,465 |
| 1981–82 | 38,195 | 46,865 | 168,965 | 207,320 |
| 1982–83 | 43,610 | 49,994 | 183,537 | 210,407 |
| 1983–84 | 44,577 | 48,917 | 193,543 | 212,389 |
| 1984–85 | 40,088 | 42,092 | 175,531 | 184,307 |
| 1985–86 | 33,944 | 33,944 | 128,500 | 128,500 |
Notes:
(a) The figures for the years 1978–79 to 1982–83 are final; those for 1983–84 to 1985–86 will be varied following the next rate support grant order.
(b) The figures are in cost terms, which show expenditure adjusted for the effect of general inflation, using GDP market price deflator factors brought to a 1985–86 base.
(c) The figures comprise the three elements of rate support grant (domestic, resources and needs) and are in respect of each financial year. They reflect selective and general abatements of grant.
Motorways (Safety Barriers)
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to introduce concrete barriers for the central reservations of Scotland's motorways.
No.
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what undertakings have been given for the provision of safety barriers for the central reservations of Scotland's motorways.
Safety barriers are provided where justified.
Legionnaire's Disease
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a further statement about action being taken in Scotland against the spread of Legionnaire's disease.
Greater Glasgow health board has acted with commendable speed to track down the sources of this infection where it has appeared in Glasgow, and prompt action has been taken to prevent the spread of the disease there. We shall look carefully at what has happened in Glasgow to see if there are any general conclusions on which further action might be taken to prevent the spread of Legionnaire's disease elsewhere.
Senile Dementia
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much money has been given by his Department to institutions and organisations for the study of the problems of senile dementia in each of the past five years.
Grants awarded by the Scottish Office for research into senile dementia since 1980 amount to some £220,000. It is not possible to give the information requested for separate years.
Environment
Council House Sales
15.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about progress with council house sales in Norwich during the last six months.
Progress has been satisfactory. I have had no complaints, in that time, from Norwich tenants seeking to buy their homes.
27.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council houses have been sold to sitting tenants since May 1979.
From April 1979 to September 1985 about 665,000 dwellings were sold to sitting tenants by local authorities and new towns in England.
Crown Immunity
16.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received any representations from the Institute of Environmental Health Officers concerning Crown immunity; and if he will make a statement.
No.
Housing Investment Programme
17.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce the housing investment programme allocations for 1986–87; and if he will make a statement.
33.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he proposes to announce the housing investment programme allocations for 1986–87.
I hope to announce the housing investment programme allocations for individual local authorities before Christmas.
Bed-And-Breakfast Accommodation
19.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in the light of the recent visit by the then Minister for Housing, the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Mr. Gow) together with the hon. Member for Brent, South and the right hon. Member for Brent, East (Mr. Freeson) to see homeless families in bed-and-breakfast accommodation in Paddington, he will make a statement on the provision of further resources for people in such accommodation.
Homeless families want permanent accommodation as soon as possible. To that end we are making £3,253 million available for housing capital investment in 1986–87. The local authority share is £2,532 million, which is 9 per cent. up on this year. Of this, £1,465 million will be available for housing investment programme allocations to local authorities. Individual allocations will be announced shortly.
Local Authorities (Political Propaganda)
20.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate how much money was spent on party political propaganda by local authorities in 1984 and to date; and if he will make a statement.
The information necessary to estimate total expenditure by local authorities on publicity of a party political nature is not available. It is clear, however, that at least £20 million has been spent on publicity of this nature since this Parliament began.
Flats (Right-To-Buy Sales)
21.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to facilitate the sale of flats under the right-to-buy legislation.
I have announced proposals for legislation in this Session to increase the discount on sales of flats by 10 per cent. Purchasers are also to have protection against unexpectedly high service charges for repairs and the right to a loan in respect of such charges in the early years of the lease.
Water Meters
22.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many domestic water meters have been installed in each of the past three years.
About 20,000 over the three-year period.
Marine Nature Reserve
23.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce a decision on the first marine nature reserve.
I understand that the Nature Conservancy Council is making progress and I would hope to be able to reach a decision on the first statutory reserve by next summer.
Wildlife And Countryside Act 1981
24.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in the light of the report prepared by the joint centre for land development studies on public rights of way, a copy of which has been sent to him, he is considering any changes to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
We await further advice from the rights of way review committee, which commissioned this report.
Basildon (Town Centre Square)
25.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from the hon. Member for Basildon, the Basildon development corporation and others about the roofing over the town centre square in Basildon.
In August this year it was decided not to allow Basildon development corporation to proceed with the roofing of town square on the financial terms which were then proposed. At her request, on 25 November I met the chairman of the corporation, together with my hon. Friend and my hon. Friend, the Member for Billericay (Mr. Proctor) to discuss the corporation's concern about this decision and to see whether a way could be found of allowing the project to go ahead, I recognise the benefits which roofing town square would bring to the town centre, but I must also be satisfied with the financial aspects of any proposal.
Council Of Environment Ministers
26.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the November meeting of the European Economic Community Council of Environment Ministers.
