House of Commons Hansard Debates for 2 Mar 1993

GP Fundholders

Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many general practitioner fundholders there are in Wales.

Mr. Gwilym Jones : There are 26 general practitioner fundholders in Wales. A further 45 applicants, including three groups of two practices, are preparing to become fundholders from 1 April next.

Disabled People

Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what initiatives he is taking on the training and employment of disabled people ; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Wyn Roberts : There are many initiatives taken locally by training and enterprise councils and by the Employment Service placing, assessment and counselling teams to improve access to training and employment opportunities for disabled people. I fully support all of these and am committed to the widest possible access for all to full participation in the labour market.

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Grant-maintained Schools

Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total number of schools which have held ballots on grant-maintained status ; and how many of them are (a) Anglican and (b) Roman Catholic, listing in each category how many are (i) now operating as grant-maintained schools, (ii) have received approval for grant-maintained status, (iii) have published proposals and are awaiting a decision, (iv) have voted for grant- maintained status but not yet published proposals, (v) have had their proposals rejected and (vi) have voted against grant-maintained status.

Sir Wyn Roberts : Sixteen schools in Wales have balloted the parents of their pupils on the acquisition of grant maintained status. Of these one is an Anglican school and one a Roman Catholic. An application from the former is currently before me ; the Roman Catholic school was incorporated as a grant maintained school on1 January 1992.

Meirionnydd Nant Conwy

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what initiatives are currently being pursued to enhance employment opportunities in the Meirionnydd Nant Conwy constituency ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. David Hunt : My Department, along with the Development Board for Rural Wales, the Welsh Development Agency, Targed and others, have in place very successful initiatives designed to create new jobs and safeguard existing ones. For instance, DBRW schemes alone have helped to create or safeguard over 800 jobs in the Meirionnydd area since 1979. The board is also developing a business park at Penrhyndeudraeth, which is expected to provide up to 750 jobs in premises totalling 250,000 square feet.

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what efforts and initiatives have been pursued in the last 12 months to procure inward investment to Meirionnydd Nant Conwy ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. David Hunt : The Welsh Office, Welsh Development Agency, Development Board for Rural Wales, Targed and local authorities continue to work strenuously to promote inward investment to Meirionnydd Nant Conwy. The Gwynedd marketing initiative has been formed to direct targeted marketing campaigns in the United Kingdom and overseas. Good results are being achieved and three inward investment projects have been recorded for the constituency over the past 12 months.

Development Board for Rural Wales

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to bring forward proposals to widen the remit of the Development Board for Rural Wales, by statute if necessary, to enable the board to assist existing businesses which are enduring difficult financial circumstances ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. David Hunt : I have no such plans. The Development Board for Rural Wales already has wide-ranging powers to assist businesses in Wales.

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Welsh Development Agency

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to bring forward proposals to widen the remit of the Welsh Development Agency, by statute if necessary, to enable the agency to assist existing businesses which are enduring difficult financial circumstances ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. David Hunt : I have no such plans. The Welsh Development Agency already has wide-ranging powers to assist businesses in Wales.

Regional Development Fund

Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with Welsh local authorities and other infrastructure-providing bodies in relation to the levels of (a) base and (b) supplementary credit approvals and the effect of his 1993-94 settlements on applications for European regional development fund assistance ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. David Hunt : These issues have been raised at meetings of the Welsh Consultative Council on Local Government Finance and its capital working group, which are the forums for discussions with local authorities on local government finance issues including capital provision. I chaired meetings of WCCLGF on 26 November and 12 January. The CWG, involving my officials and officers from local authorities, met on 11 January.

I have not had consultations on these issues with other infrastructure- providing bodies in Wales.

Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what response he has received from the European Commission to the proposal to include rural Wales in the list of areas with objective status for European regional development fund assistance.

Mr. David Hunt : The European Commission announced on 24 February their proposals for future objective 1 status which did not include rural Wales (Clwyd, Dyfed, Gwynedd and Powys). I was extremely disappointed by its omission and will be raising this matter with Commissioner Millan when I meet him shortly.

Welsh Office Expenditure

Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what effect functional changes have had for Welsh Office expenditure for 1992-93 and 1993-94.

Mr. David Hunt : I refer the hon. Gentleman to paragraph 1.13 of the 1993 departmental report for the Welsh Office (Cm 2215).

HIV

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many cases of HIV sufferers there were in Wales in 1990-91, 1991-92 and at the latest available date ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gwilym Jones : The cumulative totals of HIV positive cases reported in Wales as at 31 March 1991, 31 March 1992 and 31 December 1992 were 234, 279 and 302 respectively.

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National Health Service Trusts

Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total payment to chairpersons and members of NHS trusts estimated for 1992-93.

