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Column 331
Written Answers to Questions
Friday 3 March 1989
HOME DEPARTMENT
POLICE
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will call for reports from the appropriate chief constables, for the most recent five years for which figures are available, as to how many police officers were allocated to duties in (a) Derby, (b) Preston, (c) Darlington, (d) Slough, (e) Luton and (f) Gloucester ;
(2) how many assaults on police officers have been recorded, for the most recent five years for which figures are available, in (a) Derby, (b) Preston, (c) Darlington, (d) Slough, (e) Luton and (f) Gloucester.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The available information on police strength is as follows. Information on assaults on police officers is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
|c|Police manpower|c|
Strength as at 31
December<1>
|1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988
------------------------------------------------------------------
Derby division |545 |545 |545 |547 |544
Preston division |307 |304 |367 |367 |366
Darlington sub-division |136 |143 |154 |150 |160
Slough sub-division |181 |175 |<1>185|<2>146|146
Luton division |291 |291 |294 |299 |300
Gloucester sub-division |207 |208 |220 |227 |245
<1> In all cases the police area extends beyond the boundary of
the town.
<2> Part of the Slough sub-division was transferred to Windsor
resulting in a lower establishment and strength at Slough.
Pet Animals
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Gower 9 December 1988, Official Report, column 353, he has now completed his consultations regarding the European convention for the protection of pet animals ; and if the United Kingdom will sign the convention, without any reservations on Article 10 on surgical operations.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : No. Consultations on this convention are continuing.
Criminal Offences
Mr. Randall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list all new criminal offences enacted since 1979 ; if he will give details of the maximum penalty for each new criminal offence enacted since 1979 ; and if he will list all criminal offences abolished by legislation since 1979 ;
(2) how many criminal offences were (a) created and (b) abolished by legislation between 1974 and 1979.
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Mr. John Patten : We maintain no running record of criminal offences created or abolished. The information requested could be extracted from the statutes themselves only at disproportionate cost.
Poll Cards
Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he has given to making it a statutory requirement for official poll cards to be issued for parish and community council elections ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Poll cards have to be issued at all parish and community elections where, as is the case with the great majority of such elections, they are combined with the poll for another election. Consideration was given, at the time of the making of the Local Elections (Parishes and Communities) Rules 1986, to making a poll card mandatory at all parish and community elections, but this would have obliged parishes and communities to meet relatively substantial costs even where they felt they could not afford to.
Grants (Cumbria)
Mr. Franks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if his Department has made any grants directly to Cumbria county council between 1974 and 1979 ;
(2) what grants his Department made directly to Cumbria county council since 1985.
Mr. Hurd : My Department paid specific grant contributions to Cumbria county council during the period 1974 to 1979 towards the costs incurred by the council in funding the police, magistrates' courts and probation services in the county as well as civil defence provision and has continued to do so in all subsequent years. Grant has been paid at the rate of 80 per cent. of eligible expenditure for the magistrates' courts and probation service and 50 per cent. for the police service until the financial year 1986-87 and 51 per cent. thereafter. Civil defence expenditure has been grant aided either 75 per cent. or 100 per cent. throughout the period depending on the nature of the expenditure.
Entry Clearance
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of the case of Miss FR whose fiance , Mr. JNA (reference A421085/2(S)) has applied for entry clearance.
Mr. Renton : Mr. JNA's application was referred to the Home Office by the entry clearance officer in Islamabad so that an interview could be arranged with Miss FR. The interview was carried out on 9 January 1989 at Manchester airport and a report of the interview was sent to the entry clearance officer in Islamabad on 24 February. His decision is awaited. As I undertook in my letter of 15 November to the hon. Member, I shall inform him of the outcome as soon as a decision has been reached.
