Written Answers To Questions
Wednesday 29 October 1986
Attorney-General
County Courts (Hearings)
asked the Attorney-General what is the average time for appointments before the registrar in the county courts of England and Wales for (a) maintenance hearings and (b) access hearings.
The average waiting time for an appointment before a registrar in county courts in England and Wales is six to eight weeks for both maintenance and access hearings.
Bbc (Libel Action)
asked the Attorney-General what action the Director of Public Prosecutions has taken in the light of the evidence of alleged interference with witnesses to the Hamilton-Howarth BBC trial submitted to the police by the hon. Member for Workington.
I understand that the only document provided by the hon. Member to the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police is a letter dated 24 November 1984 from Mr. Philip Pedley to Mr. J. S. Gummer, then chairman of the Conservative party. This letter does not justify any police inquiry. No evidence of the nature suggested in the question has been made available to the Director.
Energy
North Sea Oil
asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many barrels of crude oil and liquids have been produced in the United Kingdom sector of the North sea in 1986 to date; at what average daily rate; and what his forecast is for production for the whole of 1986.
United Kingdom North sea production of crude oil and liquids up to the end of August 1986 was 656 million barrels; giving an average daily rate of 2·70 million barrels per day.Our current expectation for the whole of 1986 is the mid-point of the Brown Book range of 920 to 1,035 million barrels.
Overseas Development
South Africa
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will list all aid and the geographical location of the recipients which his Department has given to black people in South Africa;(2) what funding from the Overseas Development Agency budget, and for what projects, has been given to assist black people in South Africa.
In 1985 Her Majesty's Government made available almost £1 million, mainly in the fields of education and training, for non-white South Africans. Nearly £700,000 of this was provided direct from aid programme funds; a further £227,000 was spent by the British Council, of which £90,000 was financed by the aid programme. The greater part of the total spending is used to provide training places in Britain. We also support with advice, books and equipment a number of educational and community projects in the Republic of South Africa. The projects are located in different parts of the republic in both rural and urban areas.
Wales
Regional Aid
asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list, for the last year for which figures are available, the total amounts of financial assistance made available for the Welsh Development Agency and the Development Board for Rural Wales, respectively, both in total and per head of the insured population for the areas covered.
The information requested is as follows:
| Total resources 1985–86 | Resources per member of the economically active population of the area served by each body2 | |
| £ million1 | £ | |
| Welsh Development Agency | 67·2 | 57 |
| Development Board for Rural Wales | 15·1 | 197 |
| 1 These figures include Government grants and income generated by the bodies themselves, including proceeds from the sale of land and buildings and rents. | ||
| 2 The term "economically active" population corresponds broadly with the insured population. The figures quoted are derived from the economically active population in Wales in 1981—the last date on which figures are readily available. | ||
Highways Act 1980
asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list, for the years 1983, 1984 and 1985, the applications received for the making by him of public path creation, diversion and extinguishment orders under the powers in sections 26(2) and 120(3) of the Highways Act 1980 stating in each case (a) the community concerned and the number of the footpath or bridleway, (b) whether the application was for a creation, diversion or extinguishment order, (c) whether he agreed to prepare a draft order and (d) where a draft order was prepared, whether or not it subsequently was made.
There have been no applications.
Prime Minister
Service Communications (Report)
asked the Prime Minister whether she has yet received the report of the Security Commission on the security arrangements at 9 Signal Regiment and the other static communications units of all three services; and if she will make a statement.
Though the members of 9 Signal Regiment who had been charged with offences under the Official Secrets Acts were acquitted, it was clear that some questions remained to be answered about the security arrangements at this and other static communications units of the armed services. As I announced to the House on 12 November 1985, I therefore invited the Security Commission:
The commission has now completed its task and has submitted its report. I am most grateful to the chairman, Lord Griffiths, and to Lord Justice Lloyd, Lord Allen of Abbeydale and General Sir Hugh Beach for their work. A Command Paper is being published this afternoon giving the full text of the commission's report, save for five appendices which contain highly classified information which it would not be in the public interest to disclose.The commission has had access to detailed information about the reviews of security procedures at 9 Signal Regiment and other units which have been carried out by the Ministry of Defence, and I understand that it has taken oral evidence from those who conducted the reviews. In its report the commission commends the urgency and thoroughness of the work which the Ministry of Defence has undertaken, and the speed and readiness with which the recommendations emanating from those reviews were accepted. The commission has endorsed those recommendations and has made three additional ones:"To consider the measures already in hand for improving security arrangements at 9 Signal Regiment and the other static communications units of all three Services, and to advise whether these are adequate or whether any further changes are necessary or desirable."
The security objectives set by the commission in these recommendations are fully accepted, and the Ministry of Defence is now urgently considering how to implement them most effectively. The commission believes that when these and the earlier recommendations are fully
Standard/Basic Rate of Income Tax
| |||||
1956–57 to 1986–87
| |||||
Year
| Standard Rate
| Year
| Standard Rate/Basic Rate
| Year
| Basic-Rate
|
Per cent.
| Per cent.
| Per cent.
| |||
| 1956–57 | 42·50 (33·06) | 1966–67 | 41·25 (32·08) | 1976–77 | 35·00 |
| 1957–58 | 42·50 (33·06) | 1967–68 | 41·25 (32·08) | 1977–78 | 34·00 |
| 1958–59 | 42·50 (33·06) | 1968–69 | 41·25 (32·08) | 1978–79 | 33·00 |
| 1959–60 | 38·75 (30·14) | 1969–70 | 41·25 (32·08) | 1979–80 | 30·00 |
| 1960–61 | 38·75 (30·14) | 1970–71 | 41·25 (32·08) | 1980–81 | 30·00 |
| 1961–62 | 38·75 (30·14) | 1971–72 | 38·75 (30·14) | 1981–82 | 30·00 |
| 1962–63 | 38·75 (30·14) | 1972–73 | 38·75 (30·14) | 1982–83 | 30·00 |
| 1963–64 | 38·75 (30·14) | 1973–74 | 30·00 | 1983–84 | 30·00 |
| 1964–65 | 38·75 (30·14) | 1974–75 | 33·00 | 1984–85 | 30·00 |
| 1965–66 | 41·25 (32·08) | 1975–76 | 35·00 | 1985–86 | 30·00 |
| 1986–87 | 29·00 | ||||
implemented, everything that can be done will be being done to ensure that, so far as it is humanly possible to do so, the danger of further breaches of security at these highly sensitive units is minimised.
National Finance
Eec (Interest On Payments)
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the total cost of lost interest in United Kingdom payments to the EEC paid in advance of the due date.
There is in effect no interest cost: wherever an advance payment is requested, the Government always take care to ensure that, without it, the Commission would have to draw down and overdraw its non-interest-bearing accounts with member states and/or delay payments to member states.
Northern Ireland (Territorial Block Formula)
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the working of the public expenditure territorial block formula for Northern Ireland will be revised to take account of moneys pledged by the United States Government for future financial years; and if he will make a statement.
No. The United States authorities have announced contributions to the international fund for Ireland which the United Kingdom and Irish Governments have agreed to establish. The fund will be used to stimulate private investment and enterprise, to supplement public programmes and to encourage voluntary efforts. These contributions will not affect the working of the formula used in the public expenditure survey to calculate changes to the Northern Ireland public expenditure block budget.
Income Tax
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the standard rate of income tax in each year since 1956.
The information is in the table:
Note: Under unification, the standard rate of income tax was replaced in 1973–74 by the basic rate. For years before 1973–74, the figures in brackets show the effect of the standard rate after allowing for earned income relief of 2/9 on the first £4,005 of earned income.
Debt (Householders)
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the increase in the ratio of debt to householders' income since 1979.
Personal sector liabilities have risen from 57 per cent. of personal disposable income in 1979 to 85 per cent. in 1985. Personal sector liquid assets, excluding notes and coin, have risen from 65 per cent. of personal disposable income to 82 per cent. over the same period. Figures for the household sector are not available.
Interest And Exchange Rates
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the current level of exchange and interest rates.
The sterling index closed at 67·8 on 28 October. Base rates are 11 per cent.
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether he will make a statement about the current level of interest rates;(2) if he will make a statement on the current level of interest rates.
Base rates are 11 per cent.
Infrastructure (Expenditure)
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received about current levels of Government expenditure on the infrastructure.
A number of representations have been received.
National Health Service
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the cost to public expenditure of each 1 per cent. increase in the proportion of gross domestic product devoted to the National Health Service.
In 1985–86 it would have cost £3·6 billion to increase public expnditure on the health services of the United Kingdom by one percentage point of GDP.
Public Services (Funding)
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what criteria he employs in determining which public services should receive funding from the taxpayer.
Decisions on the funding of public services are taken in the annual public expenditure survey. This takes account not only of the Government's priorities for public expenditure, but also such factors as value for money. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will be publishing expenditure plans for the next three years in his forthcoming autumn statement.
North Sea (Oil And Gas Revenues)
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much Her Majesty's Government have so far collected in oil and gas revenue from the North sea in the current financial year; and what his estimate is for the whole of 1986–87.
Government revenues from United Kingdom oil and gas production amounted to £1·3 billion in the first half of the 1986–87 financial year. The "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1986–87" included a forecast of £6·1 billion for the whole year. A revised forecast will be included in the 1986 autumn statement.
Trade And Industry
British Overseas Trade Board
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the number of British Overseas Trade Board staff serving in the United Kingdom and abroad for each year since 1979.
Export promotion services, under the guidance of the BOTB, are provided by the Department of Trade and Industry in England, by the Scottish Office in Scotland, by the Welsh Office in Wales and by the Industrial Development Board in Northern Ireland. In carrying out its work overseas the BOTB calls on the resources of the FCO.The numbers of DTI staff providing export promotion services under the guidance of the BOTB are as follows:
| Number | |
| 1979 | 1,217 |
| 1980 | 1,123 |
| 1981 | 995 |
| 1982 | 933 |
| 1983 | 913 |
| 1984 | 818 |
| 1985 | 748 |
| 1986 | 728 |
Note: The figures are based on an estimate of the time spent by some staff on other work such as trade policy and trade relations. They include DTI regional office staff. Because of organisation changes in the period there are variations which mean that the figures are not completely comparable.
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will state the reductions that have been made in British Overseas Trade Board export services for each year since 1979 in terms of reductions in, or the elimination of specific services.
Numerous changes in, and adjustments to, BOTB services have been made, including many designed to improve value for money. Some services have been expanded. The main services withdrawn have been:
Overseas Traders List (1980). A computerised version of this service is expected to be introduced in 1987.
Institute of Directors' scheme for bringing overseas students to the UK for very short visits (1985).
The main reductions in services have been:The market entry guarantee scheme was suspended early this year, because it overran its budget. This is pending the outcome of a review of its effectiveness.
Export marketing research scheme — limit placed on number of times single company could use service 81986).
Overseas projects fund—firms now eligible only where help is likely to increase chances of significant orders for UK (1981).
Overseas trade fairs — number of events supported annually reduced from about 350 to about 300 between 1979 and 1986. South Africa now excluded.
Outward missions — number of events supported annually reduced from about 220 to about 145 between 1979 and 1986. North America and South Africa now excluded as destinations.
Inward missions and VIP visits — number of events supported annually reduced from about 100 to about 65 between 1979 and 1986.
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list (a) those export services available to industry and administered by the British Overseas Trade Board which were free in 1979 and for which a charge is now made and (b) in respect of which services that were charged for in 1979 the fees have since been increased and by how much.
The only service now charged for which was free in 1979 is the provision of tender documents and project lists through the export intelligence service, which are now charged for at £2 and £5 per set respectively.The main increases in charges since 1979 are as follows:
Market prospects service — export representative, currently charged at £175 and £125 per report respectively replaced agency funding service at £50 + VAT.
Overseas status report now cost £21 + VAT compared with £10 + VAT in 1979.
Overseas projects fund—a premium of 15 per cent. is now charged on repayment of BOTB assistance when contract won.
Export intelligence service: charge increased from 30p per notice in 1979 to 40p at present.
Fees for participants in joint ventures at overseas trade fairs have been increased from flat charges of from £4·50 to £18 per square metre in 1979 to percentages of direct costs (currently 40 per cent. for first time participant, 55 per cent. for second time, 75 per cent. others). Changes have been made in the method of calculating travel grants, especially for regular participants in overseas trade fairs and export missions, which have almost certainly involved reductions in real terms.
Overseas seminar participation fees have been increased from £150 to £300.
Percentage of eligible expenditure reimbursed under the overseas advertising scheme for UK fairs have been reduced from between 50 and 25 per cent. in 1979 to between 40 and 20 per cent. in 1986.
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the priority given by his Department to export services; and whether he has any proposals to increase or extend the range of British Overseas Trade Board services and the resources devoted to them.
The Government are committed to maintaining a balanced programme of export services through the BOTB. These services are kept under continuous review to ensure that they are operating effectively to the benefit of exporters, and provide value for money. The possible introduction of new services, or the withdrawal of existing ones, is reviewed as part of this process.
Commercial Representatives
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the number of his Department's staff serving abroad as commercial representatives for each year since 1979.
Department of Trade and Industry staff serving abroad on loan to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office at 31 March each year were as follows:
| Number | |
| 1979 | 32 |
| 1980 | 34 |
| 1981 | 34 |
| 1982 | 34 |
| 1983 | 31 |
| 1984 | 20 |
| 1985 | 19 |
| 1986 | 21 |
Note: Not all these staff would have been engaged wholly in commercial work.
Northern Region
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much is being spent on industrial support in the northern region in the current year.
In the last 12 months (period 1 October 1985 to 30 September 1986) a total of £114·6 million was spent on industrial support in the northern region. The corresponding figure for the first nine months of this calendar year was £93·6 million.
Investment
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list those companies which have inwardly invested in the United Kingdom during the last five years.
I shall write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.
Tripartite Business Ventures
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action his Department is taking to promote tripartite business ventures by United Kingdom, United States and Japanese partners, such as that by Cable and Wireless plc in international telecommunications; and if he will give the number of such tripartite ventures of which his Department is aware.
The Government seek by a variety of means to promote co-operation between British companies on the one hand and US and Japanese companies on the other. Apart from the Cable and Wireless venture referred to, my Department is aware of one other of comparable scale involving British, US and Japanese companies.
Productivity
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give the statistics on productivity in the private and public sectors for the past five years; and if he will make a statement.
This information is not separately available for the public and private sectors.