I led the United Kingdom delegation at this meeting, which was held on 28 November.On the draft directive on polluting emissions from vehicles the Council reached substantial agreement on a range of points left outstanding from its meeting in June 1985; this is, however, subject to general reserves by the two other member states and to a parliamentary reserve by the United Kingdom.The Council held an exchange of views on the draft directive on the control of emissions to the air from large combustion plants, but without reaching decisions.The Council discussed the chapter on the environment in the Commission's Green Paper on "Perspectives for the Common Agricultural Policy", giving a general welcome to the Commission's proposals; and held a preliminary exchange of views on the designation as European Year of the Environment the 12 months beginning on 21 March 1987.Other items discussed included draft directives on the discharge of dangerous substances to water; the sulphur content of gas oil; a Community information system for the control and reduction of pollution caused by hydrocarbons discharged at sea; the use of sewage sludge in agriculture; pollution by waste from the titanium dioxide industry; and a proposed regulation establishing a scheme to provide forests in the Community with increased protection against fire and atmospheric pollution.
Animals (Protected Species)
28.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to add further species of animal to the list of protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
I have no plans to do so at present.I am. however, awaiting advice from the Nature Conservancy Council, which is conducting a quinquennial review of the operation of schedule 5 to the Act. I expect to receive its advice next year.
Housing Associations
29.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what actions are being taken by his Department to improve the performances of housing associations.
Under section 1(2) of the Housing Act 1974 the Housing Corporation is responsible for exercising supervision and control over registered housing associations and for promoting and assisting their development. The corporation carries out a regular programme of monitoring visits to ensure that associations are conducting their affairs properly and that committees of management are exercising adequate control. To help housing associations to improve their performance, the corporation lays down guidelines and procedures and provides financial support for training and development.
Housebuilding
30.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the future increase in the housebuilding programme.
It is not the practice of my Department to make forecasts of future levels of housebuilding.
Local Authority Housing
31.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in the light of the recent report of the Institute of Environmental Health Officers on the effects of mould growing in damp housing, a copy of which has been sent to him, he has any proposals to assist local authorities to perform their statutory duties under the Public Health Act.
The Government's public expenditure plans allow for expenditure of £2,532 million by local authorities on housing in 1986–87, an increase of £200 million over the provision for 1985–86. The distribution of housing investment allocations to local authorities for 1986–87 is currently being considered in the light of consultations with the local authority associations.
39.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he proposes discussing with the local authority associations the report of his Department's "Inquiry into the Condition of the Local Authority Housing Stock in England 1985".
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Burnley (Mr. Pike) on 2 December 1985.
43.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received in response to his Department's "Inquiry into the Condition of the Local Authority Housing Stock in England 1985", published last month.
The report of the inquiry has been generally welcomed as an important contribution towards a better understanding of local authority housing renovation problems. Preliminary discussions have already been held with the local authority associations and more will follow.
51.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council houses were started and completed in Leicester in 1979 and 1984, respectively.
The numbers of housebuiling starts and completions reported by Leicester in 1979 and 1984 appear in issues 59 and 74 of "Local Housing Statistics"; copies are available in the Library.
Local Authorities (Secrecy)
32.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the level of secrecy in local government and in particular the practice of some councils of excluding opposition parties from council decision-making processes.
The Government believe it is important for local authorities to conduct their business as openly as possible. To this end the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985 was fully supported by the Government and will be effective from 1 April 1986. In addition, the Widdicombe committee of inquiry into the conduct of local authority business is considering the need to clarify the status and role of party groups in local authority decision-taking; and to ensure the proper participation and accountability of individual elected members in the decision-taking process. My right hon. Friend expects to receive the committee's main report in the early part of next year.
Urban Programme
34.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest estimated cost of the urban programme in England for the current financial year.
We estimate that the cost in public expenditure for the urban programme in 1985–86 will be £335 million. Local authorities receive from central Government 75 per cent. of the cost of financing their urban programme expenditure.
Land Disposal
35.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to accelerate the disposal of unused and underused land in the ownership of public bodies.
We are continuing to encourage public bodies to dispose of their surplus underused land. My Department has regular contacts with owning bodies to discuss land holdings.In addition, on 19 November my right hon. Friend directed the owners of 21 pieces of unused or underused land to dispose of their interest in the land within four months. The Government are determined to bring about more releases of land, by directing further disposals in future months.We also see an important role for the private sector in speeding up the release of underused publicly owned land. On 7 June this year my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State invited private sector bodies to draw to his attention sites that are possible candidates for directions to dispose of the land. He also made the computerised data base, containing records of sites on the register, available to the public in May 1985.
Disused Factories (Demolition)
36.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what future assistance is to be given to local authorities for the demolition of disused factories and restoration of these sites.
Aid is available in the form of derelict land, urban development and European regional development fund grants.
Sports Council
37.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met the Sports Council to discuss the implications of the abolition of the metropolitan counties and the Greater London council.
The implications for sport and recreation of the abolition of the metropolitan counties and the GLC have been taken into account in the 1986–87 grant-in-aid settlement for the Sports Council announced recently. I hold regular meetings with the chairman of the council to discuss important issues of this kind.
Derelict Land
38.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his latest estimate of the acreage of derelict land in the Greater London council area; and if he will make a statement.
The latest information available on the amount of derelict land in England is that contained in the 1982 survey of derelict land. This showed that at 1 April 1982 there were just over 3,900 acres of derelict land in Greater London.
47.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the progress of reclaiming derelict land in the inner cities.
