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Mrs. Rumbold : Exemptions for project licence-holders to acquire dogs from non-designated suppliers have been granted in only a very small number of cases. No exemptions have been granted for cats. Statistics on the total number of animals supplied are not available centrally and there are no plans to collect them for publication in the annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals.
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many inspections of suppliers given temporary licences under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to supply non purpose-bred cats and dogs to designated establishments are made each year by the Home Office inspectorate.
Mrs. Rumbold : Inspectors have powers to inspect only designated establishments. Exemptions have been granted
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to enable project licence-holders at scientific procedure establishments to obtain animals from non-designated sources. If questions were to arise about the health or quality of the animals, exemptions would not be granted or would be withdrawn.Police Operations
Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been killed in police pursuits (a) excluding and (b) including police officers in each of the last five years in England and Wales, respectively.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The available information for 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990 is contained in the reports of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary for those years, copies of which are in the Library. This information was not recorded centrally in 1986 and earlier years and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
WALES
Drinking Water (Lead Pollution)
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the number of houses in Wales that have drinking water containing lead levels above those permitted by EC standards ; and if he will indicate the location of those properties.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The information requested is not centrally available.
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will estimate the number of houses in Wales that would be required to remove lead plumbing if the permitted level of lead in drinking water is changed from 0.05 mg per litre to 0.01 mg per litre.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : This information is not available centrally.
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information is held by his Department on the number of houses in Wales having lead plumbing.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The Welsh House Condition Survey for 1981 estimated that 188,400 houses in Wales had lead plumbing.
Public Registers
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish all those locations in Wales where the public can examine the public registers held by (a) the National Rivers Authority and (b) the Welsh Water Company.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The locations are as follows :
(a) Caernarfon, Cardiff, Haverfordwest, Lampeter, Mold, Monmouth, Swansea.
(b) Aberaeron, Bangor, Brecon, Haverfordwest, Mold, Nelson, Swansea.
Contaminated Land
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will estimate the cost of decontaminating all contaminated land in Wales.
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Mr. Nicholas Bennett : This information is not available.
Hospital Closures
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what discussions he has had with the chairman of the South Glamorgan health authority concerning the completion of treatment as in-patients for those presently undergoing treatment at the children's ward, Prince of Wales orthopaedic hospital, Rhydlafar, near Cardiff, on or shortly after its announced closure date of 30 April ;
(2) if he will issue guidelines to health authorities to which he has granted consent to close wards or hospitals not to implement those closures until the in-patients in situ have completed their in-patient treatment.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : As the implementation of approved service changes is a matter for health authorities, I have not discussed the timing of the transfer of the children's orthopaedic service in South Glamorgan with the chairman of the district health authority. Nor do I have plans to issue any general guidance on this particular aspect of service planning.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Gwilym Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action he proposes to take to alleviate short-term cash flow difficulties experienced by local authorities in Wales as a result of the Community Charges (General Reduction) Act 1991.
Mr. David Hunt : I announced on 19 March my intention to pay community charge grant to Welsh local authorities in accordance with the Community Charges (General Reduction) Act 1991. Parliamentary approval of this new expenditure will be sought in a supplementary estimate on the rate rebates, Wales vote, class XVI, vote 11. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure is being met by repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund. An advance of £45 million has already been made to cover payments
DEFENCE
Aldermaston
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the welding fault problems in the A90 and A91 buildings at Aldermaston.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The work to rectify problems associated with welds in A90 was completed in April 1990. Further details may be found in the evidence given by my Department to the Select Committee on Defence and published in the reports "The progress of the Trident Programme", 5th of Session 1988-89 and 9th of Session 1989-90 (HC 374 and HC 237). During the commissioning of the A91 facility a different problem has been identified associated with corrosion in pipework and vessels. The problem is being investigated and solutions identified.