Copyright
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what priority he accords to the protection of copyright in intellectual property and innovation in the promotion of high technology industries.
The protection of intellectual property serves to secure a fair reward for innovators. It is therefore an incentive to innovation and thus an important factor in the promotion of high technology industries.
Imports And Exports
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement regarding the current balance of imports and exports; and if he will publish statistics for the preceeding 12-month period.
In the 12 months ended September there was a surplus at £403 million on the current account.
Schools And Industry
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the various programmes encouraging interaction between schools and industry; and if he will give the number of corporate and student participants in each.
There are a great many ways in which schools and industry work together, and there are a large number of organisations, both at local and national level,
| TABLE 1 | ||||||
| SDA | DA | IA | ||||
| Assisted areas (pre-29 November 1984 definitions) | Payments1(£ million) | Payments per head2£ | Payments1(£ million) | Payments per head2£ | Payments1(£ million) | Payments per head2£ |
| Scotland | 106·3 | 87·72 | 30·6 | 94·33 | 2·9 | 32·78 |
| Wales | 63·2 | 234·13 | 36·2 | 59·56 | 1·6 | 10·57 |
| Northern | 44·4 | 48·41 | 27·4 | 141·46 | 0·6 | 6·43 |
| North West | 59·3 | 83·52 | 5·7 | 27·12 | 2·2 | 5·71 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | — | — | 22·4 | 54·47 | 2·7 | 6·13 |
| East Midlands | — | — | 5·9 | 195·53 | 0·5 | 17·34 |
| South West | 1·6 | 47·10 | 7·7 | 33·51 | 0·4 | 3·49 |
| 1 All figures are gross and include payments to nationalised industries. | ||||||
| 2 Information on the insured population is not available in terms of pre-29 November 1984 assisted area coverage. Therefore payments per head have been calculated using estimates of the working population for these areas. | ||||||
Note: The items included in the expenditure are section 7, regional selective assistance and old regional development grants under the Industrial Development Act 1982.
Payments and payments per head (provisional basis) for regional aid as defined below made under the conditions for assistance relating to the post-28 November 1984 assisted areas were as follows:
Table 2
| ||||
DA
| IA
| |||
Assisted areas (post-28 November 1984 definitions)
| Payments 3 4 (£ million)
| Payments per heads 5 (£)
| Payments 3 4 (£ million)
| Payments per heads 5 (£)
|
| Scotland | 14·5 | 12·65 | 0·2 | 0·58 |
| Wales | 20·1 | 53·12 | 10·5 | 17·88 |
| Northern | 19·0 | 20·72 | 2·4 | 14·87 |
which seek to encourage them. There is no requirement on schools and industry to notify their involvement, however, and so the detailed information that my hon. Friend requires is not collected centrally. I am, however, pleased to say that Industry Year 1986 has led to a considerable increase in liaison between schools and industry and it is estimated that some 60 per cent. of schools now have formal links with at least one company, and the number is growing. Many of the others have more informal arrangements with companies.
I am also placing in the Library copies of a directory of "Schools Industry Links" published by the Department of Education and Science and my Department, which describes the work of the main national organisations in this area.
Regional Aid
asked the Secretary of State for Trade arid Industry, for the last year for which figures are available, what was the total amount of financial assistance made available as regional aid to each United Kingdom assisted area; and if he will express these figures as the amount per head of the insured population for the areas covered.
The most recent figures available for regional aid as defined are provisional estimates for 1985–86. Payments and payments per head made under the conditions for assistance relating to the pre-29 November 1984 assisted areas were as follows:
DA
| IA
| |||
Assisted areas (post-28 November 1984 definitions)
| Payments 3 4 (£ million)
| Payments per head 5 (£)
| Payments 3 4 (£ million)
| Payments per head 5 (£)
|
| North West | 16·7 | 17·04 | 2·8 | 3·02 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | 6·4 | 39·31 | 2·8 | 2·98 |
| East Midlands | 1·7 | 72·06 | 0·2 | 16·08 |
| South West | 1·5 | 22·89 | 0·7 | 3·99 |
| West Midlands | — | — | 5·6 | 3·38 |
Notes:
| ||||
| The items included in the payments are section 7, regional selective assistance and new regional development grants under the Industrial Development Act 1984 and expenditure on land and factories in the assisted areas by the English Industrial Estates Corporation and the Welsh Development Agency. | ||||
| The tables exclude payments of £147·1 million (£251·39 per head of the working population) to Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland has a different range of financial incentives, but the figure has been restricted to aids similar to the main forms of regional aid available to Great Britain. | ||||
3 All figures are gross and include payments to nationalised industries. | ||||
4 It has not been possible to provide a breakdown by assisted area type for expenditure by the Highlands and Islands Development Board, the Development Board for Rural Wales and expenditure on land and factories by the Scottish Development Agency; the expenditures concerned are £17·9, £0·5 and £32·4 million respectively. | ||||
5 Information on the insured population is not available in terms of the current assisted areas map coverage. Therefore payments per head have been calculated using estimates of the working population for these areas. | ||||
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what percentage of the total regional development grant received in the Merseyside special development area in each of the years 1981 to 1985, inclusive, was paid to firms investing (a) within the county of Merseyside and (b) within the city of Liverpool;(2) what was the total payment of regional development grant to firms investing in the Merseyside special development area in each of the years 1981 to 1985, inclusive; and what were the comparable figures for those investing
(a) within the county of Merseyside, and (b) within the city of Liverpool in each of those years.
[pursuant to his reply, 27 October 1986]: No special development areas (SDAs) have existed since the regional policy changes of November 1984. The following information relates to the Merseyside SDA as it was until that date and to payments of old-style regional development grants only. The figures quoted are the totals of individual payments of over £25,000, since payments below this size cannot be attributed to any unit smaller than a planning region. The information is as follows:
| £'000 | |||
| Calendar Year | Merseyside County | Merseyside SDA | Liverpool City |
| 1981 | 85,812 | 73,517 (86) | 925(1) |
| 1982 | 72,047 | 65,402 (91) | 1,880(3) |
| 1983 | 58,459 | 57,028 (98) | 1,584 (3) |
| 1984 | 61,054 | 59,840 (98) | 1,596(3) |
| 1985 | 38,000 | 37,597 (99) | 737 (2) |
Notes:
(i) Merseyside county consists of the following travel-to-work areas: Birkenhead, Liverpool, Widnes, St. Helens and Southport.
(ii) The Merseyside SDA consists of the Birkenhead, Liverpool and Widnes travel-to-work areas.
(iii) Liverpool city consists of Everton and Toxteth employment office areas.
(iv) Figures in brackets represent the percentages of grant paid to establishments in the Merseyside SDA and Liverpool city within the totals for Merseyside county.
Merseyside Enterprise Board
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is satisfied with the working of the Merseyside Enterprise Board; and if he will make a statement.
I cannot comment on the activities of the Merseyside Enterprise Board. It is an independent company which is not required to report its action to my Department.
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make an official visit to the Merseyside Enterprise Board to discuss with its officials its role in the economic regeneration of the area.
Although I shall be visiting Merseyside this week, I have no plans to visit the Merseyside Enterprise Board.
Crafts (Exhibition)
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if his Department has considered an application for an exhibition relating to crafts to he displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall; and if he will make a statement.
Arrangements have been made for such an exhibition in the Upper Waiting Hall to take place from Monday 3 November to Friday 7 November 1986.
House Of Commons
House And Parliamentary Papers
asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement about the format of House and Parliamentary papers in the forthcoming Session.
On 2 May 1984, the House approved the First Report of the Select Committee on House of Commons (Services) of Session 1983–84, entitled "House and Parliamentary Papers". The main recommendation of the report was that the process of transferring the House's papers to the larger, A4 format, which had begun with the Official Report, should be extended to other House papers.
In paragraph 15, the Committee informed the House that it was proposed that the change would be effective for the Vote bundle in October 1986. I am informed that Her Majesty's Stationery Office's programme for these changes is on target. Accordingly, at the beginning of the new Session, hon. Members will find that the Order Paper, the Notice Paper and all other papers included in the Vote bundle are being printed in the new format.
The change will also affect Bills and Acts, although until the end of 1986 some of these, if they are expected to receive Royal Assent before 31 December 1986, will for technical reasons continue to be produced in the old form. Other Sessional papers and delegated legislation will also convert to A4 at the beginning of the new Session.
Northern Ireland
Paul Fitzgerald Smyth
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what precautionary and other action has been taken by the education and library boards, and by the Northern Ireland Office, following the conviction of Paul Fitzgerald Smyth, of Lisnaskea, who had been recruited for the Irish Republican Army by a woman teacher at his school.
[pursuant to his reply, 24 October 1986 c. 996]: A confidential letter has been received in the Department making allegations against a named teacher and investigations have been put in hand.
Employment
Restart
asked the Paymaster General what has been the record of the restart programme in leading to participants (a) joining other training schemes, (b) becoming self-employed, (c) obtaining employment and (d) becoming involved in voluntary organisations.
Since restart became a national programme in July:
asked the Paymaster General what percentage of those placed in jobs by the restart programme were eligible for the jobstart allowance; and what percentage of the budgeted cost of the jobstart allowance for the current financial year has been used.
By 11 September 1986, 10 per cent. of all people placed in employment by the restart programme were in receipt of the jobstart allowance. By 30 September 1986, 2 per cent. of the 1986–87 jobstart allowance budget had been used.
Labour Statistics
asked the Paymaster General how many people have been removed from the unemployment count over the last 12 months by special employment measures and YTS.
In September 1985 some 312,000 people were participating in the employment measures and it was then estimated that around 227,000 people were in jobs, training or early retirement instead of claiming benefit. At the end of September 1986, some 369,000 people were participating in the employment measures, with an estimated direct effect on unemployment of 285,000. YTS is a training measure and there are no estimates of its direct effect on unemployment. Since the nationwide introduction of restart from July 336,451 people have had a personal interview and of that number 30,218 have left the unemployment count.
asked the Paymaster General what percentage of all people in work in 1979 were working part-time; and what was the percentage in each year since.
Within the regularly published employment series the estimates of the numbers of male employees in employment do not separately identify those in part-time employment. Estimates of the numbers of full-time and part-time male and female employees in employment are available from censuses of employment. For the dates specified, census of employment results are available only for September 1981, at which time 21 per cent. of employees in employment were part-time employees.The labour force survey provides information on a different basis, but separately identifies part-time male and female employees and self-employed. The available estimates of the percentages of employees and self-employed in part-time employment are presented in the following table.
| Labour force survey estimates1of employees and self-employed in part-time2employment | |
| Great Britain | |
| Year | Per cent. |
| 1979 | 317·9 |
| 1981 | 319·7 |
| 1983 | 19·0 |
| 1984 | 20·9 |
| 1985 | 21·2 |
| 1 Estimates relate to the spring of each year. Percentages for 1983, 1984 and 1985 exclude those on Government schemes, whereas 1979 and 1981 include those on schemes if reported as in employment. | |
| 2 In this table a person has been included as in part-time employment if he considers his job to be a part-time job. | |
| 3 Employees only, as in 1979 and 1981 the self-employed were not asked if they worked full or part-time. | |
asked the Paymaster General what percentage of the work force in hotels and catering are male and female; and of these how many are full-time and how many part-time.
Within the regularly published employment series the estimates of the numbers of male employees in employment do not separately identify those in full and part-time employment. The latest available estimates of all male, all female and part-time female employees in employment in the hotels and catering industry in Great Britain are given in table 1·4 of the labour market data section in the October 1986 issue of Employment Gazette, a copy of which is in the Library.
Yts
asked the Paymaster General if he will give a breakdown of the number on the YTS by skill being learnt; and if there is any intention of giving YTS trainees a contract.
The most recent figures available giving a breakdown of the numbers of young people on YTS by skill being learned are for the period April to December 1985. The numbers of young people starting on 1 year YTS by occupational training family (OTF) in Great Britain are shown in the table.
| Occupational Training Family | Starters April-December 1985 (Male and Female, All YTS1 schemes) |
| 01 Admin, Clerical, Office | 67,687 |
| 02 Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry, Fishing | 16,417 |
| 03 Craft, Design | 17,152 |
| 04 Installation, Maintenance, Repairs | 52,208 |
| 05 Technical, Scientific | 7,085 |
| 06 Manufacture. Assembly | 54,081 |
| 07 Processing | 1,951 |
| 08 Food Processing | 15,319 |
| 09 Personal Services, Sales | 68,505 |
| 10 Community and Health Service | 15,694 |
| 11 Transport | 6,668 |
| 98 Unclassified Starters | 26,129 |
| 99 Unclassified Places | 14,287 |
| All Training Families | 363,183 |
asked the Paymaster General in which trades the youth training scheme has been integrated with apprenticeships.
I regret that a full list of trades is not available. However, the main industries in which integration has been achieved are agriculture, building, electrical contracting, heating and ventilating, engineering, engineering maintenance, printing and road transport. It is estimated that in 1984 around half of all first year apprenticeships were brought within YTS.
asked the Paymaster General what are the payments to trainees on the YTS agreed by the Milk Marketing Board.
All trainees on the YTS scheme have employee status and are paid the full rate for the job by the Milk Marketing Board.
asked the Paymaster General what information he has on the extent of topping-up of the YTS allowance by employers.
I regret that I am unable to offer reliable information. Payments made to YTS trainees in excess of the standard allowances to which they are entitled are a matter for the training providers concerned. Neither my Department nor the Manpower Services Commission receives comprehensive details of such payments.
Jobs Start
asked the Paymaster General what has been the total cost to date of the job start allowance; and what percentage of interviewees on the restart programme obtained a place in a job club.
By 30 September 1986 the total cost of the job start allowance was £208,532. By 11 September 1986, 1 per cent. of all interviewees from the restart programme had obtained a place in a job club. The percentage of interviewees obtaining job club places is expected to rise following the recent announcement to increase the number of job clubs to 1,000 by March 1987.
New Workers Scheme
asked the Paymaster General what is the cost per worker taken off the unemployment register of the new workers scheme.
As the new workers scheme is only six months old it is too early to provide an accurate costing. However, there is no reason to believe that the net cost per person removed from the unemployment count will be significantly higher than under the young workers scheme: £1,400 per person in 1985–86.
Wage Levels
asked the Paymaster General, for the last year for which figures are available, what was the level of average weekly earnings for males and females, respectively, in work in the United Kingdom, and the corresponding figures for Scotland, Wales, and each of the standard regions in England, and for Devon and Cornwall, separately; and if he will also express these figures as a percentage of the United Kingdom figure.
