Written Answers
Prison Medical Officers: Secondment To Broadmoor
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will confirm that the scheme for seconding prison medical officers to Broadmoor for a few months, which had to be terminated in 1976 because the shortage of prison medical officers made it impossible to spare them from their normal duties, is now to be reintroduced; whether the practical arrangements, when worked out, will be published; and whether they will now consider extending the scheme so that doctors in the special hospitals can be seconded for periods of a few months to the dispersal prisons.
The scheme was reintroduced in September 1982 with the secondment of a prison medical officer to Broadmoor hospital for six months. We hope to arrange two secondments each year but we do not propose to publish the detailed practical arrangements. There are no present plans to introduce arrangements for doctors in the special hospitals to serve in prisons, but this possibility will be considered.
Prisoners: Draft Convention On Transfer
asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the present state of negotiations on the Council of Europe draft convention on exchanges of prisoners; when the final text will be available for public inspection; when Her Majesty's Government intend to sign the convention; and whether they will assist any Private Member of either House in drafting legislation giving effect to the convention, and providing time for such a bill.
A draft Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons is at present being considered by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The final text will be available for public inspection when it is agreed by the Committee of Ministers. Her Majesty's Government have yet taken no decision about signature of the convention by the United Kingdom or about legislation on the subject.
New Roads: Costs
asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the current estimates for:—
The estimated costs at November 1981 prices are as follows:
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will summarise the proposed new arrangements for bans on wildfowling in severe weather; by which organisations the review was carried out; whether the proposals were favoured unanimously; what reservations, if any, the Government have; how a ban would be publicised; and whether they will give an assurance that they would not again call off a ban without consulting the Nature Conservancy Council.
The Government have received the report of the Working Group on shooting bans in severe weather and are considering its findings and recommendations. The group consisted of representatives of the Nature Conservancy Council, Wildfowl Trust, British Association for Shooting and Conservation, British Trust for Ornithology, British Field Sports Society, the Game Conservancy, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and University of Durham, who have produced a unanimous report. The Government have never called off a ban without consulting the NCC and do not intend to do so in the future. I will write to my noble friend giving him a summary of the proposals, including the procedure for publicity, as soon as the Government have reached a decision on the recommendations.
The Western Isles: Integrated Development Programme
asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Government's response to the House of Commons Agriculture Committee's First Report will be sent to the Committee in the near future. It would be inappropriate to comment on individual issues raised by the report in advance of the response.
Marriages: Incumbents' Quarterly Returns
asked Her Majesty's Government:Why Circular GRO No. 5/1982 Appendix A issued by the General Register Office requires imcumbents now to pay postage for the quarterly return of marriages which they are required by law to make.
The standing instruction to registration officers that a prepaid addressed label should be enclosed for reply when requesting quarterly returns of marriages for incumbents was deleted in error by Circular GRO 5/1982. This error, which is regretted, was corrected by Circular GRO 10/1982 issued on 13th July, and imcumbents should now receive either a stamped or prepaid addressed label with such a request.
Occupational Pensions Board Report
asked Her Majesty's Government:When they expect to publish the report of the Occupational Pensions Board on the greater security for occupational pension rights and expectations.
The Occupational Pensions Board has sent my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Social Services its report on Greater Security for the Rights and Expectations of Members of Occupational Pension Schemes: its report is being published todayWe would like to take this opportunity of thanking the hoard for what is clearly a very thorough examination of the issues. In particular my right honourable friend would like to express his appreciation to the former chairman of the hoard, Lord Brimelow, for his achievement in securing the delivery of this valuable report to us before he retired, within the time limit originally envisaged for the report.The Government welcome the recommendations in the board's report, in particular those concerning the disclosure of information to members. This is one of the most important ways of helping pension scheme members themselves to ensure that their schemes are managed in their best interests—a matter to which the Government attach the utmost importance. The Government therefore accept in principle the need for legislation to regulate this aspect of pension scheme management, and my right honourable friend will be consulting interested parties about the content of such legislation. In addition, a working party of officials is being set up to examine the law and conventions governing the content of pension funds. The Government will welcome representations from the public and from any organisation with an interest in the matters mentioned above and discussed fully in the hoard's report. It would be helpful if representations could he sent to my department by the end of December 1982.I would like to take this opportunity to say something about the Government's view on the previous board report on early leavers. We have had a considerable number of representations and comments, for which we are most grateful. There is a clear recognition, which the Government share, that the rules of private sector occupational pension schemes do not always give a fair deal to early leavers, who suffer in comparison with the pension rights available for those who stay in a single pensionable employment up to pension age. To legislate so as to compel employers to improve provision for early leavers would however inevitably impose extra cost on industry, and—as the OPB recognised—the crucial question is how and to what extent this extra burden could reasonably be imposed. We must bear in mind that there will be wide differences in the abilities of different companies to afford improvements in their pension schemes. On balance, therefore, my right honourable friend does not propose to introduce immediate legislation to compel such improvements, but he will continue to keep the proposal of legislation under review.
The Government are nevertheless most anxious that pension schemes should introduce improvements for early leavers whenever they can. We therefore urge employers to include, in any consultations they may have on further changes in their pension scheme provisions, the possibility of achieving some such improvements. Leavers tend not to have any say in the running of the pension schemes they have left, and their interests are only too easily overlooked. In the interests of equity, and indeed also in the interest of improving job mobility, the Government will be looking initially to the pensions movement to secure improvements without legislation. I recognise that other members of occupational pension schemes, in particular existing pensioners, also have a claim for a fair deal, and indeed in its report on security and solvency the board itself expresses the hope that any improvements in the revaluation given to early leavers' rights will also be made available to existing pensioners. These constraints are fully understood; but the Government still look to employers to make progress.
My right honourable friend will be inviting the joint working group on occupational pensions to meet with him from time to time to review progress and he will be carefully watching the progress achieved in considering the introduction of legislation.
The CBI has recently issued guidelines to employers, urging them to remember the rights and expectations of early leavers when they are able to introduce improvements, and to explore ways of achieving this with their advisers and scheme members. The Government welcome this encouragement to go ahead with such improvements wherever possible.
The Government will be seeking a discussion with the NEDC later this year, to see how best we can still further encourage improvements in this particular field.
There is one recommendation in the OPB's report which my right honourable friend can implement without primary legislation, but by regulations. This is its recommendation to prohibit the practice, known as "franking" whereby some schemes implement the limited measure of revaluation required by the contracting-out requirements by simply allowing a corresponding erosion of those occupational pension rights which exceed the contracted-out guaranteed minimum pension. He will be putting to the Occupational Pensions Board draft regulations to prohibit this practice in relation to pension rights accruing in the future, and I hope that, in the light of the board's report to him on those regulations, my right honourable friend will he able to introduce them in the first half of next year. We announce this now as an indication of the Government's desire to secure a fairer deal for early leavers and of our anxiety that employers should consider with utmost care how they can help.
The Windhoek Observer: Court Case
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will seek, in co-operation with their Western allies, to end the power of the South African security authorities to control the Press in
Namibia as revealed in the court case regarding charges against the editor of the
Windhoek Observer.
The Minister Of State, Foreign And Commonwealth
No. We do not think it appropriate to take an initiative of this kind. We understand that the editor of the Windhoek Observer has paid his fine, and that publication of the newspaper is likely to continue.