Mr. Gwilym Jones : Full details of payments to chairmen and members of national health service trusts are not held centrally. Trust chairmen receive remuneration between £15,125 and £19,285 dependent on the level of income of the trust. Each non-executive director receives remuneration of £5,000 per annum. In addition, travel and other expenses may be payable.

Costs associated with executive directors will be included in the accounts and annual report which each trust is required to make publicly available under the statutory obligation to hold an annual meeting.

Schools

Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total number of maintained (a) primary and (b) secondary schools ; in each case how many are (i) voluntary aided, (ii) voluntary controlled and (iii) grant-maintained ; and how many in each category are Anglican, Roman Catholic, other denominational and

non-denominational.

Sir Wyn Roberts : Information on the number, type and denomination of schools in Wales as at January 1992 is available from the publication "Statistics of Training and Education in Wales : Schools 1993", tables 3.06 and 4.05 for primary and secondary respectively. There were two grant- maintained secondary schools in January 1992, one was classified as voluntary Roman Catholic and the other was classified as county secondary. A further two schools have since become grant maintained, both of which were previously county secondary schools.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Litter

Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions for depositing litter were brought in England and Wales during 1992.

Mr. Jack : In England and Wales in 1991, there were 1,450 prosecutions under the Litter Act 1983, section 1(3), and 223 prosecutions for depositing litter under section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Information for 1992 will not be available until autumn 1993.

Yugoslavia (Refugees)

Mrs. Helen Jackson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many (a) male and (b) female refugees, from former Yugoslavia have been refused access into the United Kingdom over the past six months ;

(2) how many (a) male and (b) remale refugees from former Yugoslavia, have been received into each of the countries of the European Community over the past six months.

Mr. Charles Wardle : In the six months July to December 1992 inclusive, around 4,600 nationals of the

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former Yugoslavia (excluding dependants) applied for asylum in the United Kingdom. Except for certain cases refused on safe third country grounds and under paragraph 101 of the immigration rules--detailed in the table--all these applicants are being allowed to stay while their application is under consideration. Comprehensive information on the gender of these principal applicants is not yet available but provisional data suggest that about 60 per cent. were male and 40 per cent. female.

In addition, as I announced to the House on 30 November 1992, we are willing to accept 1,000 ex-detainees from Bosnia and other parts of the former Yugoslavia, together with their dependants, totalling perhaps 4,000 in all. These ex-detainees are being identified for us by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ; those identified so far are all male but are being accompanied, or will be joined, by their wives and children.

For information on total applications to other EC members states, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen) on 18 February (column 297). The information is not available by gender.


Refusals of applications for asylum in the United Kingdom  

by                                                         

nationals of the former Yugoslavia, excluding dependants,  

by gender,                                                 

July to December 1992                                      

                               |Total |Male  |Female       

-----------------------------------------------------------

Refused asylum and exceptional                             

  leave after determination of                             

  the asylum claim             |-     |-     |-            

                                                           

Refused on safe third country                              

  grounds<1><2>                |13    |11    |2            

                                                           

Refused under paragraph 101 of                             

  immigration rules<3>         |40    |n/a   |n/a          

<1> Refused on grounds that the applicant had arrived from 

a safe third country.                                      

<2> Breakdown by gender is of those removed on safe third  

country grounds, which corresponds in total, in this       

period, to those refused. A breakdown of those refused is  

not directly available.                                    

<3> For failure to provide evidence to support the asylum  

claim within a reasonable period, including failure to     

respond to two invitations to interview to establish       

identity.                                                  

n/a not available.

Refugees

Mrs. Helen Jackson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) male and (b) female refugees, have been received into the United Kingdom over the last six months.

Mr. Charles Wardle : In the period July to December 1992 inclusive, a total of around 15,000 persons (excluding dependants) applied for asylum in the United Kingdom. Comprehensive information on the gender of these principal applicants is not yet available but provisional data suggests that of the order of 70 per cent. were male and 30 per cent. female.

Offenders (Staffordshire)

Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of offenders appearing before the courts in Staffordshire were unemployed in each year since 1987.

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Mr. Jack : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to a question from the hon. Member for Mansfield (Mr. Meale) on 15 January 1993, column 826.

Juvenile Crime

Mr. Tipping : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has commissioned into the levels of juvenile crime and the extent of offending on bail by juveniles.

Mr. Jack : Information about the number of juvenile offenders is collected routinely by the Home Office and published annually in "Criminal Statistics". This information is supplemented by a number of research projects including a national self-report study of delinquency, initial results from which will be available this year. No figures are held centrally on the extent of offending on bail by juveniles, but research is being undertaken into the bail process in five areas as part of the Home Office's work to reduce the level of offending on bail. This is expected to produce, inter alia, information about the level of offending by juveniles on bail.