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Forensic Science Service
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many professional staff left the Home Office forensic science service, other than on retirement on age grounds in each of the years 1986, 1987 and 1988 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The number of scientific staff (including professional and technical grades) leaving the forensic science service, other than on retirement on age grounds were as follows :
|1986|1987|1988
---------------------------------------
Resignations:
ASO |24 |12 |12
SO |10 |10 |19
HSO |6 |2 |3
SSO |4 |2 |3
|-- |-- |--
|44 |26 |37
Transfer |5 |3 |1
Medical retirement |1 |1 |-
|-- |-- |--
Total |50 |30 |38
Prisoners (Ethnic Background)
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of prisoners held on remand in jails in Nottingham, London and Tyneside are from an ethnic minority ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg [holding answer 23 February 1989] : The latest readily available information is given in the table. Prisoners remanded in custody by courts in Nottinghamshire are normally received into Leicester and Lincoln prisons together with prisoners from Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire ; remand prisoners from Tyne and Wear are normally received into Durham prison and Low Newton remand centre together with those from Cleveland, Cumbria, Northumberland and North Yorkshire.
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|c|Remand prisoners held in specified Prison Service establishments on 30 June 1988: by ethnic origin and type of remand|c|
Percentage
Establishment and type of |White |Minority ethnic origins |Not recorded refused |Total
prisoner
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leicester and Lincoln:
Untried |88 |10 |2 |100
Convicted unsentenced |94 |5 |1 |100
London:<1>
Untried |56 |37 |6 |100
Convicted unsentenced |76 |20 |4 |100
Durham and Low Newton:
Untried |90 |1 |9 |100
Convicted unsentenced |93 |- |7 |100
<1> Brixton, Feltham, Holloway, Latchmere House, Pentonville, Wandsworth and Wormwood Scrubs.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Schools Inspectorate
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what were the results of the inspection of Skegness grammar school, Lincolnshire, and Audenshaw high school, Tameside, by Her Majesty's inspectors.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : There have been no formal reporting inspections of these schools in the recent past. In accordance with their normal practice for dealing with statutory proposals affecting schools, Her Majesty's inspectorate provided me with professional advice on the educational merits of the schools' proposals to become
grant-maintained based on their knowledge of the schools concerned, including knowledge gained through recent visits. As with advice on other statutory proposals involving schools this advice was provided in confidence. I took account of it in my recent decisions to approve the proposals for grant-maintained status from these schools.
Grants and Loans
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the names of the non-statutory organisations and bodies in receipt of grant or loans from
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his Department in 1988-89, stating in each case the amount, whether a grant or loan and the brief purpose of making the grant or loan.Mr. Kenneth Baker : My Department makes grants to a wide variety of bodies. In addition to capital grants and loans to voluntary aided schools ; grants to non-maintained special schools and establishments for the handicapped ; direct grants to nursery schools ; grants to city technology colleges ; and grants to the Royal College of Art, Cranfield institute of technology and to grant-aided colleges, the following bodies are in receipt of grants in 1988-89 ;
Youth Service
Grants are paid in support of the headquarters activities of national youth organisations and for youth service provision to the following bodies :
|c|Provision in 1988-89|c|
|£
----------------------------------------------------------------
Army Cadet Force Association |4,260
Association of Jewish Youth |25,740
Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland |24,900
Bedfordshire Council for Voluntary Youth
Services |9,500
Birmingham Young Volunteers |25,960
Boys' Brigade |39,737
Briars Residential Centre |33,446
British Council of Churches |24,000
British Deaf Association |13,200
British Red Cross Society |9,960
British Trust for Conservation Volunteers |29,280
British Youth Council |152,000
Broadless Trust |31,177
Campaigners |15,240
Catholic Youth Services |43,900
Church Army |28,847
Church Lads' Brigade and Church Girls' Brigade |9,060
Church of England Board of Education |42,240
Community Trusts |10,000
Council for Education and Training in Youth and
Community Work |251,000
Council for Environmental Education |40,880
Covenanters |5,040
Duke of Edinburgh's Award |67,920
Endeavour Training |29,520
Fairbridge Drake Society |27,960
Forest Schools Camps |1,680