The latest available information on average weekly earnings is that for April 1985 and relates to full-time employees working a full week. The figures requested are as follows:
Full-time males
| Full-time females
| |||
Average gross weekly earnings
| Percentage of average gross weekly earnings for United Kingdom
| Average gross weekly earnings
| Percentage of average gross weekly earnings for United Kingdom
| |
£
| Per cent.
| £
| Per cent.
| |
Region
| ||||
| South East | 213·8 | 111·4 | 140·9 | 111·6 |
| East Anglia | 182·7 | 95·2 | 118·6 | 93·9 |
| South West | 179·0 | 93·2 | 119·4 | 94·5 |
| Cornwall | 159·8 | 83·2 | 109·7 | 86·9 |
| Devon | 165·1 | 86·0 | 115·6 | 91·5 |
| West Midlands | 180·2 | 93·9 | 117·6 | 93·1 |
| East Midlands | 175·5 | 91·4 | 114·3 | 90·5 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | 180·7 | 94·1 | 117·3 | 92·9 |
| North West | 185·2 | 96·5 | 121·0 | 95·8 |
| North | 179·3 | 93·4 | 119·7 | 94·8 |
Country
| ||||
| England | 193·3 | 100·7 | 127·6 | 101·0 |
| Scotland | 189·7 | 98·8 | 119·1 | 94·3 |
| Wales | 179·1 | 93·3 | 118·8 | 94·1 |
| United Kingdom | 192·0 | 126·3 | ||
Source: New Earnings Survey (Great Britain) 1985.
New Earnings Survey (Northern Ireland) 1985.
Note: Differences in average earnings will reflect differences in the industrial and occupational structure of employment in different regions and do not necessarily imply differences in rates of pay for comparable jobs.
Enterprise Allowance Scheme
asked the Paymaster General what studies have been carried out into the impact of the enterprise allowance scheme on existing patterns of employment; and what were their conclusions.
No studies have been carried out on the overall impact of the enterprise allowance scheme on existing patterns of employment. Information is, however, collected on the industrial classification of the businesses set up, business survival rates and the personal characteristics of the people joining the scheme. This and other survey information is summarised in articles in the August 1984, August 1985, and October 1986 issues of the Employment Gazette. Latest survey information shows that 76 per cent. of participants who completed a year on the scheme were still operating their business six months after the allowance ceased and that for every 100 of these businesses 37 new full-time and 54 part-time jobs had been created.
Stallite Batteries, Barnsley
asked the Paymaster General when the Employment Medical Advisory Service terminated the appointment of a Dr. Durie as an appointed factory doctor; and for what reason.
Dr. Durie's appointment at the Stallite Batteries factory was terminated on 11 July 1985. Workers were absorbing high levels of lead and it was decided that their medical supervision should be carried out directly by the Health and Safety Executive's employment medical advisory service.
asked the Paymaster General on what dates between January 1983 and December 1985 Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate visited Stallite Batteries, Worsborough Bridge, Barnsley, South Yorkshire; and what specific action was taken following each visit.
Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate carried out an inspection of Stallite Batteries Ltd. on 1 July 1983 and atmospheric sampling of lead in air was carried' out by HSE's occupational hygienists on 17 August 1983. These visits resulted in written advice to the firm and the issue of two improvement notices.Visits to check progress with the requirements of the improvement notices were made on 3 November 1983, 30 November 1983, 21 February 1984, 1 March 1984 and 23 July 1984.A further inspection was carried out on 19 September 1984 following the installation of a substantial amount of new process machinery. A letter was subsequently sent to the firm and a progress visit was made on 9 January 1985 when atmospheric sampling was also carried out.Following this a further improvement notice was issued and a letter sent to the firm. Follow-up visits were made on 4 July, 26 September, 23 October and 27 November 1985, to check on progress.Another atmospheric survey was carried out on 18 December 1985 and the results were discussed with the firm in March 1986.
asked the Paymaster General (1) on each occasion on which the appointed factory doctor took blood samples at Stallite Batteries, Worsborough Bridge, South Yorkshire, where male blood lead levels exceed 70 mg/100ml., what action the appointed factory doctor took;(2) on each occasion on which the appointed factory doctor took blood samples at Stallite Batteries, Worsborough Bridge, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, where female blood lead levels exceed 40 mg/100ml., what action the appointed factory doctor took;
(3) on which dates during the period January 1983 to December 1985 blood samples were taken by an appointed factory doctor at Stallite Batteries, Worsborough Bridge, Barnsley, South Yorkshire;
(4) on each occasion when the appointed factory doctor took blood samples at Stallite Batteries, Worsborough Bridge, South Yorkshire, how many blood levels were found in the following categories: (a) males 0–19 mg/ 100m1., 20–39 mg/100ml., 40–59 mg/100ml., 60–69 mg/ 100m1. and 70+ mg/100ml., and (b) females 0–19 mg/ 100m1., 20–39 mg/100ml., 40–59 mg/100ml., 60–69 mg/ 100ml., 70–100 mg/100m1. and 100+ mg/100ml.
I regret that the information is not available. Appointed doctors are asked to provide annual statistics of the results of blood tests and workers suspended from work with lead, but not details of individual tests, the results and action taken.
asked the Paymaster General (1) what action the employment medical service took on each occasion on which it took blood samples at Stallite Batteries, Worsborough Bridge, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, when male blood lead levels exeeeded 70 mg/ 100 ml;(2) what action the employment medical service took on each occasion on which it took blood samples at Stallite Batteries, Worsborough Bridge, South Yorkshire, when female blood levels exceeded 40 mg/100 ml.
Providing the results were confirmed by a follow-up test, the employment medical adviser generally certified such workers as unfit for further exposure to lead. However, some older men, and some women regarded by the doctor as not of child-bearing capacity, would not be suspended. This is in accordance with the code of practice to the regulations. The numbers and the dates on which they were suspended are given in the table.
| Workers at Stallite Batteries Certified as Unfit for Further Exposure to Lead | ||
| Males | Females | |
| 20 August 1985 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 October 1985 | — | 2 |
| 8 November 1985 | 2 | — |
| 9 December 1985 | — | 1 |
| Number of results in each category | |||||
| (microgram per 100 millilitre). | |||||
| Date of test | 0–19 | 20–39 | 40–49 | 60–69 | 70 or over1 |
| Males | |||||
| 16 January 1985 | — | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 24 July 1985 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 15 August 1985 | — | 1 | 3 | — | 4 |
| 29 August 1985 | — | — | — | — | 3 |
| 24 September 1985 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 2 |
| 17 October 1985 | — | — | 1 | — | — |
| 31 October 1985 | — | 1 | — | 3 | 3 |
| 14 November 1985 | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| 28 November 1985 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| 2 December 1985 | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| 19 December 1985 | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 6 January 1986 | — | — | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| 13 January 1986 | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| 13 February 1986 | — | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| 6 March 1986 | — | — | — | 4 | 5 |
| 18 March 1986 | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| 10 April 1986 | — | — | — | 2 | 4 |
| 30 April 1986 694 | — | — | 4 | 2 | 8 |
Males
| Females
| |
| 23 December 1985 | — | 2 |
| 22 January 1986 | 2 | — |
| 27 February 1986 | 1 | — |
| 24 March 1986 | 1 | — |
| 4 April 1986 | — | 2 |
| 15 May 1986 | 2 | 1 |
| 16 June 1986 | 1 | — |
| 16 July 1986 | — | 1 |
| 15 September 1986 | — | 1 |
| 16 October 1986 | — | 1 |
asked the Paymaster General on which dates during the period January 1983 to December 1985 blood samples were taken by the employment medical advisory service at Stallite Batteries, Worsborough Bridge, South Yorkshire.
Blood tests were taken on the following dates:
- 16 January 1985
- 24 July 1985
- 15 August 1985
- 29 August 1985
- 24 September 1985
- 17 October 1985
- 31 October 1985
- 14 November 1985
- 28 November 1985
- 2 December 1985
- 19 December 1985
asked the Paymaster General, on each occasion when the employment medical advisory service took blood samples at Stallite Batteries, Worsborough Bridge, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, how many blood lead levels were found in the following categories (a) males 0–19 mg/100ml., 20–39 mg/100ml., 40–49 mg/100ml., 60–69 mg/100ml., and 70+ mg/100ml., and (b) females 0–19 mg/100ml., 20–39 mg/100ml., 40–59 mg/100ml., 60–69 mg/100ml., 70–100 mg/100ml., and 100+ mg/100ml.
The following tables show the information requested. Workers with high blood lead levels will have blood samples taken more frequently. The numbers of results in the higher end of the range are thus more an indication of the frequency of sampling than of the number of workers with these levels.
Date of test
| 0–19
| 20–39
| 40–49
| 60–69
| 70 or over 1
|
| 15 May 1986 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 28 May 1986 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 23 June 1986 | — | 2 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| 2 July 1986 | — | — | 3 | — | — |
| 8 July 1986 | — | — | 1 | — | — |
| 10 July 1986 | — | — | 2 | — | — |
| 22 July 1986 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 11 August 1986 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — |
| 20 August 1986 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| September 1986 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| September 1986 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | — |
| 30 September 1986 | 3 | 4 | 4 | — | 2 |
| 9 October 1986 | — | 2 | 4 | 2 | — |
| 16 October 1986 | — | — | 1 | — | — |
| Total | 16 | 34 | 52 | 46 | 70 |
Females
| |||||
| 16 January 1985 | — | — | 3 | — | — |
| 24 July 1985 | — | — | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 August 1985 | — | — | — | — | 2 |
| 29 August 1985 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — |
| 24 September 1985 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | — |
| 31 October 1985 | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | — |
| 28 November 1985 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 19 December 1985 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 January 1986 | 3 | — | 1 | — | — |
| 13 February 1986 | — | 3 | — | 1 | 1 |
| 6 March 1986 | — | — | 1 | — | — |
| 18 March 1986 | — | — | 3 | 1 | — |
| 25 March 1986 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — |
| 10 April 1986 | — | — | 2 | — | — |
| 30 April 1986 | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 May 1986 | — | 1 | — | 1 | 1 |
| 23 June 1986 | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 2 July 1986 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 8 July 1986 | — | — | 1 | — | — |
| 10 July 1986 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 22 July 1986 | — | 2 | — | — | — |
| 4 August 1986 | — | 2 | — | — | — |
| 11 August 1986 | — | 3 | — | — | — |
| 15 August 1986 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| 20 August 1986 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — |
| September 1986 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — |
| September 1986 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 30 September 1986 | — | 3 | 1 | — | — |
| 9 October 1986 | — | 2 | 3 | 1 | — |
| Total | 11 | 26 | 37 | 17 | 7 |
1 None of the female levels were greater than 100. | |||||
Long-Term Unemployed Persons
asked the Paymaster General if he will provide an update of statistics published in July in the Official Report concerning the destination of the long-term unemployed interviewed to date under the new restart programme.
[pursuant to his reply, 23 October 1986, c. 939]: The information requested is given in the table.
| Numbers interviewed and placed for the period 12 May to 9 October | |
| Number | |
| Interviewed | 336,451 |
| Placed in jobs | 2,547 |
| Placed on community programme | 9,757 |
| Placed in jobclubs | 2,508 |
| Placed on enterprise allowance scheme | 1,585 |
| Placed on training schemes | 5,488 |
| Placed on restart courses | 31,012 |
| Placed on the voluntary projects programme | 1,054 |
The placings reflect only those arising from referrals made at the restart interview.
We know that 76 per cent. of participants agree to pursue the offer made to them at their interview and some of these submissions are still in the process of being followed up. The placings do not include the many people who find jobs, or other solutions to their unemployment, wholly or partly as a result of advice given by counselling staff or restart courses.
A recent survey conducted by the Manpower Services Commission showed that approximately 60 per cent. of people who had received restart interviews during the pilot programme and who subsequently left the unemployment register went into work and a further 8 per cent. into training.
Home Department
Women Prisoners (Pregnancy)
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women in custody in England experienced complications which necessitated transfer to a general hospital during pregnancy for each month during the current year.
The information for each month of the current year is as follows:
| Pregnant women experiencing complications necessitating transfer to a general hospital | |
| Number | |
| January | 6 |
| February | 2 |
| March | 2 |
| April | 4 |
| May | 6 |
| June | 2 |
| July | 2 |
| August | 1 |
| September | 4 |
Janice Mckinley (Inquiry)
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he intends publishing the report of the hospital inquiry which took place between 16 and 18 April into the death of Janice McKinley in the grounds of Scott clinic, Rainhill hospital, Merseyside.
The inquiry was established by the Mersey regional health authority. The question of publication of the inquiry team's report is a matter for that authority.
Criminal Statistics
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those convicted of criminal offences in (a) magistrates' courts and (b) other courts are employed, unemployed or self-employed.
This information is not collected centrally.
Bbc Scotland
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy not to change the British Broadcasting Corporation as it affects BBC Scotland.
There are a number of recommendations contained in the report of the committee on financing the BBC which might affect the BBC's services, including those in Scotland. My right hon. Friend has said that he will reach decisions on these only in the light of public and parliamentary reaction.
Citizenship (South Africa)
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizens of the Republic of South Africa have applied to enter Britain with the intention of seeking or re-enstating their British citizenship in the current year and 1985.
No such figures are available since an intention to apply for or establish citizenship are not grounds for seeking entry to this country under the immigration rules.
Mr John Stalker
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any proposals for changing the procedures for investigating senior police officers, following the reinstatement of Mr. John Stalker as deputy chief constable of Greater Manchester; and if he will make a statement.
I have asked for observations from those principally concerned with the investigation of the allegations against Mr. Stalker. When I have received these I shall consider whether there are any lessons to be learnt for the investigation of future allegations against senior police officers and whether any amendment of the relevant regulations is desirable.
Visas
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if a person who is a national of India, Pakistan, or Bangladesh, who has permission to remain in the United Kingdom indefinitely, but wishes to obtain a visa exemption stamp, will be charged for such a stamp; and if he will make a statement.
No fee is charged for the passport endorsement provided to confirm exemption from the visa requirement.
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action a person with a visa to visit the United Kingdom is required to take if they wish to extend their visa; if representations from hon. Members will be considered in such a circumstance; and if he will make a statement.