Resources totalling £69·7 million were spent on derelict land reclamation in 1984–85. Nearly a quarter of this was spent in the inner cities. This year I expect nearly £82 million to be spent and the high priority given to the inner cities will be maintained. The importance that the Government attach to inner city reclamation will be emphasised in a circular to local authorities to be issued shortly.
South Africa (Rugby Tour)
40.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to meet officials of the Rugby Union to discuss the forthcoming British Lions tour of South Africa.
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. and learned Member for Montgomery (Mr. Carlisle) on 3 December 1985.
Berkshire Structure Plan
41.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has yet received from Berkshire county council submissions in respect of the new Berkshire structure plan.
No. I understand that Berkshire county council will be meeting on 17 December to reach decisions on its proposals and I hope that it will submit its replacement structure plan to me shortly after that.
Canary Wharf
42.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he has taken to evaluate the impact of the Canary wharf development in the London enterprise zone on the social and economic life of east London and its strategic significance for Greater London.
None, but the London Docklands Development Corporation is currently considering the economic and social implications of the scheme.
54.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the claims of the sponsors of the Canary wharf project in respect of the number of jobs which the project will create; and how many of these jobs are likely to go to local people.
My right hon. Friend has made no such assessment, but the London Docklands Development Corporation is currently examining the employment implications of the scheme with the prospective developers.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the costs and results of any feasibility studies by the London Docklands Development Corporation for the development of Canary wharf.
The London Docklands Development Corporation has allocated £300,000 for a range of feasibility studies into proposals for the development of Canary wharf. It is not yet possible, however, to estimate the total cost of this work because the contribution of the interested bodies with whom the corporation is having discussions may expand the scope of these studies.
Rent Arrears
44.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to differential levels of rent arrears in local authorities in Britain; and if he will make a statement.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Dorset, North (Mr. Baker) on Monday 2 December.The information on rent arrears in different local authorities will be placed in the Library when it is ready.
Water (Nitrate Pollution)
45.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many applications he has received from water authorities for exemptions from the maximum permissible levels of nitrate pollution; and how many of these applications he has approved.
Fifty six applications have been received from water authorities and water companies for derogation in respect of the nitrate parameter under the EC directive relating to the quality of water intended for human consumption (80/778/EEC). In accordance with the policy on drinking water quality set out by my hon. Friend the member for Eastbourne (Mr. Gow), on 23 July 1985, at columns 455–56, 54 of these have been approved, subject to a number of conditions.
Football Authorities
46.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what subjects he expects to discuss at his next meeting with representatives of the football authorities.
I shall be meeting representatives of the Football Association tomorrow to discuss preparations for the World Cup finals in Mexico next year and the implications of the recent UEFA decision to allow England's participation in the European Nations' Cup in 1988. Discussions on other football-related issues will continue as necessary in my working groups on measures to combat hooliganism and on the financing of safety improvement work. The next meetings of these groups will be early in the new year.
Construction Industry
48.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his latest estimate of the number of unemployed construction workers.
The collection of unemployment statistics classified by individual industries was discontinued in May 1982.
Liverpool City Council
49.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met councillors from Liverpool to discuss the city council's funding; and if he will make a statement.
My right hon. Friend has not met the council to discuss its funding.
Homes Insulation Scheme
50.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is satisfied with the existing criteria for eligibility for the homes insulation scheme; and if he will make a statement.
The criteria for eligibility for the homes insulation scheme are kept under review. My right hon. Friend has no plans for altering eligibility at present.
Inner Urban Areas
52.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the provision of resources to inner urban areas in the light of the report of the Archibishop of Canterbury's commission on urban priority areas, a copy of which has been sent to him.
The Government's policy is to continue to provide resources to secure lasting improvements in inner urban areas through a range of initiatives and programmes. These include the urban 1978–79; urban development grant, which is attracting more than £300 million in private investment to inner areas, while creating or safeguarding 17,000 jobs: derelict land grant, which has doubled in real terms since 1979–80; the urban development corporations, which are transforming disused land and buildings and bringing in substantial private investment—over £1,000 million in the case of the London Docklands Development Corporation alone; and the setting up of enterprise zones. Local authorities' need to spend is reflected in the distribution of rate support grant. Other Departments' programmes are also relevant to the needs of inner urban areas.
Rate Support Grant
53.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is satisfied with the efficiency of the current method of distributing rate support grant and controlling capital expenditure.
I am generally content that the block grant system meets its present objectives. However, there is room for improvement in the overall arrangements for financing local government, and I am now looking at all the aspects of this.I have repeatedly acknowledged that the present capital control system is not working as it should. The system is currently under review in consultation with the local authority associations.I hope to publish our preferred options for the future of the local government finance system, including capital controls, at the turn of the year.
Nature Conservancy Council And Countryside Commission
55.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to support the work of the Nature Conservancy Council and the Countryside Commission.
The Government will make further substantial increases in their grants-in-aid next year to further their work in safeguarding the natural heritage. The NCC will receive £32·1 million, an increase of £9·3 million and the Countryside Commission £17·7 million, an increase of £2·4 million, subject in each case to the approval of Parliament.