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the A90 building is to be closed either fully or partially ; and what will happen to staff at Aldermaston.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : No. The problem associated with corrosion in pipework and vessels is in the A91 facility and
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not A90. As a result the training schedules of a small number of the future operators of A91 are being revised whilst the problem is investigated.Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the present problems at Aldermaston will affect the timetable for the Trident warhead production.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : We do not expect any adverse effect on the Trident warhead production programme.
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what will be the cost of rectifying the problems on the A90 and A91 buildings at Aldermaston.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The work to rectify the problems in A90 was completed in April 1990. It is not the practice to disclose details of individual contract costs for reasons of commercial
confidentiality. Further details may be found in the evidence given by my Department to the Select Committee on Defence and published in the reports "The progress of the Trident Programme", 5th of Session 1988-89 and 9th of Session 1989-90 (HC 374 and HC 237). The investigations into the problems with A91 are at an early stage and it is not yet possible to estimate the cost of any corrective action that may be necessary.
Main Battle Tank
Mr. Clelland : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Elmet (Mr. Batiste) of 19 March, Official Report column 90, if he is now in a position to say when he expects to announce which company has been chosen to provide main battle tanks to replace the Chieftain tank.
Mr. Alan Clark : I have nothing to add to the answer that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Elmet (Mr. Batiste) on 19 March at column 90.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Immigration Appeals
Mr. Madden : To ask the Attorney-General what is the average time between (a) a request for a hearing date and (b) a hearing date being set for immigration appeals in Leeds.
The Attorney-General : The average time between a request for a hearing date and a hearing date being set for immigration appeals in Leeds is estimated to be five to six months.
Mr. Madden : To ask the Attorney-General what action is being taken to reduce delays in hearing immigration appeals in Leeds ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : The Lord Chancellor's Department is actively considering increasing the number of hearing rooms available at Coronet house, Leeds for hearing immigration appeals, and has since 1989 increased the number of staff and adjudicators at Leeds. It is also planned to establish a permanent centre in Scotland for processing Scottish immigration appeals which will reduce the workload and pressure at the Leeds centre, which currently processess Scottish appeals. The Lord Chancellor's Department is also keeping under review facilities and staffing levels at all hearing centres in light of the increasing number of appeals.
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Mr. Madden : To ask the Attorney-General what action is being taken to reduce delays in immigration appeal papers, received in London from British overseas posts, being forwarded to the representatives of the parties ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : The immigration appellate authorities have recently introduced streamlined procedures for the initial collation and dispatch of appeal papers received at Thanat house from posts overseas, and now aim to dispatch them to the parties representatives in this country within three weeks of their receipt. This is a significant improvement on the previous position of eight to 12 weeks.
Mr. Madden : To ask the Attorney-General when the appeal of Mr. Mohammed Ashraf (TH/13446190) against refusal to grant him entry clearance to the United Kingdom is to be heard in Leeds ; when he first applied to enter the United Kingdom ; when he was interviewed by the British high commission in Islamabad ; when his appeal was received by the post ; when his papers were received in London ; when papers were sent to Mr. Ashraf's representative ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : The immigration appellate authorities (IAA) expect the appeal of Mr. Mohammed Ashraf to be heard in Leeds in September 1991. Mr. Ashraf applied to enter the United Kingdom on 28 November 1988, and was interviewed by the entry clearance officer at Islamabad on 14 December 1989 and 3 May 1990. The entry clearance officer refused Mr. Ashraf's application on 24 May 1990 and on 4 July 1990 the high commission at Islamabad received Mr. Ashraf's appeal. The IAA in London received Mr. Ashraf's appeal papers on 16 August 1990 and after collating them the IAA sent the case papers to Mr. Ashraf's representatives in this country on 13 November 1990. On 1 March 1991 Mr. Ashraf's representatives indicated to the IAA that they are ready to proceed to hearing.
The delay in the listing of this case at Leeds is regrettable and the Lord Chancellor's Department is currently taking steps to increase the hearing room capacity of the Leeds centre in order to reduce delays there.
Mr. Madden : To ask the Attorney-General how many (a) staff and (b) adjudicators are retained in Leeds concerned with immigration appeals ; and if he will give figures for the comparable period of the last three years.