If a visa holder has a valid reason for not travelling to the United Kingdom before the visa expires the validity of the visa may be extended provided that there has been no change of material circumstances.
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether children born to a British citizen, who can claim a right to enter the United Kingdom, and if refused entry, may remain in the United Kingdom pending their appeal against refusal, are able to travel to the United Kingdom, and to seek entry to the United Kingdom, notwithstanding the provisions of the "Statement of Change in Immigration Rules"; and if he will make a statement.
Citizens of a country who require visas to enter the United Kingdom may apply to a British mission for a British passport or for confirmation of their status if they consider that they are British citizens through birth to a British citizen.
Visitors (Detention)
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visitors to Britain arriving at Heathrow or Gatwick from Bangladesh, India or Pakistan during the period of 1 to 14 October were detained in one of Her Majesty's prisons; what was the duration of detention; what criteria his Department operates to decide which detainees were sent to prison and which went to hotels; how many are still at Erlestoke prison, Wiltshire; and if he will make a statement.
The information readily available is as follows and relates to all nationals of the countries concerned, refers to those detained solely under powers conferred by the Immigration Act 1971, and excludes persons who may be detained as a result of a prosecution for Customs or other offences.Seven passengers from the countries concerned who arrived between 1 and 14 October were detained in one of Her Majesty's prisons for between four and five days. Those detained in other prison service establishments at 20 October were as follows:
- Blantyre House Detention Centre: 32
- Erlestoke House Youth Custody Centre: 43
Thirty-six such nationals were still at Erlestoke House on 27 October.
The detainees who were sent to prison service establishments were those in whose cases the immigration service judged that the risk of absconding was unacceptably high. The action was taken because normal detention accommodation was full.
All those still detained are the subject of an automatic stop from Members of the House, whose representations we now await.
Queensland (Elections)
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 22 October, what information he has about restrictions placed upon the right of British citizens to vote at elections in the state of Queensland and as to whether such restrictions apply in other Australian states.
I have been asked to reply.Since 1 August 1983 British citizens have been able to enrol as voters in Queensland elections only if they had already been on the Queensland, or any other Australian, electoral roll for three months preceding that date. The Australian Commonwealth and the other Australian states now also have similar rules.
Transport
Dalton-In-Furness Bypass
asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to be able to announced the preferred route for the Dalton-in-Furness bypass on the A590.
Details of a preferred route for a bypass north of the town are published today.
Airmiss, Stanmore
asked the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has to the circumstances in which two airliners were involved in a near miss over Stanmore, Middlesex, on 29 July and as to what action has been taken as a result; and if he will make a statement.
On 29 July two British Airways aircraft approaching Heathrow were involved in an airmiss whilst under radar control over north London. These were the subject of a routine airmiss report to the Civil Aviation Authority, which investigated the incident.
It has also been investigated by my Department's accidents investigation branch, whose report was published routinely last Friday after the normal detailed investigative and consultative procedures had been completed.
It is the Civil Aviation Authority which is responsible for air safety and, through the National Air Traffic Services, for civil air traffic control. I have spoken to the chairman of the CAA and I know he is concerned to ensure that incidents such as this do not recur. He will be considering urgently whether there is any further remedial action which needs to be taken.
Gatwick Airport
asked the Secretary of State for Transport when the second terminal at Gatwick will be opened: what are the reasons for the delay in opening this terminal; and what steps are being taken to cope with the traffic at Gatwick in summer, 1987, as a result of the delay in bringing terminal 2 into operation.
[pursuant to his reply, 27 October 1986]: Gatwick Airport Ltd. is aiming to bring the new terminal into operation before Easter 1988.The British Airports Authority's external financing limit of £15 million for 1986–87 was decided in September 1985. It took account of the authority's forecasts of its capital requirements and internal resources, and was thought sufficient to allow the authority to complete Gatwick north terminal in summer 1987, and make good progress on other major projects. The authority subsequently reduced its forecasts of internal resources and as a result decided to delay the opening of the Gatwick north terminal. It is for the authority to order its investment priorities. The BAA informs me that a number of minor changes to the allocation of space and facilities will be made to help deal with the increased traffic expected next year.
Environment
Radioactive Discharges
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will publish a list showing, for each licensed nuclear power station site (a) the calculated critical group exposures associated with actual radioactive discharges in the last year and (b) the proportion that actual radioactive discharges in the last year bear to maximum authorised limits, where such authorisations contain numerical limits; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will publish a list showing the estimated critical group exposures associated with 100 per cent. of authorised radioactive discharges at each licensed nuclear power station site, where such authorisations contain numerical limits; and if he will make a statement.
I shall write to the hon. Member.
Crime Prevention Grants
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to make additional funds available to local authorities where they embark on schemes to make crime prevention grants available to residents in their area; whether expenditure on such grants will be excluded from penalty consideration and rate limits; and if he will make a statement.
The Government are already providing support for a number of such schemes through the urban programme and the community programme. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has asked the working group on residential burglary to review the question of security grants and will be considering its report in due course.Local authority expenditure on crime prevention grants is subject to normal block grant rules and would be taken into account as appropriate in setting any rate limits.
Mobile Homes
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to amend the Mobile Homes Act 1983 in the light of the representations made to by him by mobile home owners and others.
No. We are satisfied that the Mobile Homes Act 1983 is, in general, working well. We know
| Year | Written Representations Per cent. | Public Inquiries Per cent. | Informal Hearings1Per cent. |
| 1981 | 30·9 | 39·8 | — |
| 1982 | 29·1 | 38·2 | — |
| 1983 | 30·8 | 38·4 | 41·1 |
| 1984 | 31·0 | 40·6 | 35·1 |
| 1985 | 35·7 | 48·9 | 42·1 |
| 1 figures available only from July 1983 | |||
Development Commission (Budget)
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list, for the last year for which figures are available, the total budget of the Development Commission, the amount spent in Devon and Cornwall, and the equivalent figures per head of the insured population for these two areas covered by the commission's activities.
The Development Commission's approved estimate for 1986–87 is £25·9 million. A county by county breakdown of this figure is not available. As an indication of the extent of the commission's activity in Devon and Cornwall, last year 65 redundant building grants were awarded in the two counties (equivalent to 20 per cent. of the Development Commission's total); and 64,000 square feet of factory space was constructed on the Commission's behalf (equivalent to 14 per cent. of the total).
Merseyside Enterprise Board
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will pay a visit to the Merseyside enterprise board to discuss with its officials its role in providing new jobs on Merseyside;(2) if he will pay a visit to the Merseyside enterprise board to discuss with its officials its efforts to re-generate inner city areas on Merseyside.
My right hon. Friend has at present no plans to visit the Merseyside Enterprise Board.
that problems have arisen for some residents over the practical operation of the Act and the Department's officials are discussing with representatives of residents and site owners how the Act can be made to work more effectively.
Planning Appeals
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what proportion of informal planning appeals were decided in favour of the applicant in each of the past five years;(2) what proportion of full planning appeals were decided in favour of the applicant in each of the past five years;(3) what proportion of written planning appeals were decided in favour of the applicant in each of the past five years.
The proportion of planning appeals under section 36 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 decided in favour of the appellant in each of the last five years was as follows:
Planning Applications
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions during 1986 his Department has issued directions under article 10 of the General Development Order preventing a local authority from determining a planning application; and in how many of those cases the direction has been followed by a call-in and a subsequent public inquiry.
To date in 1986 the Department has issued 88 directions under article 10 of the General Development Order 1977; 34 applications have subsequently been called in and four have so far been to public inquiry.
Portsmouth (Housing)
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what was the content of the telephone call between his Department and an officer of Portsmouth city council concerning the Portsdown Park housing estate on 3 March;(2) why the Minister responsible for making the decision with regard to Portsmouth city council's proposal to refurbish the Portsdown Park estate made contact with members of the Conservative group on Portsmouth city council and officers of the council on 3 March with regard to the city's proposed refurbishment of the Portsdown Park estate; and if he will make a statement;(3) what correspondence passed between the Department and Portsmouth city council about Portsdown Park other than the decision letter dated 4 March; what telephone conversations took place on 3, 4, and 6 March; and if he will make a statement.
[pursuant to the replies, 23 October 1986 and 27 October 1986]: There is no record of contact between my officials and officers of the city council on Monday 3 March. On Tuesday 4 March, as a matter of courtesy I telephoned the leader of the council, and my officials telephoned council officers, to say that the Secretary of State's response to the council's application was to be sent by letter that day, and to indicate what the response would be. On 6 March officials were again in touch about a meeting to discuss the implications of the Department's letter of 4 March.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make available copies of all the correspondence and details of any other contacts between his Department and Portsmouth city council with regard to the city's plan to refurbish the Portsdown Park estate which took place between the original submission of the Barratt's bid and the final decision; and if he will make a statement.
[pursuant to the reply, 23 October 1986, c. 925–26]: I am arranging for copies of the main correspondence between my Department and the city council to be sent to the hon. Member. In addition to the correspondence, there have been two meetings between officials, and numerous telephone conversations to discuss the details of the council's application.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice Portsmouth city council was given by his Department on ways to refurbish Portsmouth Park which would not require Government approval.
[pursuant to the reply, 27 October 1986]: In discussions between officers of the city council and officials of my Department the possibility of alternative approaches was raised, but not with a view to avoiding the need for Government approval.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why the Minister dealing with Portsmouth's application to refurbish the Portsdown Park estate advised that he could be surcharged or challenged in other ways if he approved Portsmouth's application.
[pursuant to the reply, 27 October 1986]: Any decision by the Secretary of State on an application for consent to disposal which was taken on the basis of inadequate information could be open to challenge in the courts. The Department's letter of 4 March indicated that the city council had not provided all the information needed to enable the Secretary of State to make a full assessment of its plans for the disposal of Portsdown Park. The information has since been supplied.
Agriculture, Fisheries And Food
Lyminge Forest
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what criteria have been considered by the Forestry Commission in reaching a decision on the proposed sale of West wood, Lyminge forest, Kent to a Dutch company represented by Center Pares Limited; and if he will make a statement.
The Forestry Commission decided to make West wood, Lyminge, Kent, available for sale on the open market, subject to outline planning permission for leisure development being granted by the local authority. In reaching this decision, the commission took account of ministerial guidelines for the selection of assets to be sold, which are reproduced in appendix V of its 1981–82 annual report; it also took account of the employment creation potential of such a development. There was no commitment to sell to Center Pares Limited.
Healthy Foodstuffs
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what actions he has taken to increase and make more available the supply of healthy foodstuffs.
A major element of the Government's food and nutrition policy is maintaining an adequate supply of a wide variety of wholesome food in the United Kingdom at prices people can afford.There is also comprehensive legislation regulating the safety, quality and labelling of food.
Fishing Fleet (Decommissioning Scheme)
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what gross tonnage has left the fishing fleets in England, Wales and Scotland as a result of the decommissioning scheme.
[pursuant to his reply, 27 October 1986]: Since the decommissioning grant scheme came into operation in late December 1983, 42,864 GRT has been withdrawn from the fishing fleets of England, Wales and Scotland.
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many of the owners who received money to decommission fishing vessels have subsequently purchased replacement fishing vessels.
[pursuant to his reply, 27 October 1986]: Information in the form requested is not readily available. I will write to the hon. Member.
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many fishing vessels have been decommissioned in England, Wales and Scotland since the decommissioning scheme was introduced.
[pursuant to his reply, 27 October 1986]: Since the decommissioning grant scheme came into operation, 206 vessels have been decommissioned in England, Wales and Scotland.
Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs
Overseas Civil Service
4.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to permit retired members of the Overseas Civil Service to count war service before appointment towards their pension entitlement on the same terms as apply to other retired members of the public service; and if he will make a statement.
I am aware how strongly Colonial Service pensioners feel about this issue. It is kept under careful review. There are, however, many claims on public expenditure resources. So far, we have not been able to accommodate this extra commitment.
Turks And Caicos Islands
17.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action has been taken over the past three months in relation to the problems in the Turks and Caicos Islands; and if he will make a statement.
There is little I can add to the statement that I made to the House on 25 July. The constitutional commission under Sir Roy Marshall is expected to conclude its review by the end of the year.A separate commission of inquiry under Mr. Louis Blom-Cooper was appointed by the Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands on 24 September to investigate allegations about irregularities in the transfer of Crown land in 1983. Mr. Louis Blom-Cooper has already begun his investigations.
Contadora Peace Process
19.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received regarding the implications for the Contadora peace process of the funding of the Contras by the United States Government.
We have received numerous letters from right hon. and hon. Members, individuals and organisations on the subject of US funding of the Contras. In reply, we have made clear that we support the Contadora peace process; that we do not believe that the problems of central America can be resolved by armed force; and that we ensure that the United States Government are aware of our views.
South Africa
20.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of his policies designed to bring about an end to apartheid in South Africa.
Government policy is to promote the total abolition of apartheid. During my presidency mission to Southern Africa I argued the case for fundamental but peaceful change, and for genuine dialogue between the South African Government and freely chosen leaders of the black community. Prime responsibility for instituting change and for creating conditions in which dialogue can take place lies with the South African Government.
24.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many economic measures have been taken against South Africa by the European Economic Community; and what assessment he has made of their effectiveness.
The twelve member states of the European Community have taken a range of economic measures—some positive, some restrictive—designed to impress on the South African Government the urgent need for fundamental but peaceful change. We are disappointed that the South African Government have so far failed to take the steps towards genuine national dialogue which have been urged on them by the Twelve, but they can be in no doubt of the Twelve's determination to see an end to apartheid.
25.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about Anglo-South African relations.
36.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about relations with South Africa.
47.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's current relations with South Africa.
Our relations with South Africa are overshadowed by the issue of apartheid. We continue to seek an early end to apartheid in South Africa and its peaceful replacement by a non-racial, representative system of government.
28.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has recently met representatives of the Inkatha Movement from South Africa.
I had talks with Chief Buthelezi when I visited South Africa in July.
30.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he plans to visit South Africa again during his presidency of the European Economic Community Council.
45.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to visit the Republic of South Africa.
74.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he intends to visit South Africa again during his term as President of the European Economic Community Council.
I have no plans for such a visit.
34.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings he has had with representatives of Commonwealth and European Community countries to discuss South Africa since the beginning of the summer Adjournment.
There have been a number of such meetings, notably the Commonwealth Heads of Government review meeting on 3 to 5 August and meetings of Foreign Ministers of the Twelve on 15 to 16 September and 27 October.