Rural Communities
56.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received about the problems facing rural communities; and what steps he is taking to alleviate them.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and my hon. Friend the Minister for Environment, Countryside and Local Government receive numerous representations from individuals and interested organisations about the problems facing rural communities. They also meet regularly the chairman of the Development Commission, Lord Vinson. The commission has a statutory duty to advise Ministers on all matters relating to the social and economic development of rural England and to carry out measures likely to further such development.To this effect the commission concentrates its efforts in designated "Rural Development Areas" where need is greatest. In each of these areas rural development programmes have been drawn up at the request of the commission and form a co-ordinated plan of action for all the local agencies involved as well as providing the basis for the commission's own spending programmes. These include a major advance factory building programme, grants to convert redundant buildings to workshop or craft use and through its agency COSIRA a full range of advice and assistance to small firms. The main thrust of the commission's social policies is to guide and support voluntary activity in the countryside which will contribute to community development and self-help. It also operates schemes to facilitate the provision of low-cost housing, to improve village halls, and to support village shops and rural transport services.In recognition of the value of the commission's work the Government have increased their grant-in-aid for this year by £4 million to £28 million and similar additional resources have been announced for next year.
Planning Regulations
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will amend planning regulations so that change of use applications are not needed for the conversion of retail shops into restaurants or fast food outlets.
In reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Salisbury (Mr. Key), my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 2 December at columns 55–56, that he was publishing for consultation a report by a sub-group of the Department's property advisory group on the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1972. We shall need to consider the comments of interested persons and bodies before reaching conclusions on the sub-group's detailed proposals for amending the order.
Development Applications (Consultation)
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is satisfied with the level of public consultation on matters of permitted development.
Yes. The Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1977 grants permission for various forms of mostly minor development which are of such a character that they can be carried out without the need for specific planning permission or public consultation.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will review the general development order to include greater public consultation for local authority applications.
Article 3 and class XIII of the first schedule to the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1977 grant planning permission to local authorities to carry out various, mostly minor forms of development, including works on land belonging to or maintained by them, for the purposes of any of the functions exercised by them on that land. It is open to the local authority to decide that in a particular case public consultation would be desirable because of the nature of the development proposed.
Sheltered Accommodation (Portsmouth)
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the ratio of places available in sheltered accommodation in Portsmouth per 1,000 people aged 65 years and over in each year since 1979.
The available data on sheltered accommodation are the numbers of dwellings within each authority's area in April, reported in the annual housing investment programme returns. The numbers of these dwellings, including housing associations' and privately owned dwellings, per 1,000 people aged 65 or more in Portsmouth are as follows:
| April | Number |
| 1979 | 25 |
| 1980 | 39 |
| 1981 | 40 |
| 1982 | 40 |
| 1983 | 56 |
| 1984 | 60 |
| 1985 | 70 |
Sites Of Special Scientific Interest
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many designations have been made by the Nature Conservancy Council since 1973 to establish or extend sites of special scientific interest; whether any requests for designation have been declined or modified and in which areas these were located; and what percentage of the total present site of special scientific interest acreage such refusals and modifications constitute.
I am advised by the Nature Conservancy Council that the information is not readily available in this form and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.To date the NCC has notified 2,356 sites in Great Britain under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; of these, 1,691 were previously notified under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949.A further 2,445 were notified under the 1949 Act; of these, 53 have been denotified and the remainder await re-notification under the 1981 Act.The 1981 Act requires the NCC to consider representations or objections from owners and occupiers of sites not previously notified under the 1949 Act. In a few cases, the boundaries of proposed sites have been modified as a result. Details of such cases are not available, but the NCC considers that the percentage of land so affected is very small.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of total hill and upland acreages in Scotland are currently designated as sites of special scientific interest; and on what proportion of this acreage the owner or occupier may not undertake schemes of drainage, re-seeding or the planting of trees.
This information is not available. Notification of a site of special scientific interest does not itself prevent an owner or occupier from undertaking activities of the kind described. However, if the activities are specified as potentially damaging operations in the notification, they may not be carried out unless the Nature Conservancy Council has been notified in writing and one of the conditions in section 28(6) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 has been fulfilled.
Local Authority Finance
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total borrowing outstanding in respect of each local authority as at 1 April 1985.
I have today placed in the Library a table showing the total borrowing outstanding at 31 March 1985 in respect of each local authority in England for which the information is available. The borrowing is defined as external debt administered by the authority, including debt administered on behalf of other local authorities and public bodies. The sources of the figures are in most cases the CIPFA questionnaire on capital expenditure and debt financing statistics for 1984–85 (for long-term borrowing) and the DOE borrowing and lending inquiry for March 1985 (for short-term borrowing). In cases where authorities have not returned the CIPFA questionnaire for 1984–85 figures have where possible been updated from the 1983–84 questionnaire using the DOE borrowing and lending inquiries for the intervening period.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to which local authorities have borrowings outstanding to foreign banks and as to the value in each case.
Local authorities provide information in aggregate form on the extent of their borrowing from and repayments to overseas lenders. This information does not distinguish banks from other overseas bodies. Details of individual authorities' transactions of the sort are subject to commercial confidentiality.
Rural Development Areas
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the approximate total population of those parts of the rural development areas designated by the Development Commission which do not fall within assisted areas.
Approximately 1·8 million, representing about 75 per cent. of the total population living in rural development areas.
New Town Corporations
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will take steps to permit the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration to investigate complaints against new town corporations.
As stated in the Government's White Paper, Cmnd. 9563, published in July of this year, legislation to amend the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 will be introduced, in due course, to extend the jurisdiction of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration to about 50 non-departmental public bodies—including new town corporations.
Agriculture, Fisheries And Food
Straw And Stubble Burning
57.