The Attorney-General : The information requested is as follows :
Adjudicators
|Staff
April |in post |Full-time|Part-time
--------------------------------------------------
1988 |6 |1 |9
1989 |6" |1 |9
1990 |6" |1 |13
1991 |8 |1 |13
Mr. Madden : To ask the Attorney-General how many immigration appeals in Leeds were in the past three years, to date, (a) heard and (b) adjourned at the request of the parties or for other reasons ; and what is the average delay between a hearing and determination being issued.
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The Attorney-General : The immigration appellate authorities (IAA) do not record details of the number of appeals adjourned. The number of immigration appeals heard in Leeds in the past three calendar years is as follows :
|Number
---------------------
1988 |<1>926
1989 |1,513
1990 |1,276
<1> The figure for
1988 includes cases
heard in Scotland.
Adjudicators at Leeds are on average able to prepare their determination within four weeks of the hearing. Thereafter, it takes on average two or three weeks for the determination to be typed and issued to the parties.
EMPLOYMENT
Mining (Hazardous Substances)
Mr. Cummings : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will bring forward legislation to enable the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988 to be applied to mining in deep mines ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : The Health and Safety Commission has made no proposals to my right hon. and learned Friend concerning the application of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988 underground in mines. However, the Health and Safety Executive is currently reviewing mining legislation. In the course of the review it will consider whether it is now appropriate to apply these regulations below ground.
Dock Accidents
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many accidents were reported to the Health and Safety Executive in (a) Grimsby and Immingham docks, (b) Hull docks and (c) London docks in each year for 1979 and 1990 inclusive.
Mr. Jackson : The information is not readily available in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The following table shows the number of injuries occurring in the sea transport, port and inland water transport industries in (a) Grimsby and Immingham (b) Hull and (c) London reported to the Health and Safety Executive's factory and agricultural inspectorates between 1986/87 and 1989/90 (provisional) under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985.
Number of Injuries
-----------------------------------
Grimsby
and Immingham<2> |71|60|54|39
Hull<3> |53|57|52|34
London<4> |13|16|16|9
<1>Years beginning 1 April.
<2>Grimsby and Cleethorpes Local
Authority District.
<3>Kingston-upon-Hull Local
Authority District.
<4>Greater London Local Authority
District.
<5>Provisional.
Unit Labour Costs
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the percentage change in unit labour costs in (a) Britain and (b) Germany in the last 12 months.
Mr. Jackson : Unit wage costs in mining and manufacturing in the former Federal Republic of Germany rose by 1.9 per cent. in the year to the third quarter of 1990, which is the latest available information. In the same period unit wage costs in manufacturing in the United Kingdom rose by 9.3 per cent.
Employment Training
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the qualifications that were achieved by clients for each six- month period of employment training since its inception.
Mr. Jackson : The following table gives the percentage breakdown of the qualifications gained by trainees leaving employment training between July 1989 and September 1990.
Employment training
Breakdown of the qualifications gained by leavers
between July 1989 to September 1990
Qualification |July 1989 |January |July 1990
|to |1990 |to
|December |to |September
|1989 |June 1990 |1990
|(per cent.) |(per cent.) |(per cent.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
City and Guilds |39 |38 |37
RSA |28 |32 |30
Pitmans |12 |10 |10
SCOTVEC |11 |12 |11
BTEC-TEC |2 |2 |3
GCSE |2 |1 |2
London Chamber of
Commerce & Industry |1 |2 |4
Other |20 |20 |21
Note: Percentage totals add up to more than 100 per cent. because
trainees may obtain more than one type of qualification.
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of employment training trainees had employer placements in each month since the scheme's inception.
Mr. Jackson : The information is not available in the precise format requested.
However, information is available quarterly as shown in the table.