Mr. Tipping : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had about measures that might be introduced to reduce juvenile crime.

Mr. Jack : I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave him on 21 January, at column 332.

Prostitution

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what consideration he is giving to the proposals by the chief constable of South Yorkshire on prostitution ; and if he will make a statement ;

(2) what new initiatives he is currently considering to tackle the problems of prostitution in residential districts ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Jack : The Government are aware of the difficulties which prostitution generally, and in residential areas in particular, can cause. I am also aware of the personal view of the chief constable of South Yorkshire on this subject.

The aim of the law in this area is to prevent the nuisance caused when prostitutes ply their trade in the streets ; to discourage women from becoming prostitutes ; and to penalise those who seek to encourage, control or exploit the prostitution of others for financial gain.

When a suitable legislation opportunity occurs we will amend the law on kerb crawling in section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 1985 to remove the need to prove persistence, annoyance or nuisance before a man can be convicted of the offence.

Refugees (Yugoslavia)

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many refugees have been accepted into the United Kingdom from each of the states of the former Yugoslavia since the commencement of the recent conflicts.

Mr. Charles Wardle : In the period January 1992 to January 1993 inclusive, around 5,900 nationals of the former Yugoslavia (excluding dependants) have applied

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for asylum in the United Kingdom. The large majority of these applications are still under consideration and the applicants are being allowed to stay in the meantime. More detailed data on the origin of the applicants is not available.

Animal Experiments

Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement indicating the administrative procedures used by his Department to satisfy that the provisions of (a) section 5(4) and (b) section 5(5) of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 are being properly directed by those seeking permission to undertake experiments on animals ; and how many experiments have been refused permission since the Act came into force.

Mr. Charles Wardle [holding answer 1 March 1993] : I will write to the hon. Member.

Police Batons

Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what trials he has authorised of new batons for use by the police ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Charles Wardle [holding answer 1 March 1993] : My right hon. and learned Friend has agreed to the Metropolitan police's conducting trials of an expandable baton, subject to the outcome of a full scientific evaluation of its wounding potential. He has also agreed to their conducting trials of variants of the straight baton which can be carried covertly.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Racial Hatred

Mr. Cox : To ask the Attorney-General what was the number of prosecutions for inciting racial hatred in (a) the Greater London area, (b) England and Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland during the year 1992.

The Attorney-General : In 1992 there was one prosecution in England and Wales for inciting racial hatred. There were none in the Greater London area and none in Northern Ireland. I have no responsibilities relating to criminal prosecutions in Scotland.

Domestic Violence

Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Attorney-General what guidelines the Crown prosecution service has on prosecutions in cases of domestic violence.

The Attorney-General : The Crown prosecution service reviews all cases referred to it from the police in accordance with the principles set out in the code for Crown prosecutors issued in pursuance of section 10 of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985. The evidential and

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public interest criteria set out in the code apply to offences committed in "domestic" circumstances just as they do to any other prosecution.

The Crown prosecution service recognises that there are complex issues involved in prosecuting domestic violence cases and, in addition to the code, has issued internal guidance to its staff. This guidance, which is being updated, sets out in greater detail the factors which will be relevant to the review and prosecution of these cases. The relevant document will shortly be supplied to the Home Affairs Committee inquiry on domestic violence, and will thereafter be available in the Library of the House of Commons. It will also be made available to relevant interest groups.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Poisoned Carcases

Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many incidents of poisoned carcases being left in the open have been reported to his officials since 1 January 1990 ; in how many cases prosecutions resulted ; and whether he will in due course, inform the hon. Member for Taunton of the outcome of his inquiries into the death through poison of a pet dog at Stoke St. Gregory, near Taunton.

Mr. Soames : Since January 1990 in England and Wales, 63 incidents involving poisoned carcases have been reported to the department. During the same period, five such cases have resulted in successful prosecution of the offenders. I will write to the hon. Member about the case to which he refers when investigations have been completed.

Dairy Industry

Mr. William Ross : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many people have been employed in the dairy industry in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.

Mr. Curry : My Department collects figures only for the farming part of the dairy industry. These are as follows :


Employment in dairy           

farming<1>                    

England and Wales             

          |Thousands          

------------------------------

1983      |116.6              

1984      |113.8              

1985      |107.9              

1986      |105.6              

1987      |99.4               

1988      |93.8               

1989      |90.5               

1990      |88.7               

1991      |86.7               

1992      |82.6               

<1> Specialist dairy and      

mainly dairy farms: excluding 

minor holdings, which         

accounted for less than 5 per 

cent. of total agricultural   

employment (mainly from       

part-time working) when last  

surveyed in 1989.             

Note: Part-tiome numbers have 

not been reduced to full-time 

equivalents.                  