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of the model byelaws on combating the ill-effects of straw and stubble burning.
There has been a further encouraging fall in the number of complaints received by and incidents reported to my Department on straw and stubble burning associated with the 1985 harvest.
Austrian Wine (Adulteration)
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will explain why district councils were not kept fully informed by his Department on the adulteration of Austrian wine, when county councils were so informed.
Diethylene glycol is not a permitted additive to wine and its presence is therefore illegal. Trading standards officers of county councils thus had a responsibility to discharge and it was necessary to provide them with appropriate information. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services was advised that no acute health risk existed. No action by environmental health officers of district councils was necessary and they were so advised by telephone on 12 July 1985.
Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if applicants for hill livestock compensatory allowance will be entitled to receive both hill livestock compensatory allowance and Forestry Commission subsidy in respect of the same acreage under changes announced in his statement of 28 November; and if hill livestock compensatory allowance paid under this new provision will differ from payments made in respect of non-afforested land;(2) if the fact that an applicant for hill livestock compensatory allowance has already received Forestry Commission subsidy will in any way be prejudicial to his application for hill livestock compensatory allowance made in respect of afforested land under the changes announced in his statement to the House of 28 November; and if he will make a statement;(3) if he will give details of the rule changes to allow afforested land to be taken into account in hill livestock compensatory allowance applications referred to in his statement of 28 November; and if he will make a statement.
Amending regulations have been laid before Parliament in draft, which, if approved, will give effect to the changes in the hill livestock compensatory allowance scheme that I announced on 28 November. In relation to afforestation, we propose that where a recipient of HLCAs converts part of his eligible land to forest on or after 1 January 1986, the afforested area shall be treated as if it were eligible land, for a maximum of 15 years, in calculating the total allowances payable within the financial ceilings laid down in the HLCA regulations. This will not affect the rates of allowance for eligible animals. However, as I said on 28 November, we will be introducing special checks to prevent over-grazing in the areas concerned.The fact that a person has previously received Forestry Commission grants will not of itself prejudice an application for HLCAs, although land afforested prior to 1 January 1986 will not be taken into account in HCLA calculations. Furthermore, the fact that an area of land is taken into account for HCLA calculations will not affect eligibility for Forestry Commission grants in respect of this land.
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the increase in real and cash terms, in hill livestock compensatory allowances payable in each year from 1980 to date in the original less-favoured areas and from their inception to date in the new less-favoured areas.
I shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
Research And Development
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he proposes to announce the savings in programmes within his responsibility referred to in his statement of 28 November.
I and my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be making appropriate statements shortly.
Agricultural Development And Advisory Service
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food by what amount he expects the Agricultural development and Advisory Service income for the year 1985–86 to be reduced as a result of the exemptions announced in his statement of 28 November.
On the basis of throughput in 1984–85, it is expected that revenue from charges for hay and silage analysis would fall by some £6,000 as a result of the suspension of these charges announced on 28 November.
Social Services
No Smoking Campaign
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what discussions he has had with the chairman of the Health Education council on the National Opinion Poll survey on the effectiveness of national no smoking day 1985.
Discussions have taken place at official level.
Housing Benefit
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total number of recipients of housing benefit in each year since 1979 and at the latest date for which this information is available.
The information requested is in the table, which is broken down into rent rebates, rent allowances and rate rebates since information is not readily available on the numbers receiving help with both rent and rates.Housing benefit was not fully introduced until 1983–84. For each year from 1979–80 and 1982–83 inclusive, therefore, the number of local authority tenants, private tenants and all householders in receipt of supplementary benefit has been included in the figures for rent rebates, rent allowances and rate rebates respectively.
| Housing benefit (and supplementary benefit equivalent) caseloads 1979–80 to 1984–85 | |||
| Great Britain: Thousands | |||
| Year | Rent rebate | Rent allowance | Rate rebate |
| 1979–80 | 2,630 | 690 | 5,400 |
| 1980–81 | 2,840 | 710 | 5,800 |
| 1981–82 | 3,350 | 800 | 6,560 |
| 1982–83 | 3,540 | 860 | 6,590 |
| 1983–84 | 3,900 | 1,080 | 7,520 |
| 1984–85 | 3,810 | 1,060 | 7,290 |
Nhs (Racial Discrimination)
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what evidence he has received as to racial discrimination in the provision of National Health Service facilities since 1981.
Officials of my Department are currently making a short series of visits to discuss with health authorities, community health councils and community relations councils the provision of health services for ethnic minorities, and if there is any evidence of conscious or unconscious racial discrimination appropriate remedial action will then be considered.
Nursing Manpower
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has now finished his consideration of the report of the National Audit Office on nursing manpower which was published on 24 August; and if he will make a statement.
I welcome the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on the control of nursing manpower in the National Health Service, but, as the Accounting Officer was examined by the Public Accounts Committee on 2 December, it would be inappropriate for me to make a statement at present.
Benefit Payments (Staff Levels)
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he plans to increase the level of staff, facilities and space at Department of Health and Social Security offices to enable benefits of increasing numbers of claimants to be dealt with more swiftly.