Frontier Youth Trust |12,660
Girl Guides Association |99,848
Girls' Brigade |21,060
Girls' Venture Corps |24,120
Greater Manchester Youth Association |20,000
Horse Rangers Association |1,860
Inter-Action |49,780
International Voluntary Service |4,800
Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade |5,640
JMB Development Training |6,000
Kielder Adventure Centre |34,843
Leaving Home Project |25,000
Lubavitch Foundation |5,160
Methodist Association of Youth Clubs |114,280
National Association of Boys' Clubs |175,410
National Association of Muslim Youth |20,280
National Association of Young People's
Counselling and Advisory Services |48,000
National Council for Voluntary Youth Services |145,000
National Federation of 18+ Groups |33,300
National Federation of Gateway Clubs |39,600
National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs |84,480
National Organisation for Work with Girls and
Young Women |40,460
National PHAB |52,020
National Youth Bureau |552,000
National Youth Choir |2,040
National Youth Orchestra |4,680
National Youth Theatre |42,780
New Treatment Church of God |10,800
Ocean Youth Club |21,990
Outward Bound Trust |220,980
Quaker Home Service |33,860
Rathbone Society |25,560
Reform Synagogues of Great Britain |7,920
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds |4,500
Sail Training Association |5,700
St. John Ambulance Brigade |9,480
Salvation Army |12,960
Scout Association |65,820
Sea Cadet Association |11,640
SPLASH |3,900
Union of Maccabi Associations |26,686
United Kingdom Federation of Jazz Bands |7,080
United Reform Church |61,460
West Central |12,100
Woodcraft Folk |10,740
Young Christian Workers |19,860
Young Men's Christian Association |559,822
Young Men's Association of Wales |28,750
Young Women's Christian Association |90,821
Youth Clubs United Kingdom |255,360
Youth Hostels Association |43,480
Adult Education
Grants are made for the provision of courses for adults by long-term residential colleges, university extra-mural
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departments and the Workers' Educational Association, and to various national associations for educational services for adults :
|c|Provision in 1988-89|c|
|£
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Long Term Residential Colleges |<1>1,610,000
University Extra-Mural Departments |<1>6,152,020
Workers' Educational Association |<1>2,801,940
National Associations
Adult Literarcy and Basic Skills Unit |2,466,000
British Chess Federation |37,300
British Theatre Association |14,200
Educational Centres Association |6,300
National Association of Women's Clubs |27,100
National Federation of Community Organisations |25,950
National Federation of Women's Institute |15,600
National Institute of Adult Continuing Education |118,925
National Institute of Adult Continuing Education
(REPLAN) |1,159,000
National Union of Townswomen's Guilds |13,940
National Women's Register |5,840
Pre-Retirement Association |73,595
Trades Union Congress |787,028
Unit for the Development of Adult Continuing
Education |289,000
University of the Third Age |2,400
Workers' Educational Association (National
Office) |56,705
Workers' Educational Association (In-Service
Training) |54,850
<1>Academic year.
Other bodies
Grants are paid in respect of specified educational services for the following bodies :
|c|Provision in 1988-89|c|
|£
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bristol Exploratory |5,000
British Academy |5,578,000
British Association for Early Childhood Education |9,410
British Association for the Advancement of Science:
Young Investigators |30,000
British Association for Teachers of the Handicapped |24,000
British Association for the Education and Welfare of
the Visual Handicapped |5,000
British Association for Irish Studies |5,400
British Physics Olympiad |5,000
British Universities Film and Video Council Ltd. |150,000
Careers Research Advisory Centre |15,760
Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges |1,941,430
Centre for Information on Language Teaching and
Research |395,000
City Technology Colleges Trust |90,000
Christian Education Movement |35,000
Community Service Volunteers School Advisory
Service |50,792
Conference for Higher Education, Art and Design
(Germinations Art Exhibition) |5,000
Council for Education in World Citizenship |38,000
Council for Pre-Vocational Education |110,500
Craft, Design and Technology: Wolff Olins Design
Dimension |25,000
Educational Counselling and Credit Transfer
Information Service |789,860
Educational Disadvantage Projects:
National Out of Schools Alliance |10,000
National Council for Mother Tongue
Teaching |10,000
Refugee Education and Training Advisory
Service |11,900
Commission for Racial Equality |18,712
Project Fullemploy-Windsor Fellowship
Scheme |2,000
Commonwealth Institute Artists and
Craftspeople in Education Project |720
Industrial Society |15,000
European Schools |2,443,000
European School Culham |462,000
European University Institute |1,182,000
Family Welfare Association: Educational Grant
Advisory Service |20,000
