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Road Relief Schemes
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his latest estimate of the completion date of the Brynglas tunnels, Malpas road relief schemes.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The current contract completion date is July 1994.
Quarrying
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will state his Department's policy towards the creation of coastal super- quarries.
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Mr. Gwilym Jones : The potential for coastal super-quarries will be taken into account in the current review of mineral planning guidance note 6 on the provision for aggregates in England and Wales. Individual applications will of course be considered on their merits, having full regard to all environmental considerations.
Long-term Illness
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of Welsh households in 1991 included someone with a long-term limiting illness.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : These figures are not available centrally. However, the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS) have published a selection of 1991 Census results in the county monitor series (CEN 91 CM). A provisional figure for Wales as a whole can be derived from these rounded county statistics ; it is that respondents in 32 per cent. of households adjudged that there were one or more persons in the household with a long-term limiting illness or disability. This included persons whose long term illness or disability was due to old age. National level results are expected to be released by OPCS in November 1992.
Wales Promotional World Tour
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give details of the costs to (a) his direct departmental budget, (b) the Welsh Development Agency, (c) the Wales Tourist Board and (d) other public bodies of the current Wales promotional world tour ; if he will specify how many persons from each body are attending each leg of the tour ; if he will publish a list of (a) business meetings, (b) cultural events, (c) exhibitions and (d) social events being undertaken by each group on each leg of the tour ; what special literature has been printed for the tour and what arrangements have been made for shipping it ; if he will place a copy in the Library of the prior cost-benefit analysis of the resourcing and purposes of the exercise ; if he will institute an evaluation of the exercise after its completion and place a copy in the Library ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : I have just returned from an inward investment mission to North America, Korea, Japan and Hong Kong leading a team of up to four officials from the Welsh Office. I shall write to the hon. Gentleman with the costs when I have full details, but I expect them to be in the region of £75,000.
The Welsh Development Agency was represented by three people in the United States, two in Korea, three in Japan and two in Hong Kong. Several of the WDA representatives are based overseas and would have been overseas anyway irrespective of the mission itself.
The Wales Tourist Board was not involved in the mission and no other public bodies were involved.
For reasons of commercial confidentiality, it would not be appropriate to list each engagement, but in the 12 days I undertook 56 official engagements, 32 of which were directly business-related and four were cultural. The remainder consisted of engagements such as ministerial meetings, seminars and media interviews.
No special literature was prepared for the mission. All such missions are carefully planned to ensure good value for money, and locations and engagements are chosen in order to maximise the potential benefits to Wales. Full
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results will take time to become apparent, but I am confident that the mission will help significantly to maintain Wales's excellent inward investment record.River Loughor
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will serve a notice on the Welsh region of the National Rivers Authority requiring the stretch of the River Loughor which is categorised as level 3 of the national water classification scheme to meet a system of statutory water quality objectives.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The National Rivers Authority (NRA) recently published its recommendations for a scheme of water quality classification for setting statutory water quality objectives. The authority's recommendations are currently being considered by the Government and we expect to be consulting widely in due course about our own proposals for implementing the scheme with the aim of starting to introduce statutory water quality objectives gradually from 1993.
In the meantime the NRA is determined to prevent any deterioration in the quality of the River Loughor and to achieve improvements, where possible, consistent with the existing non-statutory river quality objectives.
Flood Defences
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to introduce new protective measures to avoid inundation by tidal waters of the Peterstone/St Brides and Crindau areas of Newport, Gwent.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The National Rivers Authority, relevant local authorities and Caldicot and Wentlooge Drainage Board have powers to undertake sea defence works to protect from inundation by tidal waters the Peterstone/St. Brides and Crindau areas of Newport, Gwent. The Department is prepared to grant aid eligible schemes for the improvement of defence in these areas.
Business Projects in Africa
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the work undertaken by his Department in developing Welsh business projects in Africa ; and if he will list the projects concerned.