A comprehensive review of the staffing requirement for DHSS local offices was started in October 1985 and results are expected to be available in the second half of 1986. Meantime, work loads and staffing levels will continue to be monitored quarterly in accordance with the established complementing system, a process which recently resulted in the addition of 733 posts. The provision of office facilities sufficient for the effective transaction of business remains an important objective within the limits of the funds available.
| Grade | 1 April 1979 | 1 November 1985 | Difference | Percentage difference |
| Principal | 252·0 | 239·0 | -13·0 | -5·2 |
| Senior Executive Officer | 555·0 | 369·0 | -186·0 | -33·5 |
| Higher Executive Officer | 2,607·0 | 2,710·0 | +103·0 | +4·0 |
| Local Officer I | 15,222·0 | 16,243·5 | +1,021·5 | +6·7 |
| Executive Officer | 8·0 | 14·0 | +6·0 | +75·0 |
| Local Officer II | 34,716·0 | 31,423·5 | -3,292·5 | -9·5 |
| Clerical Officer | 10·0 | 7·0 | -3·0 | -30·0 |
| Clerical Assistant | 9,080·5 | 8,9070·0 | -173·5 | -1·9 |
| Superintendent/Senior/Chief Typists | 73·0 | 76·0 | +3·0 | +4·1 |
| Typist | 1,313·5 | 1,233·0 | -80·5 | -6·0 |
| Security Officer | 230·0 | 330·5 | +100·5 | +43·7 |
| Messenger | 567·5 | 526·0 | -41·5 | -7·3 |
| Medical Board Assistant | 13·0 | 20·0 | +7·0 | +53·8 |
| Radiographer | 0·5 | 0·0 | -0·5 | -100·0 |
| Cleaners | 475·0 | 432·0 | -43·0 | -9·0 |
| Total | 65,207·0 | 62,687·5 | -2,519·5 | -3·9 |
Benefits (Overpayments)
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the number of unemployment, supplementary or other social benefits that have been wrongly calculated by Department of Health and Social Security offices during the past five years and the number of cases in which claimants have been required to pay back excess monies which have been paid out to them by mistake.
The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Staff
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why there has been a reduction of some 10,000 in the number of posts in offices of the Department of Health and Social Security since 1979; what particular grades of the Department of Health and Social Security staffing have been most affected by this reduction; and if he will list the numbers of officers who have been employed at the social security offices at Molineux house, Temple street, Wolverhampton, in each single year since 1979.
Staff employed in local offices of the Department numbered 65,027 in April 1979 and 62,687·5 in November 1985. Total departmental figures were 98,369 and 92,849. The Government's policy regarding Civil Service manpower is to maintain a staffing level commensurate with work requirements. The reduction in DHSS local office numbers reflects reduced work loads resulting from, among other items, the introduction of housing benefit and statutory sick pay and the introduction of postal claims forms for certain groups of supplementary benefit claimants. The effect of this reduction on particular grades in local offices is shown in the table:
| Grade | January 1981 | November 1981 | November 1982 | November 1983 | November 1984 | November 1985 |
| Principal | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1·0 |
| Senior Executive Officer | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1·0 |
| Higher Executive Officer | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 9·0 |
| Local Officer I | 41 | 41 | 43 | 47 | 49 | 50·0 |
| Local Officer II | 82 | 82 | 92 | 87 | 84 | 93·0 |
| Clerical Assistant (including telephonist | 28 | 33 | 27 | 24 | 27 | 26·5 |
| Typist | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4·0 |
| Security Officer | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2·0 |
| Messenger | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1·0 |
| Total | 167 | 171 | 178 | 173 | 177 | 187·5 |
| Casually employed Clerical Assistant | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2·0 |
Child Benefit
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the levels of child benefit which have been paid out to claimants in each year since 1979 and the average number of people who have claimed them in each year during the same period from the offices of the Department of Health and Social Security in Wolverhampton.
Child benefit is administered centrally, and there is no information specific to Wolverhampton.
Supplementary Benefit
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement outlining the conditions of entitlement for supplementary benefit as they apply to persons in further education and especially advanced education.
There are a number of conditions of entitlement for supplementary benefit which apply to all claimants. Where a student is excluded from benefit, it is likely to be because of the condition which requires able-bodied people under retirement age to be available for work. A student on a full-time course of further education, whether advanced or not, is unlikely to fulfil this condition in term times, though he may fulfil it and qualify for benefit in vacations. A student who is in a group not required to be available for work (for instance, single parents and some disabled people) is eligible for supplementary benefit throughout the year including term-times. A person who is studying part-time may qualify for supplementary benefit if he is available for work and is prepared to leave his studies should an opportunity for employment arise.
Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has any plans to change the arm's length principle for transfer pricing in the new pharmaceutical price regulation scheme.
This is one of the detailed matters which is currently being discussed with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry as part of the negotiations on the renewal of the pharmaceutical price regulation scheme.
Surgeons
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to seek to increase the ratio of general surgeons per 100,000 population in the United Kingdom.
Draft regional strategic plans provide for increases in consultants in general surgery.
Family Practitioners
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to publish the Green Paper on the family doctor service.
The Green Paper on primary health care is now expected to be published in the new year.
Supplementary Benefit (Religious Closed Orders)
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if religious persons in closed orders are entitled to supplementary benefit; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will make a statement on the eligibility for supplementary benefit of nuns and monks following the change of rules in 1984; and if he will make a statement.
Members of religous orders who are not being fully maintained by their order are entitled to claim supplementary benefit in the normal way. There was no change in the law in 1984, but fresh guidance was issued to local offices. This reminded them of the possible eligibility for supplementary benefit of infirm monks or nuns who had been placed in nursing homes where the order lacked adequate facilities to care for them and provide the necessary financial support.