Fun Promotions: Alcohol and Drug Education |10,000
Further Education Unit |3,354,000
Industry Matters |4,000
International Baccalaureate Office |16,490
International Musician Seminar (Music Master
Class) |4,000
Joint United States-United Kingdom Educational
Commission |300,000
League for the Exchange of Commonwealth
Teachers |472,470
Leicester University Centre for Teaching and
Development in Social and Moral Education |4,500
National Academic Recognition Centre |10,903
National Association for Gifted Children |20,000
National Association of Governors and Managers |20,000
National Bureau for Handicapped Students |32,000
National Children's Bureau |39,000
National Choral Competition: Music for Youth |51,271
National Committee for Mathematical Contests |5,000
National Congress for Language in Education |1,000
National Council for Educational Technology |4,554,000
National Council for Vocational Qualifications |1,500,000
National Foundation for Educational Research |15,000
National Sub-titling for the Deaf |16,000
Pre-School Playgroup Association |153,000
Polytechnics Central Admissions System |31,745
Primary Education Study Group |1,000
Professional, Industrial and Commercial Updating
Programme (PICKUP) |1,610,000
Project Trident |20,500
Radio One: Alcohol and Drug Education |10,000
School Curriculum Awards |10,000
School/Industry Understanding:
Understanding Industry |17,500
Royal Society of Arts Industry Matters
Initiative |20,000
Schools Curriculum Industry Partnership |28,250
Standing Conference on Education for International
Understanding |6,000
Standing Conference on Schools Science and
Technology |43,000
Teaching as a Career Unit |375,000
UK-EEC Education Information Centre |50,000
United Kingdom Centre for European Education |18,500
United Kingdom Council for Overseas Student
Affairs |110,000
Voluntary Sector Consultative Council |119,276
World Organisation for Early Childhood Education |1,000
Single European Act
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assessment he has made of the impact that the Single European Act will have on his Department's operation of domestic policy ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : Education does not fall within the scope of the original EEC treaty and the Single European Act has not altered that situation. The Act will therefore have no direct impact upon the operation of domestic education policy. But the Government actively support co- operation between the member states in education matters, and we expect that the completion of the single European market will, over time, influence the demands made upon the education service by the employment sector.
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Special Educational Needs
Mr. Latham : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) whether he will describe the arrangements which he will require for funding additional teaching hours in respect of a child transferred at age 11 years with a statement of special educational needs to a grant maintained school, where such funding would otherwise have been provided centrally by the local education authority ;
(2) what will be the continuing responsibility of a local education authority to provide additional staff or material resources in respect of pupils with statements of special educational needs after a school attains grant mantained status ;
(3) whether he will outline the methods and criteria by which he will resolve disputes between a grant maintained school and the local education authority over the allocation of resources in respect of a child which the school considers to be in need of formal assessment of special educational needs, but where the authority considers that the school is failing to perform their educational duties satisfactorily.
Mrs. Rumbold : Local education authorities have responsibility under the Education Act 1981 for the assessment of children in their area who have, or may have, special educational needs which require the LEA to determine the special educational provision necessary to meet those needs. In such cases the LEA is required to make a statement specifying the special educational provision and to make such provision available. This duty extends to pupils placed in grant-maintained schools. Where a pupil with a statement is placed in a grant-maintained school, it will be for the authority to make available any additional resources required.
Mr. Latham : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will outline the arrangements which will be made to ensure that a pupil at a primary school with a statement of special educational needs is effectively reviewed by the local education authority prior to transferring to a grant maintained secondary school.
Mrs. Rumbold : Local education authorities have a duty under the Education Act 1981 to review at least annually statements they have made for pupils with special education needs. This means that all such children will be reviewed in their last year of primary school, regardless of whether they will be transferring to a grant-maintained secondary school.