Mr. David Hunt : The Welsh Office does not promote individual overseas business projects. The Department's overseas trade services branch does, however, provide a range of advisory and information services, as well as practical help to Welsh companies who intend to export their goods and services overseas including the continent of Africa.
Air Routes
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all the new air routes that have been established linking Cardiff-Wales airport with other European destinations during 1991 and to date in 1992 ; and what progress has been made by his Department in the development of further new air routes linking Wales with mainland Europe.
Sir Wyn Roberts : New European air routes established out of Cardiff -Wales airport during 1991 and to date in 1992 are as follows :
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1991--ScheduledBelfast City
Brussels
Dublin
Du"sseldorf (subsequently cancelled)
Guernsey
Isle of Man
Jersey
Paris
1992--Scheduled
Aberdeen
1992--Chartered
Turkey
Channel Islands
Lyon
Series of European city day trips (Berlin, Vienna, Rome). The development of further air routes is primarily for the commercial judgment of the airlines and the airport management. However, I understand that new scheduled services to Du"sseldorf and Stuttgart may be introduced by the spring of next year.
Public Expenditure
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the departments spending projects that will not be executed or completed because of alterations in the public spending per head formula relating expenditure per head in Wales preferentially to that in England. Mr. David Hunt : When decisions about future levels of public expenditure have been made, they will be announced in the autumn statement in the normal way.
Community Health Councils
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what have been the outturn sums paid to community health councils in each of the past 10 years and the amount planned for the next financial year ; and if he will publish a table showing the sums indexed with the 1981-82 expenditure expressed as 100. Mr. Gwilym Jones : The information requested on outturn expenditure over the past 10 years is given in the table. It should be noted that this relates to accrued expenditure not simply to cash payments. Planned cash provision in 1992-93 amounts to £1 million ; but it is not possible, at this stage of the financial year, to make reliable forecasts of outturn expenditure in either accruals or cash terms. Provision for 1993-94 has not yet been determined.
Community Health Councils: Expenditure
Financial Year |Outturn |Index<1>
|Expenditure<1>|(1981-82=100)
------------------------------------------------------------
1981-82 |391,973 |100.00
1982-83 |446,085 |106.24
1983-84 |459,334 |104.55
1984-85 |494,656 |107.22
1985-86 |532,667 |109.42
1986-87 |555,632 |110.51
1987-88 |585,557 |110.45
1988-89 |619,690 |109.02
1989-90 |664,475 |109.67
1990-91 |727,760 |111.07
1991-92 |<2>937,288 |133.38
Source: Health authorities annual accounts
<1> Calculated by converting outturn expenditure to
constant 1981-82 prices using the GDP deflator index and
forming the 1981-82=100 indices as presented.
<2> Provisional pending finalisation of 1991-92 accounts.
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Faraday Centres
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the Faraday centres established to date in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : At present there are no Faraday centres in the United Kingdom. The Government are currently considering proposals for such centres and is seeking views from industry.
Crown Buildings, Cardiff
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has for occupation of the space in the Crown Buildings, Cathays Park, vacated by NCM of Amsterdam.
Mr. David Hunt : During the two years before NCM Credit Insurance Ltd is due to vacate the Crown Building at Cathays Park, my Department will be considering future use in consultation with the Department of Environment (Property Holdings) which is ultimately responsible for re- letting the space.
Orthoptic Services
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on orthoptic services in (a) the Clwyd health authority and (b) Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The management and provision of Orthoptic services in Wales is the responsibility of the district health authorities who assess local need and seek to make appropriate provision.