Pharmaceutical Investment
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what measures he has taken to seek to encourage United States pharmaceutical investment in the United Kingdom.
The promotion of inward investment is primarily the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. So far as my Department is concerned, the pharmaceutical price regulation scheme is intended not only to provide that medicines are available to the National Health Service at reasonable prices but also to encourage the growth of a successful, research-based pharmaceutical industry in the United Kingdom. In negotiating the renewal of the scheme with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, we shall seek to maintain the attractiveness of this country for pharmaceutical investment by British, American and other companies.
Mid-Downs Health Authority
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the percentage increase in funding for the Mid-Downs health authority, by year, for each of the last five years.
For the five years since the establishment of Mid-Downs as a health authority in 1982, the information is as follows:
- 1982–83 1·5 per cent. Increase
- 1983–84 no increase
- 1984–85 no increase
- 1985–86 0· per cent. Increase
- 1986–87 projected 0·9 per cent. Increase
Child Abuse
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the present incidence of child abuse; and what steps are being taken to make estimates of the incidence of child abuse more widely available.
Local authorities which have the responsibility for protecting children from abuse keep records of the number of child victims in their area, but these are not collected centrally. The Department has issued guidance on the records that local authorities should keep, and will be reviewing that guidance through a consultative paper, on the procedures used to handle such cases, which should be issued early in the new year.
Child Care Law
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what representations he has received in response to his consultative paper on child care law; and when he intends to introduce legislation based on the proposals contained therein;(2) whether he intends to introduce legislation based on the proposals contained in his recent consultative paper on child care law before a decision is taken on the introduction of a system of family courts.
The report of the interdepartmental working party reviewing child care law was published in October as a consultative document on which comments were sought by 15 January. A decision on the next steps will be taken in the light of responses to the consultative document. The establishment of family courts is a separate issue and is for my noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor and my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his policy on the prevention of child abuse; what funds are devoted to it; and if he will make a statement.
Our policy on the prevention of child abuse is that the interests of the child must come first and that the agencies, and their staff, concerned with child abuse must keep that as their main objective in working with children who have been abused or who are at risk. Successful prevention must depend largely on the knowledge and skill of professional staff, and their adherence to thorough and agreed local procedures for co-ordination and action. The Government already have in hand a programme of work to help prevent child abuse cases and improve their handling. This includes a review of child care law, of the procedures for handling abuse cases, and of inquiries that follow serious abuse cases; the development of better methods to review the situation of all children in care; and the use of the Department's social services inspectorate to improve the supervision and management of social workers involved in child abuse cases. It is, however, not practicable to identify and total the overall expenditure on activities that involve staff in the range of agencies involved in child abuse work.
Repatriation Assistance
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his policy with regard to the granting of assistance for the repatriation hack to their country of origin of applicants who have had their supplementary benefit converted to special hardship allowance.
I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.
Nhs (Annual Report)
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why he disclosed the contents of "The Health Service in England—Annual Report 1985", at a meeting of the Conservative Medical Society prior to its official publication; and if he will make a statement.
My right hon. Friend spoke to a meeting of the Conservative Medical Society about the developments in the Health Service, on the basis of figures first published in an NHS statistical bulletin and subsequently in the NHS annual report. The purpose was to set out the improved performance of the Health Service in a number of important areas. For example, in 1984 the NHS treated more patients than ever before. Over 1983, in-patient cases were up 159,000 to 6·2 million; day cases were up 90,000 to 903,000; new outpatient attendances were up 197,000 to 8·5 million; total outpatient attendances were up 523,000 to 37–0 million; total accident and emergency attendances were up 166,000 to 13· million.
Married Women's Pensions
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what progress has been made in ensuring payment of pensions to married women qualifying by the abolition of the half-test; what further steps he is taking to bring their entitlement to the attention of possible beneficiaries; and whether he will take action to overcome any possible unfairness arising from the way in which contributors were credited into the national insurance scheme in 1948.
I am glad to say that we have now identified, and awarded pensions to, some 20,000 of the 25,000 married women we estimate will benefit from the abolition of the half-test, including some 600 who are living overseas. I am grateful to the Department's staff who have achieved this.We remain anxious to hear from those we have not been able to identify from our records. To this end, we have arranged for advertisements in the national press, women's magazines and publications for retired people; for posters in DHSS local offices, post offices, citizens advice bureaux and doctors' surgeries; and for a special leaflet to be available to those who inquire. We have also written to all British embassies and high commissions, asking them to take appropriate steps to seek to inform women living abroad who may have an entitlement. It is important that anyone who thinks she may be entitled to a pension as a result of this change should contact us before 22 December 1985, since benefits cannot normally be backdated more than a year.No one who actually paid contributions can be disadvantaged by the transitional arrangements made in 1948, when existing contributors were credited into the new scheme by a system of credits whose number depended on a randomly allocated suffix to their national insurance number. There may, however, be a very small number of cases in which the marginal effects of these arrangements operate to prevent the award of a pension for which the number of credits, as distinct from actual contributions, is a crucial factor. I regret that there is no practicable way of identifying these cases, but we will consider sympathetically any which are brought to our attention.