35.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the European Economic Community Council will next consider the effectiveness of its economic measures against South Africa since he became President of the Council.
50.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further discussions he plans with his European Economic Community colleagues about European Economic Community policy towards South Africa.
53.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the European Economic Community Council will next discuss collective European Economic Community action against South Africa.
The Foreign Ministers of the Twelve discussed South Africa in Political Co-operation on 15 to 16 September and again on 27 October. They will continue to pay close attention to the issue.
37.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent actions Her Majesty's Government have taken on the situation in South Africa.
We continue to work for progress towards the establishment in South Africa of a non-racial, representative system of government. We recently underlined our deep concern at the situation in South Africa, including the state of emergency and the large number of detentions without charge by adopting, together with our partners in the Twelve, a further package of measures designed to impress upon the South African Government the urgent need for fundamental change.
38.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further action is to be taken by the European Economic Community Council following his visit to South Africa.
Foreign Ministers agreed in European political co-operation on 15 to 16 September on a number of measures—some positive, some restrictive—designed to impress on the South African Government the urgent need for fundamental but peaceful change through dialogue.
40.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in South Africa.
62.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in South Africa.
69.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on recent events in southern Africa.
Against a background of continuing tension and the state of emergency we remain deeply concerned at the situation inside South Africa. We regret that it seems that no significant progress has been made towards the national dialogue that is so urgently needed.
43.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the outcome of his latest visit to South Africa in his capacity as President of the European Economic Community Council.
During his visit my right hon. and learned Friend was able to get across to the many people he met, including members of the South African Government, the grave concern felt by all the Twelve about the situation in South Africa.
54.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what use is he making of his presidency of the European Economic Community Council to work towards the end of apartheid in South Africa.
We, together with our partners in the Twelve, have been working actively to promote peaceful change towards a non-racial representative system of government in South Africa. The visits to southern Africa by my right hon. and learned Friend in July were part of that effort.
55.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what impact has been made on South African apartheid by European Economic Community policies implemented during his presidency.
We are disappointed that the South African Government have so far failed to take the steps towards genuine national dialogue called for by the Twelve. The measures which the Twelve themselves have taken can have left the South Africans in no doubt of our collective determination to see an end to apartheid.
57.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measure of agreement exists among European Economic Community members about economic action against South Africa; and if he will make a statement.
58.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what economic measures have so far been taken against South Africa by the European Economic Community during his presidency; what consideration has been given to restrictions on imports of coal from South Africa; and if he will make a statement.
Foreign Ministers of the Twelve agreed on 15–16 September to adopt a package of measures—some restrictive, some positive—on the lines envisaged by the European Council in June at the Hague. Most partners would also have been willing to include a ban on the import of coal. The presidency is continuing to seek consensus on this question.
60.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in working with other countries to secure the abolition of apartheid in South Africa.
We are deeply disappointed that the South African Government have so far failed to take the necessary steps towards national dialogue which we have urged upon them, together with our European and Commonwealth partners. However, they can be in no doubt of our determination to see an early end to apartheid.
71.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the European Economic Community Council will next consider measures to end apartheid in South Africa.
The Foreign Ministers of the Twelve discussed South Africa in Political co-operation on 15–16 September and again on 27 October. They will continue to pay close attention to the problem. They announced on 16 September a package of further measures including bans on new investment and on the import of iron, steel and gold coins as well as a strengthening of the Twelve's aid programmes to black South Africans and to neighbouring states.
73.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further steps he will take, as President of the European Economic Community Council, to secure an end to apartheid in South Africa.
Foreign Ministers of the Twelve discussed South Africa in political co-operation on 15/16 September and again on 27 October. They announced on 16 September a package of further measures including bans on new investment and on the import of iron, steel and gold coins as well as a strengthening of the Twelve's aid programmes to black South Africans and to neighbouring states. Together with our European partners we shall continue to work actively for an end to apartheid.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evidence he has of the practice of apartheid in Bophuthatswana.
The existence of Bophuthatswana is an expression of the practice of apartheid in South Africa as a whole.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evidence he has of the financial dependence of Bophuthatswana on the Government of South Africa.
According to estimated figures published by the South African Institute for Race Relations the South African Government provided grants and loans worth R362 million to Bophuthatswana in 1983–84, which should be compared with budgeted spending by Bophuthatswana of R731 million. The Bophuthatswana economy is dependent on the wider South African economy in other ways too: in particular wages of commuters and migrants working in the rest of South Africa account for a high proportion of the income of residents in Bophuthatswana.
Soviet Union
21.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to seek to visit Moscow to meet his Soviet counterpart.
65.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects next to visit Moscow.
My right hon. and learned Friend has accepted Mr. Shevardnadze's invitation to visit Moscow in 1987. Dates will be agreed later.
Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs
East-West Relations
22.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on East-West relations.
We welcome the substantial progress made at Reykjavik towards agreement on nuclear arms reductions and hope both sides will build on this in the negotiations in Geneva. The Government will continue to play a leading role in the search for balanced and verifiable agreements on nuclear, chemical and conventional arms. At the Vienna CSCE meeting, which starts in November, we will press for greater respect for human rights.
Mr Nelson Mandela
23.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further measures he plans to take to achieve the release of Nelson Mandela.
With our Commonwealth and European partners we have repeatedly called on the South African Government to release unconditionally Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners. We shall continue to do so, for Mr. Mandela's release would be a key step towards creating conditions in which genuine dialogue can begin in South Africa.
Palestinians
26.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he has taken during his presidency of the Council of Ministers to progress the principles outlined in the Venice declaration with regard to the exercise of the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people.
We continue to keep in close touch with the parties and to urge negotiation of a settlement of the Arab-Israel dispute in accordance with the principles of the Venice declaration.
Chile
27.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the political and military situation in Chile.
My right hon. and learned Friend had detailed discussions about Chile with his EC colleagues last month, in the framework of European political co-operation. On 16 September the Foreign Ministers of the Twelve issued a statement calling on the Chilean Government to lift immediately the state of siege and to accelerate the process of restoring democracy.
32.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made regarding the human rights cases on which Her Majesty's Government has made representations to the Government of Chile.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) on 21 October at column 844. We continue to make representations to the Chilean authorities about other human rights cases, including those of Sr. Fernandez Lembach, Sr. Rojas, Srta. Quintana and Mr. Beausire.
Disarmament
29.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about progress and the current positions at the various disarmament conferences.
The Reykjavik meeting between President Reagan and Mr. Gorbachev on 11–12 October concentrated mainly on the issues at the Geneva nuclear and space talks. The meeting was of value because both sides came so close to agreement. We warmly welcome this, particularly the extent of agreement that proved possible on the elimination of intermediate-range nuclear weapons, and on nuclear testing. However, we regret the Soviet insistence in Reykjavik, in making agreement on all issues including on INF, dependent on their demands on SDI. The meeting was only one step in the long search towards the goal of balanced and verifiable agreements on arms control.
The proposals remain on the table. We are encouraged by the apparent determination on both sides to build on the progress already made. Together with the United States and our allies we will seek to maintain the momentum that has been generated at Reykjavik.
The Stockholm conference on disarmament in Europe in which the United Kingdom played a leading role, concluded satisfactorily on 22 September with agreement, the first in the arms control field since 1979, on a set of measures designed to build confidence and reduce mistrust through increased openness about military activities in Europe.
The 40th round of the mutual and balanced force reduction talks opened in Vienna on 25 September. The west continues to press for a serious eastern response to the innovative western proposal of December 1985.
On chemical weapons the aim remains a complete ban. we hope the British initiative on verification will enable progress towards this end.
51.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Foreign Secretary of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in relation to possible British involvement in the planned Geneva talks on disarmament.
My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister and my right hon. and noble Friend, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, both had meetings on 14 October with Mr. Karpov, the chief Soviet negotiator at the Geneva nuclear and space talks. The question of British involvement in those negotiations does not arise. Mr. Gorbachev stated at his press conference in Reykjavik on 12 October that he had agreed with President Reagan that British and French nuclear forces should be completely left out of their bilateral negotiations. He added that these forces should remain independent and could be further increased and improved.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 3 June, Official Report, column 412, what plans he has to submit to the committee on disarmament a revised and updated version of Her Majesty's Government's CD 610 Paper of July 1985 on verification.
We have no plans to do so at present. The need for a further United Kingdom paper is kept under review in the light of comments made by others at Geneva.
European Community Structures
31.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in the reform of the European Economic Community structures since the summer Adjournment.
(I) The Council has established a draft budget for 1987 which respects the guideline for agricultural spending.(II) The co-responsibility levy designed to curb cereals production which we agreed at this year's agricultural price fixing has come into force. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has put forward proposals for a Community scheme to divert land out of cereals production so helping to eliminate costly surpluses and reducing costs of the regime.(III) Proposals for reform of the beef regime and for further reform of the milk regime are under discussion in the Agriculture Council.(IV) The Commission has in the meantime announced management measures in the milk sector which are equivalent to an annual price reduction of about 1 per cent.(V) Ministers of the GATT participating countries agreed that all aspects of agricultural support should be included in the new GATT round negotiations, which were launched in Uruguay on 15–20 September.(VI) Finance Ministers of the Community, meeting on 13 October under the chairmanship of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, gave support to the principles that CAP support prices should more closely reflect market conditions (especially where there are surpluses) and that intervention should revert to its original role of safety net.
Drugs Liaison Officers
33.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the drugs liaison officers in New Delhi and Bombay to take up their posts.
We have pressed the Government of India to give the formal authorisation necessary to enable the drugs liaison officers to take up their posts. We expect a final desion from the Indian authorities very shortly.
Nicaragua
39.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement concerning Her Majesty's Government's relations with Nicaragua.
We want to see a genuinely democratic Nicaragua living in peace with her neighbours. Our future relations will depend on Nicaragua ending the arms buildup and subversion which alarms its neighbours, and making progress towards democracy.
46.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to seek to visit Nicaragua.
My right hon. and learned Friend has no plans to visit Nicaragua.
49.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the latest situation in Nicaragua.
During recent months harassment of the Opposition and other dissenting opinion has increased following the tightening of the state of emergency in June. We regret the closure of the only independent newspaper, La Prensa, and the expulsion of two church leaders from Nicaragua. These actions appear to be in direct conflict with some of the basic objectives of Contadora.
Mr George Shultz
41.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met Mr. George Shultz, the United States Secretary of State; and if he will make a statement.
I last met Mr. Shultz on 24 September at the United Nations General Assembly. We are in regular contact on a wide range of issues.
Central America
42.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to seek to pay an official visit to any of the Central American states.
My right hon. and learned Friend's next visit to the area will be to Mexico in early January 1987.
76.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place recently in the Council of Ministers on the situation in central America.
Within the framework of European Political Cooperation there is regular discussion at appropriate levels of all important issues, including central America. Foreign Ministers recently discussed details of the next meeting of European Community, central America and Contadora Foreign Ministers due to be held in 1987 in Guatemala.
European Community (Foreign Policy)
44.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress towards a common European Community foreign policy.
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave him on 9 July 1986 at column 208.
Falkland Islands
48.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next intends to visit the Falkland Islands.
My right hon. and learned Friend has no current plans to visit the Falkland Islands.
Latin America
52.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes have been made to the United Kingdom diplomatic representation in Latin America over the past six months.
Consular relations with Guatemala were resumed on 19 August 1986.
Ec (Co-Operation)
56.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on political co-operation within the European Community since Spanish accession.
Since the accession of Spain and Portugal on 1 January 1986, new treaty provisions in European political co-operation (forming title III of the Single European Act) have been concluded, and the Twelve have intensified their co-operation. For example, they have taken a firm stand against Libyan State supported terrorism, have issued major statements and taken measures against South Africa; and we have worked closely together in the Helsinki process including the recently concluded Stockholm CDE talks. Both Spain and Portugal have played a valuable role in the work of European political co-operation.
Middle East
59.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on the peace process in the middle east.
64.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how he estimates the present prospects of the peacemaking process between Israel and her neighbours.
We welcome recent meetings between Israeli and Arab leaders in Morocco and Egypt but regret that there has not been more progress towards a comprehensive peace through negotiation.
Test Ban Treaty
61.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent developments there have been regarding the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the negotiation of a comprehensive test ban treaty.
63.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement concerning the latest developments in negotiating a nuclear test ban treaty.
We welcome the meetings of United States and Soviet experts to discuss nuclear testing issues. As the hon. Member will be aware one of the principal subjects for discussion at these meetings has been the question of verification associated with the ratification of the threshold test ban and peaceful nuclear explosion treaties. This underlines the importance of verification issues in seeking ways forward on nuclear testing constraints. The search for progress towards a comprehensive test ban treaty remains part of our overall arms control policy.We also very much welcome the ideas put forward by President Reagan in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly on 22 September. The practical, step by step, approach implicit in President Reagan's statement is fully consistent with the views of the authorised Government. Accordingly we also welcome the apparant agreement at the Reykjavik summit by the Soviet Union to this sort of approach.
Romania
66.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made about human rights in Romania.
We lose no opportunity to raise humanitarian issues with the Romanian leadership, who can be in no doubt about British views. My right hon. and learned Friend visited Bucharest in February 1985, and I went to Romania in May of this year when these issues were raised. We are expecting a visit by the Romanian Deputy Foreign Minister later this year.
South Atlantic (Fishing Regime)
67.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made towards an agreement on a fishing regime in the south Atlantic.
I refer the hon. Member to the statement that my right hon. and learned Friend made earlier today.
Cyprus
68.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the present position in Cyprus.
The United Nations Secretary General is continuing his efforts with the parties to find a peaceful, just and lasting settlement in Cyprus. We strongly support his initiative, which we believe offers by far the best prospect of achieving such a settlement. We continue to urge all the parties to co-operate with him, and to refrain from any action which might make his task more difficult.
72.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to seek to ensure that a solution can be reached to the problem of Cyprus, including the withdrawal of Turkish military forces from that country.
The United Nations Secretary General continues in his efforts to bring the two sides together. We strongly support his initiative and are ready to do whatever we can to help. Withdrawal of foreign troops from the Republic of Cyprus will have to form part of a comprehensive settlement.
State Terrorism
70.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in his discussions with his European Economic Community counterparts towards an effective concerted policy to combat state terrorism; and if he will make a statement.