Homelessness
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the number of homeless people in (a) Clwyd, (b) Alyn and Deeside district council area and (c) Wrexham Maelor borough council area.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The numbers of persons in households accepted as homeless during the quarter ending 30 June 1992 under part III of the Housing Act 1985 is given as follows :
Number of persons ------------------------------------------------------ Clwyd |602 Alyn and Deeside |160 Wrexham Maelor |250
Hospital Catering
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he had from the Gardner Merchant subsidiary of Forte plc prior to his awarding the South Glamorgan health authority catering contract at three hospitals ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : It is a matter for South Glamorgan health authority to award the contract but departmental guidance indicates that unless there are compelling reasons otherwise, the contract should be awarded to the lowest tenderer. In this case, the Department has indicated that the lowest tender should be accepted. Gardner Merchant sought clarification of tender procedures and how long it
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would take to resolve the matter. There was no discussion between the Department and Gardner Merchant on the details of its tender.Development Board for Rural Wales
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the Chairman of the Development Board for Rural Wales concerning the recovery of sums spent without authority on the board's executive car leasing scheme.
Mr. David Hunt : None. However, my Department has written to the chief executive of the developmental board requesting that he consider the recovery of any excess costs incurred as a result of the unauthorised payments.
Correspondence
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he proposes to reply to the letters to him dated 11 and 13 August from the hon. Member for Cardiff, West regarding the Welsh Development Agency's employment of unlicensed model agency, SHAPES.
Mr. David Hunt : My right hon. Friend the Minister of State replied in my absence on 27 August.
Labour Statistics
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the monthly totals and average percentage of the unemployment figures for (a) Wales and (b) the areas covered by the valleys inititative for each year from 1987.
Mr. David Hunt : The unemployment data requested for Wales are available from the NOMIS database, which can be accessed on-line by House of Commons Library staff. Unemployment figures for the Valleys area are given in the table :
Unemployment in the Programme for the
Valleys area
|Number<1>|Rate<2>
----------------------------------------
1987
January |44,703 |18.2
February |43,281 |17.7
March |42,001 |17.1
April |41,817 |17.1
May |41,183 |16.8
June |39,682 |16.2
July |39,646 |16.2
August |38,963 |15.9
September |40,237 |16.4
October |37,998 |15.5
November |36,888 |15.0
December |37,073 |15.1
1988
January |37,797 |15.4
February |37,122 |15.1
March |36,234 |14.8
April |37,556 |15.3
May |35,675 |14.6
June |34,435 |14.0
July |33,558 |13.7
August |33,138 |13.5
September |33,391 |13.6
October |30,907 |12.6
November |30,354 |12.4
December |30,292 |12.4
1989
January |30,963 |12.6
February |29,812 |12.1
March |29,095 |11.8
April |28,543 |11.6
May |27,411 |11.2
June |26,279 |10.7
July |26,291 |10.7
August |25,714 |10.5
September |25,928 |10.5
October |24,091 |9.8
November |23,296 |9.5
December |23,677 |9.6
1990
January |24,764 |10.3
February |24,183 |10.0
March |23,797 |9.9
April |23,474 |9.8
May |22,922 |9.5
June |22,417 |9.3
July |23,146 |9.6
August |23,330 |9.7
September |23,647 |9.8
October |23,411 |9.7
November |24,052 |10.0
December |25,559 |10.6
1991
January |27,077 |11.1
February |27,746 |11.4
March |28,995 |11.9
April |30,309 |12.5
May |30,274 |12.5
June |30,144 |12.4
July |31,557 |13.0
August |31,635 |13.0
September |31,751 |13.1
October |30,808 |12.7
November |31,130 |12.8
December |31,987 |13.2
1991
January |33,469 |13.8
February |32,934 |13.6
March |32,271 |13.3
April |32,200 |13.3
May |31,443 |12.9
June |30,845 |12.7
July |31,438 |12.9
August |31,901 |13.1
September |32,310 |13.3
Source: Employment Department.
<1> Unadjusted numbers of unemployed
claimants.
<2> Unemployed claimants expressed as a
percentage of the work force. 1987
rates use the 1988 work force, 1992
rates use 1991 work force figures.