Defence
Footpath 43, Menwith With Darley
asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he closed footpath 43 in the parish of Menwith with Darley; under what powers he acted; with which local authorities and bodies representing users of the footpath he consulted prior to acting; and what opportunity members of the public had to object to his action.
Footpath 43 in the parish of Menwith with Darley was stopped up and reprovided in accordance with sections 16 and 17 of the Defence Act 1842 on 1 October 1985, after consultation with North Yorkshire county council. The Act makes no provision for representations from members of the public.
9 And 14 Signals Regiments
asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many service men of 9 Signals Regiment have been posted to other units since 3 February 1984.
According to our records of those serving in 9 Signals Regiment on 3 February 1984, 338.
asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many former members of 9 Signals Regiment have been discharged before completion of their engagement since 3 February 1984.
According to our records, of those serving in 9 Signals Regiment on or after 3 February 1984, 83 have been discharged from that regiment before completion of their engagements.
asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many former members of 14 Signals Regiment have been discharged since 3 February 1984.
According to our records, of those serving in 14 Signals Regiment on or after 3 February 1984, 81 have subsequently been discharged from that regiment.
asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many former members of 14 Signals Regiment have been discharged before completion of their engagement since 3 February 1984.
According to our records, of those serving in 14 Signals Regiment on or after 3 February 1984, 50 have subsequently been discharged from that regiment before completing their engagements.
asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many former members of the 9 Signals Regiment have been discharged since 3 February 1984.
According to our records, of those serving in 9 Signals Regiment on or after 3 February 1984, 121 have subsequently been discharged from that regiment.
asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many members or former members of 9 Signals Regiment are yet to be discharged before completion of their engagement.
This information could not be provided in respect of all former members of 9 Signals Regiment, except at disproportionate cost. Of the current members of the regiment, two are in the process of being discharged from that regiment before completing their engagements, and applications for discharge from a further five are currently being considered.
asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many members or former members of 14 Signals Regiment are yet to be discharged before completion of their engagement.
This information could not be provided in respect of all former members of 14 Signals Regiment except at disproportionate cost. Of the current members of the regiment, discharge before completing their engagements is currently being considered in two cases.
asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many former members of 9 Signals Regiment have been subjected to interrogation since 3 February 1984;(2) how many service men currently serving with 9 Signals Regiment have been subjected to interrogation since 3 February 1984;(3) how many service men currently serving with 14 Signals Regiment have been subjected to interrogation since 3 February 1984.
I shall answer shortly.
asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether (a) men of 9 Signals Regiment charged with destroying classified material, or (b) any other members of that regiment were searched upon leaving their place of work prior to 3 February 1984.
It is not our practice to give details of our security precautions at defence establishments.
Barplan
asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will list those groups of ports in the United Kingdom for which there exist contingency plans analogous to the one contained in BARPLAN for Barry, Cardiff and Newport;(2) whether the BARPLAN document takes into account the transition-to-war measures contained in the 1983 United States-United Kingdom lines of communication agreement;(3) if he will describe the status of the BARPLAN document sent to certain officers working for South Glamorgan and Gwent county councils by the Royal Navy Flag Officer, Plymouth.
I shall answer shortly.
Raf Houses (Maidenhead)
asked the Secretary of State for Defence for how long the 38 Royal Air Force-owned properties off Heywood Avenue, Woodlands Park, Maidenhead, have been unoccupied; why they have not been used since their last occupation by Royal Air Force personnel; what is the loss in revenue so far caused by the non-occupation of these properties; what are the present plans for the future use or disposal of all of these properties or any of them; and if he will make it his policy to use these properties to house, with or without security of tenure, families in need of accommodation.
After the last property was vacated in April this year, these houses were passed to the Property Services Agency for disposal; for this reason occupancy in the interim period has been impracticable, so that there has been no loss of revenue. Their design precludes individual sale and the estate will be put on the market as a single lot in the very near future. It is Ministry of Defence policy to allow local authorities to lease temporarily vacant property, subject to guarantees about maintenance and repossession: where property is substandard and surplus to requirements, however, such occupation would only impede disposal and would not be in the interests of homeless people.
Meteorological Office
asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the net cost of the Meteorological Office during the financial year ended April 1985.
The net cost of the Meteorological Office in the financial year 1984–85 on a fully cost-accounted basis was £47·5 million, after taking into account receipts from repayment services amounting to £20·9 million.
asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the Sharp-Hansford report on the Meteorological Office.
No, but I shall consider doing so as soon as decisions have been taken on the recommendations in the report.
Enriched Uranium (Capenhurst)
asked the Secretary of State for Defence for what market highly enriched uranium from the Capenhurst plant is being produced.
[pursuant to his reply, 29 November 1985, c. 705: I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the enrichment plant mentioned in the then Secretary of State for Defence's statement in June 1982, at columns 128–29. This plant is entirely separate from the facilities used for the production of enriched uranium for civil purposes. It produces uranium enriched to an intermediate level, which, after further enrichment in the United States of America, will satisfy all the foreseeable United Kingdom defence requirements for highly enriched uranium.
Defence Contracts
asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many employees at British Aerospace plc, Hatfield-Lostock division, at (i) Hatfield, and (ii) Lostock were employed on Ministry of Defence contracts at the latest available date;
[pursuant to his reply, 2 December 1985, c. 92: The Ministry of Defence does not hold information on the number of persons employed on its contracts by individual companies at separate locations.