School Expeditions
Mr. Latham : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will set up a central fund administered by his Department to assist grant maintained schools with remissions of costs incurred on school expeditions, where it is no longer legally possible to make formal charges to parents, such a fund to match the remissions proposed in such circumstances by the local education authority.
Mrs. Rumbold : Grant-maintained schools will receive in annual maintenance grant funding at the level they could have expected from their former maintaining authority, including an apportionment of the authority's
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central costs. This will include an apportionment of any provision made by the authority for remission of costs incurred on school expeditions.Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Latham : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make it his policy not to regard it as an adverse factor, in deciding upon an application for grant maintained status, that the school in question accepts children from the ages of 11 to 14 years only, coming from a locally maintained primary school and proceeding to a locally maintained upper school with age range 14 to 19 years.
Mrs. Rumbold : All secondary and middle-deemed secondary schools are eligible to apply for grant-maintained status irrespective of age range. My right hon. Friend considers all proposals on their merits.
Mr. Latham : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will outline the methods and criteria by which he will resolve disputes between the apportionment of expenditure on a defective roof at a grant-maintained school where the governors consider that the defect is an inherent problem of construction requiring capital expenditure and the local education authority consider it to be a maintenance responsibility.
Mrs. Rumbold : Both maintenance and capital expenditure at a grant- maintained school will be the responsibility of the school governing body ; the local education authority will not be involved. Grant-maintained schools will be able to apply to the Department for capital grant at 100 per cent. to cover approved capital expenditure, including expenditure on major structural repairs. My right hon. Friend will consider bids for capital grants from grant-maintained schools on their merits in the light of the resources available.
Mr. Latham : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will outline the methods and criteria by which he will resolve disputes between a grant-maintained school and the local education authority if the authority were to change the catchment areas of the primary schools feeding the grant-maintained school to that school's disadvantage.
Mrs. Rumbold : The admissions arrangements for a grant-maintained school will be as agreed with my right hon. Friend and included in the school's articles of government. They will not normally be affected by admissions arrangements for primary schools.
Schools (Opting Out)
Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the advantages he has identified for schools which opt out of local education authority control.
Mrs. Rumbold : Grant-maintained schools will be free to manage themselves as they think best within the law. Parents will enjoy enhanced influence over their conduct. Greater diversity within the maintained education system will lead to healthy competition, and thereby foster higher educational standards all round. My right hon. Friend has already approved proposals from three schools to become grant-maintained. Many more are following in their footsteps.
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Teachers' Pay
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what response he has made to those sections of the recent report of the interim advisory committee on teachers' pay which deal with remuneration and morale in the profession.
Mrs. Rumbold : My right hon. Friend announced on 16 February, in answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. Pawsey), Official Report columns 323-24 , that he proposed to accept in full the recommendations contained in the second report of the interim advisory committee on school teachers' pay and conditions.
National Curriculum (Foreign Languages)
Mr. Knapman : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science which modern foreign languages he proposes to specify for inclusion in the national curriculum.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : I am proposing to make an order, jointly with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, under section 3(2)(b) of the Education Reform Act 1988 specifying two groups of modern foreign languages for the purposes of the national curriculum. Initially this order will apply to the requirement that pupils in key stage 3--aged approximately 11 to 14 years old--should study all the national curriculum foundation subjects, including a modern foreign language, for a reasonable time. That requirement was the subject of a commencement order made on 6 February 1989 which comes into force in England for most such pupils on 1 August 1989. My right hon. Friend is to make a commencement order bringing that requirement into force for pupils in Wales on 1 August 1989 for the core subjects, and on 1 August 1990 for the other foundation subjects including the modern foreign language.
The first group of languages will consist of the working languages of the European Community (Danish, Dutch, French, German, modern Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish), and maintained schools will be required to offer pupils the opportunity to study at least one of these. The second group will include non-EC languages (Arabic, Bengali, Gujerati, Hindi, Japanese, Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish, Urdu). Maintained schools will be allowed, but not required, to offer one or more of these in addition to those in the first group, as the national curriculum modern foreign language. The order will not restrict the choice from among the languages a school offers.