Unemployment in the Programme for the
Valleys area
|Number<1>|Rate<2>
----------------------------------------
1987
January |44,703 |18.2
February |43,281 |17.7
March |42,001 |17.1
April |41,817 |17.1
May |41,183 |16.8
June |39,682 |16.2
July |39,646 |16.2
August |38,963 |15.9
September |40,237 |16.4
October |37,998 |15.5
November |36,888 |15.0
December |37,073 |15.1
1988
January |37,797 |15.4
February |37,122 |15.1
March |36,234 |14.8
April |37,556 |15.3
May |35,675 |14.6
June |34,435 |14.0
July |33,558 |13.7
August |33,138 |13.5
September |33,391 |13.6
October |30,907 |12.6
November |30,354 |12.4
December |30,292 |12.4
1989
January |30,963 |12.6
February |29,812 |12.1
March |29,095 |11.8
April |28,543 |11.6
May |27,411 |11.2
June |26,279 |10.7
July |26,291 |10.7
August |25,714 |10.5
September |25,928 |10.5
October |24,091 |9.8
November |23,296 |9.5
December |23,677 |9.6
1990
January |24,764 |10.3
February |24,183 |10.0
March |23,797 |9.9
April |23,474 |9.8
May |22,922 |9.5
June |22,417 |9.3
July |23,146 |9.6
August |23,330 |9.7
September |23,647 |9.8
October |23,411 |9.7
November |24,052 |10.0
December |25,559 |10.6
1991
January |27,077 |11.1
February |27,746 |11.4
March |28,995 |11.9
April |30,309 |12.5
May |30,274 |12.5
June |30,144 |12.4
July |31,557 |13.0
August |31,635 |13.0
September |31,751 |13.1
October |30,808 |12.7
November |31,130 |12.8
December |31,987 |13.2
1991
January |33,469 |13.8
February |32,934 |13.6
March |32,271 |13.3
April |32,200 |13.3
May |31,443 |12.9
June |30,845 |12.7
July |31,438 |12.9
August |31,901 |13.1
September |32,310 |13.3
Source: Employment Department.
<1> Unadjusted numbers of unemployed
claimants.
<2> Unemployed claimants expressed as a
percentage of the work force. 1987
rates use the 1988 work force, 1992
rates use 1991 work force figures.
Source : Employment Department
Disabled Facilities Grants
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will allocate disabled facilities grants expenditure by local authorities, under the heading of supplementary credit approvals.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : I shall be taking decisions on the 1993-94 allocations for housing capital provision in due course.
Abandoned Mines
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what provision he will be making for public inspection of the duplicates of the British Coal abandoned mine records in Wales at his office ; what charge will be made for consulting and copying thereof ; what account he has taken of the present British Coal charges for the same service ; what consultations he has had with the local planning authorities and construction industry professional groups ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : Extensive consultations took place with interested parties prior to the publication of Command Paper 2034. The duplicate copy of the catalogue of plans is available for public inspection in the land use records office of my Department in Cardiff. There is no charge for this service.
Caldicot Levels
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on progress achieved in the survey of alternative feeding grounds for wading birds on the Caldicot levels, being undertaken for the Cardiff Bay development corporation ; and what provisions he has made of compulsory purchase powers for land assembly.
Mr. David Hunt : The current feasibility study into alternative mitigation measures for birds is in line with the advice of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Countryside Council for Wales. The study is examining the creation of a variety of wetland habitats. The consultants carrying out the study have made an interim presentation and will be making their final report
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later this year. Cardiff Bay Development Corporation commissioned the study jointly with the Land Authority for Wales. I have made no special provisions for compulsory purchase powers, though the land authority has such powers itself.Usk Barrage
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the Government policy on the Usk barrage proposal.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : When the River Usk Barrage Bill was given a Second Reading in another place on 13 July the Government indicated that they had no objection in principle to the powers being sought by Newport borough council. The borough council has now withdrawn the Private Bill and has indicated that it will consider seeking the necessary authority for the construction of the barrage through the order-making provisions of the Transport and Works Act 1992. In view of my possible involvement in the consideration of the Usk barrage proposal under these provisions it would not be appropriate for me to comment.