An unprecedented range of measures to prevent further acts of Libyan state directed terrorism and to defend ourselves against such threats were, as my right hon. and learned Friend told the House on 23 April, agreed on 21 April by the Twelve. We continue to work within European political co-operation and the Trevi group to ensure effective co-operation amongst the Twelve. On 4 October, the Twelve issued a joint statement endorsing the firm action taken by us with regard to Libyan Arab Airlines.
Anglo-Austrian Relations
75.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current state of Anglo-Austrian relations.
Relations between the United Kingdom and Austria are good. Vice-Chancellor Norbert Steger visited Britain as the guest of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry from 26 February to 1 March this year. Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales visited Vienna from 14 to 16 April in connection with the Britain in Vienna Festival. Dr. Peter Jankowitsch, Austrian Foreign Minister, called on my right hon. and learned Friend in London on 30 June.
Hong Kong
77.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the last meeting of the Sino-British joint liaison group on Hong Kong was held; what matters were discussed; and where and when he next expects the group to meet.
The fourth meeting of the Sino-British joint liaison group took place in London from 22 to 25 July. Proceedings of the group are confidential, but further good progress was made. Copies of the communiqúe released following the meeting have been placed in the Library of the House. The next meeting of the group will take place in Peking from 25 to 28 November.
Us Nuclear Weapons
78.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he was consulted by his United States counterparts about the implications for arms control verification and confidence-building measures of allowing storage of United States air force nuclear weapons in underground vaults in the United Kingdom.
Weapons of the type referred to are not the subject of any current arms control negotiations. The question of verification or confidence building measures does not therefore arise. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence, is involved in continuing contacts with the United States Government on all aspects of possible storage facilities.
Guatemala
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress towards re-establishing diplomatic relations with Guatemala.
Consular relations between the United Kingdom and Guatemala were re-established on 19 August 1986. The joint communiqué announcing this step expressed our hope and that of the Guatemalan Government that diplomatic relations would be reestablished by the end of the year.
Visas (Soviet Union)
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he intends to raise the cases of individuals in the Soviet Union who have been refused exit visas.
Ministers raise human rights issues and individual cases with the Soviet authorities at every suitable opportunity. The cases of a number of prominent "refuseniks" including Ida Nudel, Alexsei Magarik and Yuli Edelstein were raised with Mr. Shevardnadze during his visit here in July when he met both the Prime Minister and my right hon. and learned Friend. We will continue to press the Soviet authorities to fulfil their international obligations in the field of human rights, including at the next CSCE meeting which opens in Vienna on 4 November.
Nuclear Tests
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Soviet Union has yet responded to the proposals of the United States of America on verifying the yield of nuclear tests with a view to the United States of America ratifying the threshold test ban treaty; and if he will make a statement.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Gower (Mr. Wardell) earlier today.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the international forums since January 1979 at which Her Majesty's Government have been attempting to achieve progress on the problem of resolving verification issues relative to a comprehensive nuclear test ban; and if he will place in the Library a copy of Her Majesty's Government's proposals to the conference of disarmament for an appropriate mandate for an ad hoc committee to discuss the issue of adequately verifying a comprehensive nuclear test ban.
The appropriate forum in which to seek to resolve verification issues relative to a comprehensive nuclear test ban is the conference on disarmament and the bodies which the conference decides to establish. We have participated in the work of the ad hoc group of scientific experts since its inception and we have sought an appropriate mandate for an ad hoc committee to conduct a substantive examination of issues relevant to a comprehensive test ban with a view to the negotiation of a treaty. The United Kingdom's proposals for these mandates are contained in CD521, a copy of which (together with all other CD documents) is available in the Library of the House.
Nuclear Weapons
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals were agreed to by the Soviet Union in Reykjavik in relation to (a) a freeze on short-range INF missiles as part of a zero option agreement on INF in Europe, (b) the deployment of a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation matching force of sort-range INF missiles and (c) an immediate start to negotiations on reductions in short-range INF weapons.
The Alliance position is that any agreement on longer range INF should include appropriate constraints on Soviet shorter range intermediate nuclear forces (SRINF).As the United States Government have made clear, the two sides discussed at Reykjavik a freeze on SRINF in Europe at the level of current Soviet deployments pending the negotiation of reductions. They also agreed that the negotiations on the reduction of SRINF should begin within 6 months of the conclusion of an INF agreement. Precise details were not worked out. The right to equal global ceilings for both the United States and Soviet Union has been a consistent element in the Alliance position in the INF negotiations. This remains the case.
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the extent to which any agreement between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to abolish all nuclear ballistic missiles should be made dependent upon reducing the levels of chemical and conventional arms.
We hope to see arms control agreements covering the full range of weapons systems, chemical and conventional as well as nuclear. The deeper the cuts in the ballistic missile forces of the United States and the Soviet Union, the more important it becomes to achieve a more stable balance in conventional forces in Europe and an effective and adequately verified ban on chemical weapons.
Visas
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the maximum period of stay a person applying for a visa to visit the United Kindom may be granted, apart from those applying for a multiple visit visa on the basis they require to visit regularly; and if he will make a statement.
A single entry visit visa is normally made valid for presentation at a United Kingdom port for six months from the date of issue.
Dna Testing
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place between his Deparment and ICI about the commercial development of DNA testing; and if he will make a statement.
I am following the commercial development of DNA testing with keen interest and have met with representatives of ICI, as have FCO officials. I am confident that DNA testing can help speedily resolve applications to settle in this country which depend mainly on proving a family relationship.
Social Services
Supplementary Benefit
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services on what date he issued a circular to local offices safeguarding the rights of claimants to the long-term rate of supplementary benefit on moving from Northern Ireland to the mainland.
Circular S22/86, a copy of which is in the Library, was distributed to local offices on 17 September 1986.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list for each social services authority area the number of people in receipt of benefit under the Supplementary Benefit (Requirments) Regulations 1983, regulation 9 in residential care for the elderly.
Information on the numbers of people in receipt of supplementary benefit is not available by social services authority areas. Information on the number of claimants, in residential care homes for the elderly during the period April to July 1985, drawn from special returns by local offices, is available according to social security region in a Department of Health and Social Security document "Supplementary Benefit Board and Lodging Allowances, Results of a Special Statistical Exercise (29 April—29 July 1985)", a copy of which is in the Library.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is the number of people in (a) Glasgow and (b) Glasgow Central currently awaiting an appeal to a supplementary benefits tribunal; and what was the corresponding figure two years previously;(2) what is the current waiting time for the result of an adjudication from a supplementary benefits tribunal in
(a) Glasgow and (b) Glasgow Central.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is the number of people in (a) Greenock and Port Glasgow and (b) Strathclyde currently awaiting an appeal to a supplementary benefits tribunal; and what was the corresponding figure two years previously;(2) what is the current waiting time for the result of an adjudication from a supplementary benefits tribunal to
(a) Greenock and Port Glasgow, (b) Strathclyde region and (c) Scotland as a whole.
I refer the hon. Members to the replies which I gave to the hon. Member for Dundee, West (Mr. Ross) on 23 October at column 981.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people in Greenock and Port Glasgow are currently in receipt of supplementary benefit; and how many are pensioners, heads of one-parent families or unemployed.
Information is not available in precisely the form requested. The numbers of people receiving supplementary benefit from the Department's offices in Greenock and Port Glasgow on 13 August 1986, the latest available figures, were as follows:
| Number | |
| Unemployed | 7,116 |
| Over pension age | 4,898 |
| Others (including one-parent families) | 4,925 |
| Total | 16,939 |
Source: 100 per cent of cases in action.
Appeals Tribunals
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if in the circumstances when claimants win an appeal tribunal and the Secretary of State wishes to overrule it by going to appeal, claimants are automatically notified of his decision in writing.
Yes. Where the Secretary of State or the adjudication officer wishes to appeal against the decision of a social security tribunal or a medical appeal tribunal the claimant is advised in writing that an appeal to the commissioner is to be made or, where appropriate, that leave to appeal to the commissioner is being sought from the tribunal chairman. If the hon. Member has a particular case in mind perhaps he would let me have details.
Health Funding
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has received any representations concerning underfunding in (a) the South-East Thames region and (b) Bexley health district.
Over the past year we have received representation about the funding of the Bexley health authority from my hon. Friend himself, my right hon. Friend the Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup (Mr. Heath), my hon. Friend the Member for Bexleyheath (Mr. Townsend) and the Bexley community health council. Some representations have also been made about funding in other parts of the South East Thames regional health authority.
Cancer (West Cumbria)
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has received the studies implementing recommendations 2 and 3 of the report of the group chaired by Sir Douglas Black on the incidence of cancer in West Cumbria; and if he will make a statement.
The findings of the studies, proposed in recommendations 2 and 3 of the report of the group chaired by Sir Douglas Black on the incidence of cancer in West Cumbria, have not yet been received.
Local Office (Bloomsbury)
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will state, on a daily basis for the last 12 months, in relation to the Bloomsbury office of his Department, Tavistock Square (a) the opening hours of the office, (b) the number of persons attending the office, (c) the average waiting time for those persons and (d) the numbers of persons interviewed, at reception or elsewhere in the office.
I regret that the information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Nurse's Cottage, Aylesbury
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects the nurse's cottage, Wendore Road, Butler's Cross, in Aylesbury to be sold by the Wycombe health authority.
We have consulted the regional health authority, whose responsibility it is, and I understand that the property will be placed on the market in the immediate future.
Mental Health Services
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what discussions have been held with voluntary organisations representing families of people suffering from mental disorder regarding their involvement in decisions on care and the planning of relevant services.
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him by my predecessor on 30 June 1986 at column 414. I should only wish to add that in addition to the 19 mental illness organisations that we support, we also fund 23 mental handicap organisations and are in contact with others we do not fund.
Sugars
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to announce the membership of the COMA sub-panel set up to examine the effects of sugars in the diet.
We expect the Committee on the Medical Aspects of Food Policy to decide on the chairman and membership of its panel on sugars in the diet at its next meeting on 19 December.
Electoral Statistics
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the 20 English non-metropolitan
| Electorate | 1981–86 growth | |||
| Non-metropolitan county (ranked by percentage growth) | 1981 registerj | 1986 register | Increase in electorate | Percentage increase |
| Buckinghamshire | 410,448 | 451,984 | 41,536 | 10·1 |
| Cambridgeshire | 427,090 | 464,302 | 37,212 | 8·7 |
| Berkshire | 499,355 | 541,110 | 41,755 | 8·4 |
| Dorset | 468,256 | 505,904 | 37,648 | 8·0 |
| Northamptonshire | 386,691 | 417,648 | 30,957 | 8·0 |
| Wiltshire | 382,304 | 410,378 | 28,074 | 7·3 |
| Somerset | 322,743 | 346,357 | 23,614 | 7·3 |
| Shropshire | 276,235 | 296,269 | 20,034 | 7·3 |
| Hampshire | 1,082,565 | 1,159,401 | 76,836 | 7·1 |
| Cornwall and Isles of Scilly | 326,312 | 348,464 | 22,152 | 6·8 |
| Oxfordshire | 385,767 | 411,611 | 25,844 | 6·7 |
| Devon | 712,628 | 759,902 | 47,274 | 6·6 |
| Hereford and Worcester | 472,385 | 502,608 | 30,223 | 6·4 |
| Lincolnshire | 409,031 | 434,030 | 24,999 | 6·1 |
| Suffolk | 436,564 | 462,145 | 25,581 | 5·9 |
| Bedfordshire | 360,513 | 381,590 | 21,077 | 5·8 |
| West Sussex | 518,911 | 547,523 | 28,612 | 5·5 |
| Norfolk | 531,896 | 560,512 | 28,616 | 5·4 |
| Essex | 1,109,513 | 1,167,926 | 58,413 | 5·3 |
| North Yorkshire | 509,076 | 535,410 | 26,334 | 5·2 |
Retirement Pensions
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether a man is entitled to his retirement pension from the date of his 65th birthday; and whether a woman is entitled to his retirement pension from the date of her 60th birthday.
If the retirement and contribution conditions are satisfied, state retirement pension is payable from the first pay day following minimum pension age, which is 65 for a man and 60 for a woman. A married woman can receive a retirement pension based on the national insurance contributions paid by her husband, but it is not payable until the husband claims his own pension.
Community Care
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what direction he has given to regional health authorities regarding the application of funds derived from the sale of assets to the development of community care services.
The instructions to regional health authorities in the National Health Service handbook on land transactions, require that proceeds from the sales of surplus National Health Service land and property should normally accrue to the disposing hospital or the district health authority for re-investment in the service. Proceeds from sales of mental illness or mental handicap hospitals are required to be used specifically for the development of better services for the mentally ill and mentally handicapped including community-based services.
Irradiated Foods
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is in a position to announce his
counties which have shown the greatest percentage of growth in electorate since 1981; and what has been the percentage growth and actual figures in each case.
The information requested is given in the following table:conclusions on the report on the safety and wholesomeness of irradiated foods following the end of the consultation period.
I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the right hon. Member for Brent, East (Mr. Freeson) on 23 October at columns 978–980.
Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation And Representation) Act
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received from the chairman of the social services committee of the Association of Metropolitan Authorities concerning his observations on the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act at the Cardiff social services conference; what reply he is sending; if he will be meeting the association to discuss the Act's implementation; and if he will make a statement.
The chairman of the social services committee of the Association of Metropolitan Authorities wrote to my right hon. Friend on 9 October, and I hope to reply shortly.
Benefit Claims
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the number of benefit claims in action, live load, in August 1979 and August 1986 in (a) Greenock and Port Glasgow, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland as a whole.
The table shows the number of supplementary benefit claims in action—live load—in August 1979 and August 1986 in (a) Greenock and Port Glasgow,(b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland.
August 1979
| August 1986
| |
| Greenock and Port Glasgow | 9,448 | 16,939 |
| Strathclydc | 183,606 | 317,032 |
| Scotland | 316,287 | 547,995 |
Source:100 per cent, count of cases in action.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number of benefit claims awaiting processing, backlog, in August 1979 and August 1986 in (a) Greenock and Port Glasgow, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland as a whole.
Figures for the number of claims awaiting action in local offices are not available for the period before 1983. The number of claims to supplementary benefit awaiting action on 30 August 1983 and 16 August 1986 is as follows:
| 30 August 1983 | 26 August 1986 | |
| Greenock and Port Glasgow | 282 | 585 |
| Strathclyde | 3,745 | 7,473 |
| Scotland as a whole | 8,281 | 15,644 |
Local Office Staffs
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number of staff employed in his Department's local offices in July 1979 and July 1986 in (a) Greenock and Port Glasgow, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland as a whole.