The order does not affect the provision of second and subsequent modern languages, or classical languages, which remains at schools' discretion outside the national curriculum.
I have today issued for consultation a draft of the order and of an accompanying circular. Copies have been placed in the Library. I am inviting comments from bodies representing local authorities, schools, teachers, churches, language professions, pupils with special educational needs, ethnic minority groups, industry and commerce, and others, by 14 April. Subject to the outcome of the consultations, I expect to publish the final circular and make an order around the end of April, to come into effect on 1 August 1989.
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My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales is undertaking parallel consultations in Wales.PRIME MINISTER
Statistical Services
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Prime Minister what action will be taken following the recent reviews of the Government statistical services ; and if she will place copies of the reviews in the Library.
The Prime Minister : The Government are considering the report of the review established last summer on Government economic statistics. An announcement of the Government's conclusions and publication of the report will take place shortly.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Information Technology
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement of progress on the introduction of information technologies to facilitate internal communications in his Department and the provision of information to the public concerning those areas for which he is responsible ; and if he has any further plans to apply the newest technologies in these fields.
Mr. Forth : As part of the Department's agreed IT strategy a number of developments are taking place which will facilitate internal communications in the Department. These include :
a programme, now virtually complete, to replace aging telephone exchanges with modern digital equipment ;
an electronic mail pilot currently serving 1,000 staff ; a data communications network linking some 2,000 computer terminals to central computers ;
increasing use of FAX, with machines being installed at the rate of one a week.
Future plans include the use of videoconference facilities and public access to DTI databases containing company and export information, security and data protection withstanding.
Domestic Accidents
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many accidents to children occurred in the home in each year since 1978 involving (a) cleaning products, (b) internal glass doors and (c) cookers, excluding hot plates, rings and hobs.
Mr. Forth [holding answer 2 March 1989] : National estimates of the number of accidents to children involving cleaning products, glass doors and cookers, excluding hot plates, rings and hobs are shown in the table. These estimates are based on accident details provided by the 20 participating hospitals in the home accident surveillance system and evaluated by the research section of the consumer safety unit. Information prior to 1980 is not available in this form.
Year |Cleaning products|Glass doors<1> |Cookers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1980 |7,000 |15,000 |3,600 1981 |11,500 |15,600 |3,400 1982 |11,300 |13,000 |2,700 1983 |10,000 |13,500 |2,400 1984 |10,000 |15,000 |2,400 1985 |8,000 |12,000 |2,600 1986 |8,200 |9,700 |2,400 1987 |7,800 |9,600 |2,400 <1> The figures for glass doors include internal and outer doors as the accident data does not distinguish between them.
Labelling
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to regulate products bearing eco labels in the light of current European Commission proposals for the introduction of a pan- European label ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth [holding answer 7 February 1989] : None.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Private Members' Bills
Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the Lord President of the council if he will name the most recent Bill introduced under the private Members' procedures which received Royal Assent without having bee allocated any additional time by the Governnent of the day and which had a division of either Second or Third Reading ; and if he will indicate the date upon which that Royal Assent was given.
Mr. Wakeham : The House divided on the Third Reading of the Motor Vehicles (Wearing of Rear Seat Belts by Children) Bill on Friday 13 May 1988. Royal Assent was given to the Bill on Tuesday 28 June 1988.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Lawyers
Mr. McCusker : To ask the Attorney-General, how many (a) Queen's Counsel, (b) junior counsel and (c) solicitors are currently practising in Northern Ireland.
The Attorney-General : There are 31 Queen's counsel and 285 junior counsel practising in Northern Ireland. 1,210 solicitors hold practising certificates.
Immigration
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Attorney-General if he will give details of current times from application to hearing of an appeal against refusal of entry clearance for applicants appealing at different places in the Indian sub-continent.