Severn Bridge Tolls
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to introduce amendments to the Severn Bridges Act 1992 in order to reduce the levels of tolls.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The Government have no plans to reduce the level of tolls at the Severn bridge from the amounts already provided for under the Severn Bridges Act 1992.
Carers in Wales
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of carers in Wales are currently over the age of 65 years.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : There is no centrally held information on the ages of carers in Wales. The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys carried out a study in 1985 and published results for Great Britain which showed that 19 per cent. of male carers and 17 per cent of female carers were aged 65 or over.
Informal Carers : a study carried out on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Security as part of the 1985 General Household Survey.
Means-tested Education Benefits
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many children in Wales qualified for free school meals, uniform or clothing grants and other means-tested educational benefits in 1990-91 and 1991-92 ; and if he will also provide these figures as a percentage of the total school roll.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The number of pupils who qualified for free school meals in 1990-91 and 1991-92 is as follows :
|1990-91|1991-92
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of Pupils |75,753 |87,913
Expressed as the percentage of total on roll |16.1 |18.5
Information on uniform or clothing grants and other means-tested education benefits is not held centrally.
Higher Education Academic Staff
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has to set up a pay review body for Welsh higher education academic staff.
Raw Milk
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement concerning the new arrangements for the sale of raw milk off farms in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : The labelling and testing requirements introduced in 1990 for the sale of raw milk appear to be working well. Interested parties have been consulted on the Milk Marketing Board's proposals for the future of milk marketing. I am considering the responses.
Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he intends regularly to publish a list of schools considering grant-maintained status.
Roads
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement concerning his policy on strategic roads in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : My right hon. Friend's policy on roads is set out in "Roads in Wales : Progress and Plans for the 1990s", the 1992 Supplement and in the Welsh Office Department Report (Cm. 1916).
Wages
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of the (a) male and (b) female Welsh work force receive wages below the national average.
Mr. David Hunt : In April 1992, the average gross weekly earnings of all full-time employees in Great Britain was £304.60.
Information from the April 1992 new earnings survey shows that the proportion of full-time male employees in Wales (on adult rates whose pay was unaffected by absence) earning less than £300 per week was 59.3 per cent. (GB 51.3 per cent.).
The proportion of full-time female employees in Wales earning under £300 per week was 80.9 per cent. (GB 75.9 per cent.).
In interpreting the figures for Wales, it should be borne in mind that because of the shape of the earnings distribution, the percentage of the work force receiving less than national average earnings is more than 50 per cent. even for Great Britain as a whole.
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many employees in Blaenau Gwent (a) are paid less than £3.40 per hour, (b) have weekly or hourly earnings falling below 68 per cent. of adult mean earnings and (c) have weekly earnings which do not exceed the lower earnings limit for national insurance liability.
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Mr. David Hunt : The information requested is not available below county level.
Industrial and Economic Development
Mr. Roger Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take measures to maintain industrial and economic development in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : I have today published my consultation paper on the Welsh Economic Council, which I am placing in the Vote Office and the Library of the House. I have also arranged to send a copy to every Member representing Welsh constituencies.
DEFENCE
Deregulation
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what financial provisions, and how much, he has made within his Department in order to look at the potential for deregulation of each of the regulatory measures for which he has responsibility.
Mr. Aitken : My Department's contribution to the Government's deregulation initiative will be provided from within existing resources.
Nuclear Weapons
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ask the working group on safety of United Kingdom nuclear weapons to review immediately the procedures for dealing with accidents involving nuclear weapons.
Mr. Aitken : In their report of the 13 July, the working group noted that there are well-developed procedures for dealing with accidents involving nuclear weapons. We regularly practise these arrangments which are overseen by the nuclear weapons safety committee, my Department's permanently constituted senior source of independent advice on nuclear weapon safety.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to cease production of plutonium and highly enriched uranium in the United Kingdom, as part of Her Majesty's Government's efforts to halt nuclear weapon proliferation ; and if he will make a statement.
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