The number of staff in post on 1 July for the requested years is as follows:
| 1979 | 1986 | |
| Greenock and Port Glasgow1 | 211 | 250·5 |
| Strathclyde | 3,933 | 4,401 |
| Scotland | 6,947 | 7,769 |
| 1 The figures for 1979 and 1986 are not strictly comparable because of minor boundary changes in 1982 affecting Greenock. | ||
Single Payments
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what was the total amount of moneys paid out in single payments in 1979 and 1985 by his Department's offices in (a) Greenock and Port Glasgow, (b) Strathclyde region, (c) Scotland and (d) Great Britain as a whole;(2) what was the average amount paid in single payments to claimants in his Department's offices in 1979 and 1985 in
(a) Greenock and Port Glasgow, (b) Strathclyde, (c) Scotland, (d) England and Wales and (e) Great Britain.
The information requested is shown in the tables for years ending early in April. However, the two sets of figures are not directly comparable; single payments replaced exceptional needs payments in November 1980.
Table 1
| ||
Total amount paid
| ||
1979–80 £
| 1985–86 1 £
| |
| Greenock and Port Glasgow | 193,631 | 1,872,494 |
| Strathclyde region | 6,585,310 | 43,802,212 |
| Scotland | 10,019,290 | 71,109,989 |
| Great Britain | 40,031,109 | 334,408,813 |
1 1985–86 figures are provisional. | ||
Table 2
| ||
Average payment
| ||
1979–80 £
| 1985–86 £
| |
| Greenock and Port Glasgow | 39 | 85 |
| Strathclyde | 53 | 81 |
| Scotland | 52 | 88 |
| England and Wales | 34 | 68 |
| Great Britain | 37 | 76 |
Figures are rounded to the nearest £. 1985–86 figures are provisional.
Severe Weather Payments
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what was the total number of severe weather payments paid by his Department to claimants for the month of February 1986 in (a) Greenock and Port Glasgow, (b) Strathclyde, (c) Scotland, and (d) Great Britain as a whole;(2) what was the average amount paid in severe weather payments to claimants for the month of February 1986 in
(a) Greenock and Port Glasgow, (b) Strathclyde, (c) Scotland and (d) Great Britain as a whole.
The information requested is not yet available. Local offices have been asked to make a return giving the total number of payments made and the amounts paid, and I shall write to the hon. Member when this exercise has been completed.
Cervical Screening
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will list those health authorities which have district-wide computerised cervical cancer call and recall schemes in operation;(2) if he will list those health authorities which do not have district-wide cervical cancer call and recall schemes in operation but which have plans to do so, giving the estimated date of introduction in each case.
I shall let the hon. Member have replies as soon as possible.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Sevices if he will list those health authorities which have district-wide computerised cervical cancer recall but not call schemes in operation.
Other than the 22 listed in my reply to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Erdinton (Mr. Corbett) on 24 October, all health authorities were operating a district-wide recall scheme as at 31 March 1986. Comprehensive information on health authorities with computerised recall but not call schemes is not held centrally.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many nurses have been trained exclusively in the private sector in each year since 1979;
(2) how many nurses have received post basic education in the private sector in each year since 1979.
I understand from the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting that the numbers of nurses trained exclusively in the private sector were as follows:
| Year ended 31 March | ||
| 1985 | 1986 | |
| Basic nurse training | 41 | 42 |
| Post basic nurse training | 47 | 48 |
Mccoll Report
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action has so far been taken in regard to the recommendations of the McColl report; when he will be taking any further action; and if he will make a statement.
On publication of the McColl report in January, we asked the National Health Service management board to oversee the programme of action to develop the artificial limb and appliance centre services, and for advice on some of the major issues raised in the report. We also invited interested organisations and individuals to comment. To ensure that action was carried forward quickly, we appointed as an interim measure a general manager to head the Department's new disablement services division.Under the direction of the National Health Service management board and the general manager, a programme of action to improve standards of service where possible immediately is being vigorously pursued. For example, initiatives are being taken to improve transport and appointment arrangements; to ensure the availability of the full range of limb systems at each centre and to reduce delivery times; to introduce more attractive, coloured wheelchairs and a new basic wheelchair for occasional use; to improve management information and financial control systems, including the wider installation of computers; and to develop closer links with other related services for disabled people.We have not yet completed our consideration of future organisational arrangements and certain other policy issues raised by the McColl report. I shall inform the House as soon as conclusions are reached.
Under-Fives' Initiative
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will make a statement about the future of the under-fivess' initiative after April 1987;(2) if he will consider joint transitional funding with the appropriate local authority for those projects started under the under-fives' initiative which have yet to receive firm commitments of funding after 31 March 1987.
The initiative comes to an end on 31 March 1987. The voluntary agencies participating in the initiative have asked the Department to look into the feasibility of setting up a limited scheme of tapering grants after March 1987. This is being considered. The Department will be analysing the impact of the initiative and the lessons to be learnt from the exercise.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list those projects started under the under-fives' initiative, stating which have received firm commitments of funding after 31 March 1987.
At present 32 projects under the under-fives' initiative have secured funding from March 1987 onwards. I shall write to the hon. Member when the complete picture is available.
Radiotherapy Department (Southend)
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to announce his decision on the proposal of the North East Thames regional health authority to close the radiotherapy department in Southend; and what criteria he takes into account in making decisions on such proposals.
[pursuant to the reply, 21 October 1986, c. 870]: North East Thames regional health authority's proposal to close the radiotherapy unit at Southend will be the subject of full public consultation by the district health authority. If the local community health council objects to the proposal and the regional health authority intends to proceed to close the unit, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services will then be asked to make a final decision on the proposed closure, taking account of all relevant factors.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many letters he has received from the general public on the proposal to close Southend's radiotherapy cancer unit; and if he will make a statement.
[pursuant to the reply, 21 October, c. 870]: We have received 10 letters which have been referred by hon. Members, together with about 100 letters direct from members of the general public. All such representations will be taken into account if my right hon. Friend is required to take a final decision on the proposal to close the radiotherapy unit at Southend.
Regional Health Authorities (Gifts)
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will issue guidance to regional health authorities on the propriety of their receiving gifts from district health authorities conditional on specialist facilities being located within their districts; and if he will make a statement.
[pursuant to the reply, 21 October, c. 870]: We are not aware that such guidance may be needed. If my hon. Friend has evidence of a need for guidance of this nature, I would be grateful if he would draw it to my attention. It is for regional health authorities to decide upon the most appropriate location for regional specialist facilities, taking into account all relevant factors.
Southend Health Authority
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to require the North East Thames regional health authority to make good the underfunding of the Southend health authority on the basis of the resource allocation working party formula; and what has been the total of this underfunding over the past five years.
[pursuant to the reply, 21 October, c. 870]: The resource allocation working party formula, first used in 1977–78, demonstrated that the North East Thames regional health authority was overfunded by 13·7 per cent. in that year. The overfunding has been reduced to 9·7 per cent. in 1985–86, and 5·9 per cent. in 1986–87. For 1986–87 the particular difficulties of the region have been recognised, and additional cash of £52·4 million injected.The allocation of funds to Southend health authority is a matter for North East Thames regional health authority, but I understand that net revenue expenditure for Southend has increased from £34·6 million in 1982–83 to £42·3 million in 1985–86, an increase of 6 per cent. in real terms, compared to a regional decrease of 1·1 per cent. over the same period.Recent capital items in Southend health authority include a 20-place day hospital for the elderly at Westcliff hospital. In addition a major development at Rochford hospital costing £5·5 million including a rehabilitation department, four wards for the elderly, and three day hospitals (for the elderly, elderly mentally infirm, and the mentally ill), will be completed by 1988.
Scotland
Community Charge
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, before introducing proposed legislation on the community charge in Scotland he will consult the National Federation of Old Age Pensioners Associations about the consequences for those whose sole income is a retirement pension.
All interested parties had the opportunity to comment on the proposals contained in the Green Paper "Paying for Local Government" (Cmnd. 9714) during the consultation period. My right hon. and learned Friend will take account of all comments made during that period before introducing his legislative proposals.
Argyll And Clyde Health Board
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if the number of medical and nursing staff in the hospital service will be increased when the Argyll and Clyde health board opens its new general hospital in Paisley;(2) if any additional medical services will be offered to the Argyll and Clyde health board when it opens its new general hospital in Paisley.
The new Royal Alexandra hospital will replace the existing acute hospital accommodation in and around Paisley. No additional specialties will be provided but the population will benefit from the replacement of old, unsatisfactory accommodation with a modern hospital complex providing a range of sophisticated and improved facilities. This will lead to higher levels of efficiency and standards of care. No increases in the numbers of medical staff are currently planned but there will be some increase in nurse staffing.
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) whether any auxiliary staff have been declared redundant in the Argyll and Clyde health board area in the last three months;
(2) what percentage of auxiliary hospital jobs will be lost when the Royal Alexandra infirmary closes, and facilities are centred at the new general hospital at Meiklebriggs in Paisley.
No auxiliary staff have been made redundant. There will be a reduction of 18·8 per cent. in the number of jobs in the ancillary services being centralised at the new Royal Alexandra hospital. The reductions will be achieved through natural wastage.
Chairs Of Medicine
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if any chairs of medicine will be located in the Argyll and Clyde health board area when the new general hospital in Paisley opens;(2) what is his policy regarding chairs of medicine in the West of Scotland continuing to be based in Glasgow.
The location of chairs of medicine is a matter for the relevant university, responsibility for which lies with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science. I am not aware, however, of any proposal to site a professorial chair at the Royal Alexandra hospital.
Greater Glasgow Health Board
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what is his policy towards the removal by the health authority of patients in the Greater Glasgow health board area, within which specialist facilities are available;(2) what assessment he makes of the impact of the building of new hospitals in the precincts of the Greater Glasgow health board area on the number of referals in Glasgow; and if he will make the appropriate financial adjustments to lighten the workload.
The new district general hospital at Paisley has been built to provide general acute services to all the residents of the Paisley and Renfrew districts including those who previously had to look to hospitals in Glasgow because of a lack of facilities in Paisley. Patients requiring treatment of a more specialist nature will, however, continue to be referred to the appropriate specialist hospitals in Glasgow. To the extent that the new hospital results in a reduction in the number of referrals into Glasgow, the financial allocations to each health board will automatically be adjusted to allow for the changes in the number of patients being treated in each board.
Cervical Cancer
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many recorded deaths there have been in Scotland in the current year resulting from cervical cancer.
One hundred and two' deaths from cervical cancer2 were recorded in Scotland during the first six months of 1986.
1 Provisional.
2 International Classification of Diseases Code 180.
Leukaemia
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to his replies of 14 July, Official Report, column 666, whether he has received the full study of the incidence of leukaemia in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.
I expect the report of the full study to be published very shortly. A copy will then be placed in the Library, and the results referred to the Committee on the Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment, for advice on the possible need for further investigative work.
Road Passenger Transport (Jobs)
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of (a) the total number of new jobs created and (b) the total number of jobs lost, in the road passenger transport industry in Scotland as a result of the Transport Act 1985.
It is too early to say what the overall effects on employment of the Transport Act 1985 will be. However, the Act gives operators considerable opportunities to develop new services which will mean more jobs, reversing the long term decline of the industry. It will also create other opportunities — for instance, in bus building.
Ferries
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what study he has made of the possibility of establishing a ferry service between Europe and the east coast of Scotland.
None. It is essentially for commercial operators to identify opportunities.
asked the Secretatry of State for Scotland if he will take steps to insure that there is no increase in ferry fares in Scotland in the current financial year.
Generally speaking, fares and tariffs on ferry services are commercial matters for the operators concerned to determine, taking account as necessary of the announced level of Government subsidy for their services. Revenue support for major sea transport services in the current financial year amounts to £13·6 million, which represents a significant subvention for the farepayer.
Buses
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of existing bus services in Scotland have been registered to operate after 26th October 1986 under the Transport Act 1985; and if he will give the respective figure for each region.
Figures for the whole of Scotland are not available. In the study areas of Strathclyde, Lothian and Dumfries and Galloway, the comparative figures for bus departures on weekday timetables, which provide the best available measure at present of changes in the services operated, are as follows:
| November 1985 | October 1986 | Percentage increase | |
| Strathclyde | 8,570 | 9,906 | 16 |
| Lothian | 2,607 | 2,915 | 9 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 466 | 494 | 6 |
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will call for a report from the Chief Constable of Strathclyde about the problems for traffic control caused by the number of buses operating in Glasgow city centre.
No. Section 7 of the Transport Act 1985 enables a traffic authority, in this case Strathclyde regional council, to ask the traffic commissioner to determine traffic regulation conditions to deal with congestion problems. I understand that Strathclyde regional council is already discussing this question with other interested parties.
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many new operators have applied to run bus services in Scotland as a result of the Transport Act 1985.
83 new operator licences have been granted in the Scottish traffic area to operators who have not previously held road service licences. This figure will almost certainly increase as figures for operators of tendered services become available.
Airports
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what as been the loss of jobs at Scottish airports since 1979; and if he will make a statement.
The total number of staff employed at the British Airports Authority's Scottish airports and the Civil Aviation Authority's Highland and Island aerodromes in each year since 1979 is as follows:
| BAA Scottish Airports1 | CAA Airports1 | |
| 1978–79 | 6,677 | 144 |
| 1979–80 | 7,384 | 166 |
| 1980–81 | 7,358 | 165 |
| 1981–82 | 7,202 | 157 |
| 1982–83 | 6,683 | 137 |
| 1983–84 | 6,997 | 128 |
| 1984–85 | 7,186 | 124 |
| 1985–86 | 7,238 | 122 |
| 1 These figures include staff employed by the BAA, the Government, airlines, concessionaires and contractors based at the airports. (Source BAA annual report.) | ||
| 2 These figures exclude Air Traffic Control and Telecommunications staff. (Source CAA.) | ||
Nhs (Expenditure)
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent in the National Health Service in the Greater Glasgow health board in each year since 1980; and if he will express these figures using a gross domestic product deflator for constant prices.