The Attorney-General : Statistics about the time taken to complete individual appeals are not available. Neither are any statistics available on the time taken by the immigration appellate authorities to process appeals from different parts of the Indian sub-continent once they arrive at the appellate authorities' offices in London. It is, however, estimated that the current time taken from application to the hearing of appeals against refusal of entry clearance for appliants appealing at different places in the Indian sub-cpontinent is as follows :
(a) From receipt of the notice of appeal lodged at posts in the Indian sub- continent to preparation of the
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entry clearance officer's explanatory statement and despatch of the papers to the appellate authorities in London :
|months
------------------------
Dacca |2-5
Islamabad |3
Karachi |1-3
New Delhi |2-3
Madras |1
Bombay |3
Calcutta |1
(b) From receipt of the notice of appeal by the appellate authorities in London to despatch of the appeal papers to both parties' representatives in the United Kingdom : 4-8 weeks. (
(c) From receipt of papers by both parties' representatives to the issue by each party of a certificate of readiness to proceed : this is in the hands of the parties, and times vary from a few weeks to several months. If no response is received within nine months the appeal is automatically listed for hearing.
(d) From certification of readiness to proceed to the hearing date : up to 6 weeks, but longer where the parties request adjournments.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Short Bros.
Mr. Ken Hargreaves : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress he has made with the privatisation of Short Bros. plc.
Mr. Tom King : I have now received six preliminary proposals from interested parties for the purchase of the company. I have asked two of these to submit final
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proposals by 30 April 1989. These are Bombardier Inc. and a joint proposal from GEC/Fokker. I am considering whether a further proposal should also be included.Land Acquisition and Compensation
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how often the powers embodied in the Land Acquisition and Compensation (Northern Ireland) Order 1973, article 9, have been used in each year since it came into force ; and what were the total reductions in cash terms in each of those years or, if more convenient, financial years.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 28 February 1989] : The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, but the number of such cases in any year resulting in reductions are thought likely to have been very few.
WALES
NHS Staff
Mr. Henderson : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was (a) the number of ancillary staffs employed in the National Health Service in Wales as of 30 September 1988, excluding nurse auxiliaries ; (b) the number of whole-time equivalents in Wales ; (c) the average hours of ancillary staffs by grade, together with average pay by grade ; and (d) the average hours of part-time ancillary staffs by grade and average pay, broken down by male and female for each of categories (b) , (c) and (d).
Mr. Grist : The information requested is shown in the table.
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|c|NHS Ancillary staff (excluding Nurse auxiliaries)|c|
(a) 12, 461<1>
(b) Total whole time equivalents Male Female
9,117 2,951 6,166
(c) and (d):
Average hours Estimated average
worked<2> gross weekly earnings (£
per week)<2>
Grade Full-time Part-time Full-time Part-time
|Male |Female|Male |Female|Male |Female|Male |Female
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Non Supervisors and chargehands
Scale A |44.7 |40.7 |27.8 |24.5 |131 |113 |75 |67
B |45.8 |40.9 |33.6 |26.5 |134 |116 |92 |69
C |45.4 |42.6 |<3>- |29.4 |154 |135 |<3>- |92
D |<3>- |<3>- |<4>- |25.1 |<3>- |<3>- |<4>- |81
Supervisors
Scale I |44.3 |41.3 |<3>- |28.3 |148 |136 |<3>- |92
II |46.3 |41.3 |<4>- |33.3 |169 |145 |<4>- |109
III |46.9 |42.6 |<3>- |<3>- |169 |130 |<3>- |<3>-
IV |46.2 |<3>- |<4>- |<3>- |170 |<3>- |<4>- |<3>-
<1> As at September 1988.
<2> For the last full week of the 1987-88 financial year, grades containing small numbers of
staff are not shown.
<3> Numbers of staff in these grades are too small to provide reliable figures.
<4> Not applicable-no staff in grade.
Column 345
TRANSPORT
Roads (Hampshire)
Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been Hampshire county council's allocation for spending on roads each year since 1979 expressed in (a) cash terms, (b) real terms and (c) as a percentage increase or decrease on each previous year.
Column 346
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The present capital allocation system was introduced under the Local Government Planning and Land Act, 1980 and commenced in 1981-82. The previous system, called loans sanctions, is not comparable with the present system. Figures for 1979-80 and 1980-81 are therefore not included. Details of Hampshie county council's capital allocation for roads are given in the following table.
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