Employment training (Great
Britain totals)
Percentage of trainees on
training placements with
employers for
each quarter September 1989 to
September 1990
|Great
|Britain
-------------------------------
September 1989 |23
December 1989 |24
March 1990 |25
June 1990 |27
September 1990 |25
Training and Enterprise Councils
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what matters he has discussed with the group of 10 TEC chairmen ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Jackson : I have discussed a number of issues relating to training and enterprise and the framework within which TECs operate with the group of 10 TEC chairmen. I find these meetings particularly useful as a way of hearing views directly from TEC chairmen.Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many non-seconded staff are directly employed by TECs.
Mr. Jackson : As at 10 April 1991, 216 staff were employed by training and enterprise councils, in publicly funded posts. TECs are also able to employ other directly recruited staff using their own resources.
Youth Training
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many young people under 18 years in the London borough of Newham who are not employed have not had a youth training opportunity offered to them.
Mr. Jackson : The London borough of Newham is part of the area covered by the London East training and enterprise council. LETEC has a clear contractual duty to ensure that every young person under 18 not in school or a job who is seeking YT entry should have the offer, and if necessary re-offers of a suitable training place. LETEC has approached the local careers service seeking further information on the position in Newham. LETEC and the Employment Department are jointly committed to maintaining the YT guarantee.
Employment Service
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of unemployed claimants receive caseload treatment by the Employment Service.
Mr. Jackson : Questions on operational matters in the Employment Service executive agency are the responsibility of Mike Fogden, the agency's chief executive, to whom I have referred this question for reply.
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage increase in funding the Employment Service has received to cope with increased unemployment.
Mr. Jackson : My right hon. and learned Friend announced on 20 March that the Employment Service was to receive £55 million in extra resources for 1991-92 to help unemployed people back to work. This represents an increase of some 8 per cent. in the Employment Service's running costs.
Training Programmes (Expenditure)
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the level at 1991 prices of Government expenditure on special employment and training programmes in 1988-89.
Mr. Jackson : Government expenditure on special employment and training programmes in 1988-89 was £3,091.6 million at 1991-92 prices.
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Payment of Accounts
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he has taken to assist the self-employed small business person to obtain timely payment of legitimate accounts rendered to large companies.
Mr. Jackson : Cash flow is a vital factor in the efficient running of all businesses, and any delays in obtaining payment for work done are particularly damaging for self-employed people and small businesses. It is vital that large companies recognise their responsibilities to small suppliers by settling accounts promptly. The Government are therefore taking action to strengthen their encouragement of the voluntary adoption of good payment practice and to foster closer co-operation betweeen buyers and sellers. As part of this initiative, my Department will shortly be issuing a revised booklet on credit management for small firms, and is sponsoring a new guide on good payment practice by the Institute of Credit Management which will be specifically aimed at larger companies. These publications will be widely distributed and publicised.
The Government themselves are giving a further lead. Each of the major spending Departments will be monitoring its own payment performance this year, and the results will be published.
HEALTH
Cholesterol
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he has any plans to launch a national education programme, similar to those in the United States, relating to consumer awareness of cholesterol levels ;
(2) what guidance his Department gives on the issue of whether, independently of lowering dietary fat intake, increased consumption of oat bran can reduce blood cholesterol ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) what information his Department holds on a causal link between high blood cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease ; (4) if he has evaluated the relative cost-effectiveness of (a) treatment and (b) public health programmes designed to lower blood cholesterol.
Mr. Dorrell : The Standing Medical Advisory Committee reported last year on the cost-effectiveness of opportunistic cholesterol testing, a copy of which is available in the Library. Annex 1 to the report details evidence from a large number of studies showing
"a direct and consistent association between blood cholesterol levels and the incidence of coronary heart disease. This association has all the characteristics of a causal relationship".
Because the committee identified divergent medical opinion in this area, it was decided to issue the report for widespread consultation. A large number of responses has been received and these are now being analysed. We expect to be in a position to reach conclusions on the findings soon.
Recommendations in the report have implications for a national education programme. In considering the results of the consultation exercise we will have regard to the need for public education specifically about cholesterol levels.