The information is as follows:
| Gross NHS expenditure at cash prices1£ million | At 1984/85 prices as measured by GDP deflator £ million | |
| 1980–81 | 324·710 | 416·797 |
| 1981–82 | 364·281 | 425·572 |
| 1982–83 | 387·187 | 421·873 |
Gross NHS expenditure at cash prices 1 £ million
| At 1984/85 prices as measured by GDP deflator £ million
| |
| 1983–84 | 408·126 | 425·583 |
| 1984–85 | 438·034 | 438·034 |
| 1985–862 | 2462·591 | 2436·394 |
1 Comprising expenditure on hospital and community services, family practitioner services and capital. | ||
2 Provisional figures. | ||
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent in the National Health Service in Argyll and Clyde health board in each year since 1980; and if he will express each of these figures using a gross domestic product deflator for constant prices.
The information is as follows:
| Gross NHS expenditure at cash prices1£ million | At 1984/85 prices as measured by GDP deflator £ million | |
| 1980–81 | 96·138 | 123·403 |
| 1981–82 | 113·284 | 132·358 |
| 1982–83 | 122·350 | 133·311 |
| 1983–84 | 132·917 | 138·602 |
| 1984–85 | 136·727 | 136·727 |
| 1985–862 | 141·3642 | 133·3582 |
| 1 Comprising expenditure on hospital and community services, family practitioner services and capital. | ||
| 2 Provisional figures. | ||
Financial Assistance
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list, for the last year for which figures are available, the total amounts of financial assistance made available for the Scottish Development Agency and the Highland and Islands Development Board, respectively, both in total and per head of the insured population for the areas covered.
| Table showing distribution of Orlit and Blackburn-Orlit dwellings by local authority area Dwellings in private ownership are not included | |||
| Orlit | Blackburn-Orlit | ||
| Reported to be owned by local authority and other public bodies | Currently owned by Scottish Special Housing Association | Reported to be owned by local authority | |
| Central | |||
| Clackmannan | 54 | — | — |
| Falkirk | 452 | — | — |
| Stirling | 272 | — | — |
| Dumfries and Galloway | |||
| Stewartry | 40 | — | — |
| Fife | |||
| Dunfermline | 124 | — | — |
| Kirkcaldy | 175 | — | — |
| Grampian | |||
| Aberdeen City | — | 131 | — |
| Banff and Buchan | 124 | — | — |
| Kincardine and Deeside | 46 | — | — |
| Moray | 50 | — | — |
The information for 1985–86 is set out in the table:
| SDA | HIDB | |
| Total resources made available | ||
| £ million | 127·9 | 39·6 |
| Economically active population | 2,242,650 | 146,320 |
| Per Capita Resources made available £ | 57 | 271 |
Orlit Houses
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report a list of local authorities with Orlit and Orlit-type houses in their area, and, for each local authority and the Scottish Special Housing Association, showing total numbers of houses, numbers demolished, numbers on which remedial work has started and numbers still awaiting attention.
The table lists Scottish local authorities which have publicly owned Orlit or Blackburn-Orlit dwellings in their areas; the numbers reported to be owned by local auhorities and other public bodies excepting the Scottish Special Housing Association; and the numbers now owned by the Scottish Special Housing Association.Information is not held centrally on the numbers demolished or on which remedial works have been undertaken by the local authorities: but the Scottish Special Housing Association has demolished 144 Orlit dwellings and has carried out remedial works on 582 out of the 964 it now owns.In addition, the local authorities own approximately 400 single-storey Orlit bungalows which are not included in the above totals.
Table showing distribution of Orlit and Blackburn-Orlit dwellings by local authority area Dwellings in private ownership are not included
| |||
Orlit
| Blackburn-Orlit
| ||
Reported to be owned by local authority and other public bodies
| Currently owned by Scottish Special Housing Association
| Reported to be owned by local authority
| |
Lothian
| |||
| East Lothian | 208 | — | — |
| Edinburgh City | 602 | 2 | 214 |
| Midlothian | 263 | — | — |
| West Lothian | 217 | — | — |
Strathclyde
| |||
| Argyll and Bute | 77 | — | — |
| Clydebank | — | — | 4 |
| Cumbernauld and Kilsyth | 18 | — | — |
| Cumnock and Doon Valley | 24 | — | — |
| Cunninghame | 54 | 108 | — |
| Dumbarton | 443 | — | — |
| Glasgow City | 453 | 490 | 134 |
| Hamilton | 204 | 106 | — |
| Kyle and Carrick | — | 74 | — |
| Monklands | 104 | — | — |
| Renfrew | 46 | — | — |
| Strathkelvin | 34 | — | — |
Tayside
| |||
| Angus | 105 | — | — |
| Dundee City | 553 | 53 | — |
| Perth and Kinross | 47 | — | — |
Islands
| |||
| Western Isles | 4 | — | — |
| TOTALS | 4,793 | 964 | 352 |
Labour Statistics
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number and percentage of those unemployed in Greenock and Port Glasgow who have been out of work for (a) up to one year, (b) up to two years and (c) up to three years.
At 10 July 1986, the latest date for which information is available, the number of unemployed claimants in the Greenock and Port Glasgow parliamentary constituency by duration, and the percentage each category represents of the total number of unemployed claimants, is shown below. This information is available in the Library.
| Greenock and Port Glasgow parliamentary constituency | ||
| Duration of unemployment | Number of unemployed claimants | Percentage of total number of unemployed claimants |
| Up to 1 year | 4,315 | 51·9 |
| 1 to 2 years | 1,590 | 19·1 |
| 2 to 3 years | 867 | 10·4 |
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will disaggregate the latest available unemployment figures for Greenock and Port Glasgow by age group.
At 10 July 1986, the latest date for which information is available, the number of unemployed claimants disaggregated by age group in the Greenock and Port Glasgow parliamentary constituency is as shown in the table. This information is available in the Library.
Greenock and Port Glasgow parliamentary constituency
| |
Age group
| Number of unemployed claimants
|
| Under 17 | 119 |
| Aged 17 | 345 |
| 18 | 377 |
| 19 | 368 |
| 20–24 | 1,689 |
| 25–29 | 1,136 |
| 30–34 | 830 |
| 35–39 | 761 |
| 40–44 | 701 |
| 45–49 | 656 |
| 50–54 | 612 |
| 55–59 | 628 |
| 60 and over | 100 |
| Total | 8,322 |
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the average number of people unemployed in Greenock and Port Glasgow in each year since 1979.
The information is not available in the precise form requested. For the Greenock and Port Glasgow parliamentary constituency the annual average unemployment from June 1983, the earliest date for which figures are available, to September 1986 is shown in table A. For the Greenock travel-to-work area (which covers a larger area than the constituency but for which the information requested is available) the figures are shown in table B. This information is available in the Library. Due to the various changes which have taken place in the compilation of the unemployment statistics the figures are not directly comparable.
Table A: Greenock and Port Glasgow Parliamentary Constituency
| |
Year
| Average number of unemployed
|
1 1983 | 6,904 |
| 1984 | 7,570 |
| 1985 | 8,319 |
2 1986 | 8,755 |
1 7 months only | |
2 9 months only | |
Table B: Greenock Travel-to-work Area
| |
Year
| Average number of unemployed
|
| 1979 | 5,503 |
| 1980 | 6,861 |
| 1981 | 8,295 |
| 1982 | 8,571 |
| 1983 | 8,248 |
| 1984 | 8,704 |
| 1985 | 9,576 |
1 1986 | 10,133 |
1 9 months only | |
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many young people in Greenock and Port Glasgow have never had a job since leaving school.
At 11 September 1986, the latest date for which information is available, the number of people under the age of 18 in the Greenock and Port Glasgow parliamentary constituency who have never had a job since leaving school totalled 494.
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the number of people in Greenock and Port Glasgow unemployed for one year or more in each year since 1979; and what percentage of the total number of the unemployed they make up in each case.
The information is not available in the precise form requested. For the Greenock and Port Glasgow parliamentary constituency the number of unemployed claimants for one year or more in July of each year from 1983 (the earliest date for which figures are available) and the percentage of the total number of unemployed claimants they represent, is shown in table A. For the Greenock travel-to-work area (which covers a larger area than the constituency but for which the information requested is available) the figures are shown in table B. This information is available in the Library. Due to the various changes in the compilation of the unemployment statistics the figures are not directly comparable.
| Table A: Greenock and Port Glasgow parliamentary constituency | ||
| Year (July) | Number of unemployed claimants over one year | Percentage of total number of unemployed claimants |
| 1983 | 2,970 | 43·4 |
| 1984 | 2,957 | 38·3 |
| 1985 | 3,475 | 42·3 |
| 1986 | 4,007 | 48·1 |
Table B: Greenock travel-to-work area
| ||
Year (July)
| Number of unemployed claimants over one year
| Percentage of total number of unemployed claimanta
|
| 1979 | 1,410 | 24·1 |
| 1980 | 1,608 | 22·5 |
| 1981 | 2,724 | 31·1 |
| 1982 | 3,428 | 39·8 |
| 1983 | 3,263 | 41·0 |
| 1984 | 3,265 | 36·7 |
| 1985 | 3,814 | 40·0 |
| 19861 | 4,419 | 45·4 |
1 Nine months only. | ||
Inverclyde District Council
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will express the housing support grant awarded to Inverclyde district council at constant prices in each year since 1980.
The information is given in the table:
| Housing support grant paid (£) | ||
| Year | At outturn prices | At 1985–86 average prices1 |
| 1980–81 | 6,140,965 | 8,355,737 |
| 1981–82 | 4,443,201 | 5,502,961 |
| 1982–83 | 3,048,261 | 3,520,704 |
| 1983–84 | 1,865,250 | 2,061,802 |
| 1984–85 | 1,162,804 | 1,232,607 |
| 1985–86 | 562,537 | 562,537 |
| 1 Using GDP deflators. | ||
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the percentage level of rate support grant made available to Inverclyde district council and Scotland overall in 1980 and at the latest date.
I shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
Manufacturing Industry
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many persons were working in manufacturing industry in Greenock and Port Glasgow in 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985; and what is the latest available figure.
Comprehensive estimates of the number of people working in manufacturing industry in the Greenock and Port Glasgow area are not available for the period 1979 to 1985. However, the table gives the estimated number of those working in manufacturing plants with over 10 employees in the Greenock travel-to-work area for each year from 1979 to 1985, the latest available year. These estimates are taken from the regional data system. No reliable information is available from this source for plants with less than 10 employees. The estimates for the latest years are provisional.
Year
| Estimated employees in employment
|
| 1979 | 20,900 |
| 1980 | 18,700 |
| 1981 | 17,400 |
| 1982 | 16,300 |
| 1983 | 16,300 |
| 1984 | 14,300 |
| 1985 | 12,400 |
Defence
Maralinga (Clean-Up Costs)
79.
asked the Secretary of State for Defence what response he has made to the request from the Australian Government for a financial contribution to the cost of studies on means of clearing up the Maralinga nuclear test site; what progress has been made on joint technical studies by British and Australian scientists; and if he will make a statement.
Following the report to him by the technical assessment group (TAG), to which the United Kingdom provided two technical experts, Senator Evans requested assistance with a two-year research programme. In London on 3 October 1986 the Minister of State for Defence Procurement agreed, as part of the United Kingdom commitment to provide technical advice, to give support to the research studies which Senator Evans had decided were necessary before practical and cost-effective clean-up options could be fully developed. The two Ministers also recognised that uncertainties about what will be involved in the studies would have to be taken up in a further round of detailed official-level discussions planned to take place in Australia within the next two months.
Nuclear Weapons
asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is his policy towards the statement by United States Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security Policy, Mr. Richard Perle, that fears of a zero option for INF in Europe leading to NATO vulnerability to Soviet conventional superiority are unfounded;(2) what is his policy towards the statement by United States Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security Policy, Mr. Richard Perle, that a zero option for INF in Europe will not impair flexible response, nor the United States guarantee to defend Europe.
I indicated the Government's view of the INF zero option in my reply to the right hon. Member for Llanelli (Mr. Davies) on 23 October, at column 1294. An INF agreement on the basis I indicated would not impair NATO's security or invalidate either the strategy of flexible response or the United States' commitment to the defence of the NATO European countries.
asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy towards the statement by United States Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security Policy, Mr. Richard Perle, that Soviet short-range INF missiles are not at significantly higher levels than in 1976.
Since the mid-1970s the Soviet Union has been modernising its shorter-range intermediate and short range nuclear missile forces. There has been some net increase in numbers over this period, and the newly deployed systems such as the SS21 and the SS23 are more capable than their predecessors. In addition the older system Scaleboard (range 900 km) is now deployed forward into East Germany and Czechoslavia which was not the case 10 years ago. These are significant developments.
asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assessment he has made of the likely impact of an agreement to withdraw all INF missiles from Europe on the implementation of the Montebello decision to reduce and redistribute the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's nuclear stockpile;(2) what assessment has been made of the implications of an agreement to withdraw all INF missiles from Europe for the emphasis on nuclear roles for dual-capable INF aircraft such as the F111;(3) what assessment has been made of the likely impact of an agreement to withdraw all cruise, Pershing 2 and SS20 missiles from Europe on North Atlantic Treaty Organisation plans to deploy a new generation of chemical and short-range INF weapons.
It is too early to be able to assess what could be the precise implications of a zero option long-range INF agreement for NATO's future tactical nuclear plans and weapons procurement programmes. A significant factor would be the terms and nature of the collateral constraints applying to shorter-range systems which have still to be determined.
asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy towards deployment by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation of the W79 nuclear warhead.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Sheffield (Mr. Caborn) on 20 January, at columns 90·91, and to the latest communique of the NATO nuclear planning group, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. No decisions have been taken regarding the modernisation of the battlefield nuclear weapons of British forces.
asked the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 30 June, column 438, if he will list the reasons given by those other states participating at the Geneva conference on disarmament for their rejection of Her Majesty's Government's proposal for an ad hoc committee to discuss seismological verification of a comprehensive nuclear weapons test ban.
I have been asked to reply.The difference between the draft mandate for an ad hoc committee proposed by the United Kingdom together with a number of Western countries and those proposed by others is that the Western mandate does not envisage the immediate resumption of negotiations, while those other mandates do.
asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy towards regular meetings with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Ministers for the purpose of discussing means of advancing the resolution of the technical difficulties associated with verifying a comprehensive nuclear weapons test ban.
I have been asked to reply.
While nuclear testing issues are discussed in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, for example at the recent meeting of the nuclear planning group, NATO is not the appropriate forum to discuss the resolution of the technical difficulties associated with verifying a comprehensive nuclear test ban. As we have made clear to the House on numerous occasions, we hope to see further work on such issues at the conference on disarmament in Geneva.