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The Government already give advice on healthy eating which encourages the adoption of a balanced overall diet. Oat bran, like any other food, can form part of a healthy diet. There is insufficient evidence at present to give specific advice about the role of oat bran in reducing blood cholesterol.Passive Smoking
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has received the Health Education Authority's report on passive smoking ; and what response he will make to its findings and recommendations.
Mr. Dorrell : We welcome the publication of this report. The Government have for some time publicised the dangers of passive smoking and encouraged the introduction of smoking policies in the workplace and in public places. By providing clear and up-to-date information, the booklet serves to keep the issue in the public eye and to maintain the progress which is being made.
Adoption
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the review of inter-country adoption will be published ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The first consultative document of the adoption law review, "The nature and effect of adoption--discussion paper No. 1", a copy of which is available in the Library, has been issued and the responses are being considered. Further consultative documents will follow including one on inter-country adoption. Issue of this paper has been deferred until after the meeting of the special commission of the Hague conference on private international law which begins on 22 April so that a preliminary report of the outcome of the meeting can be included in the law review paper and comments sought.
Kidney Disease
Mr. Ian Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of renal dialysis units and nephrologists within (a) Wessex regional health authority and (b) other regional health authorities within the United Kingdom.
Mr. Dorrell : The table shows the number of NHS dialysis and transplant units and nephrologists employed by region in England, and the totals for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Region Number of Number of Nephrologists
Renal Dialysis/ (and Whole time equiv's)
|Transplant Units
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wessex |1 |7 |(6.6)
Northern |3 |22 |(19.1)
Yorkshire |3 |13 |(12.6)
Trent |5 |22 |(22.0)
East Anglia |4 |4 |(4.0)
NW Thames |6 |15 |(14.0)
NE Thames |7 |27 |(24.3)
SE Thames |6 |38 |(34.1)
SW Thames |2 |4 |(4.0)
Oxford |3 |11 |(9.6)
South Western |4 |12 |(11.0)
West Midlands |8 |6 |(4.9)
Mersey |5 |10 |(10.0)
Northern Western |5 |16 |(15.4)
Wales |5 |2 |(1.1)
Scotland |13 |17 |(17.0)
Northern Ireland |1 |11 |(11.0)
Manpower figures include permanent paid and honorary staff.
Mr. Ian Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of surviving renal transplant patients per million population within Wessex regional health authority ; and what is the United Kingdom average per million.
Mr. Dorrell : Information is not available in the form requested. According to the latest information provided by the United Kingdom transplant support services, the patient survival rate one year after transplantation in 1987-88 was 88 per cent. for Wessex and 92 per cent. for the United Kingdom.
This information is based on a follow-up study of 1,750 patients, including 74 in Wessex, receiving first cadaveric kidney transplants.
Mr. Ian Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the demand for renal services within Wessex regional health authority ; and what is the relative rate of treatment per million population for end-stage renal failure in Wessex and other regional health authorities within the United Kingdom.
Mr. Dorrell : No assessment specific to Wessex has been undertaken. The need for renal services will be reviewed as part of the purchasing process in 1991-92. These services have expanded steadily in Wessex over the last few years, and no patient whom consultants believe to require treatment has knowingly been turned away. According to information provided by the European Dialysis and Transplant Association, the number of new patients per million population accepted for treatment of end-stage renal failure during 1988, the last year for which complete data are available, by regional health authority is as follows :
Region |Treatment for
|end stage renal
|failure in 1988
|(pmp)
--------------------------------------------------
Wessex |44.8
Northern |58.4
Yorkshire |44.2
Trent |49.1
East Anglia |65.0
North West Thames |49.7
North East Thames |61.1
South East Thames |76.1
South West Thames |23.3
Oxford |50.4
South Western |51.2
West Midlands |52.0
Mersey |34.6
North Western |83.8
Wales |66.4
Scotland |62.8
Northern Ireland |42.5
Column 285
British Fluoridation Society
Mr. Butterfill : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the benefit accruing from the annual grant made to the British Fluoridation Society.
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