Source: June Agricultural and 

Horticultural censuses 1983   

to 1992.

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Flooding

Mr. David Porter : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the evaluation being made by his Department on the effectiveness of sea and river flood defences in the eastern counties after the floods of 20 February ; and what changes he proposes to make to his policy, investment programme and evacuation procedures.

Mr. Curry : Our initial assessment is that both the flood warning arrangements and the coastal defences themselves performed well in the face of the events of 20/21 February, reflecting the substantial investment in coastal defences made by successive Governments and local agencies, as well as the professionalism of the emergency services and other organisations involved. Damage to coastal defences is estimated at a little under £2 million and this will be made good as a matter of urgency. A detailed appraisal is under way to ensure that any necessary improvements are made to procedures and that resources continue to be concentrated on areas of greatest need.

Group Marketing Grant

Mr. Bates : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to review the group marketing grant ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gummer : In the light of experience with the group marketing grant since its introduction last April, I have decided that we should carry out a limited review to simplify the rules of the scheme in order to make its operation more flexible. Industry organisations are being consulted on a series of proposals. It is intended that the changes should come into effect from 1 April. I have placed copies of the consultation document in the Libraries of the House.

Clenbuterol

Mr. Bates : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has for the surveillance for residues of clenbuterol ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gummer : Surveillance for residues of clenbuterol in meat is carried out under two complementary programmes. The first is the national surveillance scheme for residues in meat under which randomly selected samples are collected from slaughterhouses and from farms. The second, co- ordinated by the working party on veterinary residues in animal products, is directed at retail and wholesale premises. It covers both imported and domestic supplies of meat. In 1992, 1,074 samples were taken in Great Britain and analysed for clenbuterol under both programmes. Two samples taken were found to contain clenbuterol, at concentrations of 0.4 g/kg and 3.3 g/kg respectively. Neither of these residues would have been likely to have posed any threat to human health, but one of them was above the United Kingdom's statutory maximum residue limit of 0.5 g/kg. It has not been possible to establish whether the samples found to contain clenbuterol originated in Great Britain or elsewhere, but under the NSS, which is confined to domestically produced animals and meat, no positives have been identified from samples taken in Great Britain since testing for clenbuterol began in August 1989.

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Nevertheless, because of the evidence of abuse of clenbuterol outside Great Britain, we have concluded it would be prudent to step up our surveillance programme in 1993. Under the NSS some 1,335 samples will therefore be collected from randomly selected farms and slaughterhouses in Great Britain and tested for the presence of clenbuterol. This is 635 more than in 1992. Surveillance at retail outlets under the WPVR programme is similarly being extended in 1993. A total of 384 samples of ox and calf livers will be collected and tested for the presence of clenbuterol. This is 181 more than in 1992, but includes for the first time a check on calf liver.

A new sampling programme for imported meat will also commence in 1993. A total of 550 samples of imported bovine tissues are planned to be collected under this programme in the first year, compared with 175 in 1992, and these will also be analysed for residues of clenbuterol.

Comfrey

Mr. Burns : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the safety assessment of comfrey has been completed ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Soames : Following the report of the working group on dietary supplements and health foods, Ministers asked the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment to review the safety of certain herbal substances, including comfrey, which had their medicinal licences withdrawn but which were still freely available as foods.

Comfrey contains toxic substances known as pyrrolizidine alkaloids. PAs belong to a large family of alkaloids, some of which are known to cause liver damage and induce tumors in laboratory animals. The COT considered that, although the toxicity data available on the particular PAs found in comfrey were limited, there was evidence that they could cause liver damage in animals and man. The committee therefore recommended that action should be taken to reduce the intake of comfrey and its potentially toxic constituents. Comfrey and its products are on sale in four main forms. Tablets and capsules (made from roots or leaves) are the most concentrated form, and the Food Advisory Committee, to which the COT's findings were submitted for advice, recommended that the Government should seek the health food trade's agreement to early voluntary withdrawal of these products, backing it up with legislation. Roots are sold for use in poultices but may be used in making infusions ; the FAC recommended labelling to warn against ingestion. Leaves are mainly intended for use in infusions, but many also be consumed directly, leading the FAC to recommend labelling to warn against the latter use. Finally, comfrey is also available in the form of herbal teas. Like the infusions of comfrey leaf, teas when brewed contain relatively low levels of PAs and the FAC did not consider any warning labelling to be necessary.

Comfrey preparations used externally are not a cause of concern, and were not considered by the Committees.

In considering these recommendations, the Government have taken account of the many representations that they have received in recent months from the general public, doctors and practitioners of alternative medicine urging that nothing should be done to restrict the availability of dietary supplements and health foods. We recognise the strong public support expressed for herbal

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products and supplements generally and acknowledge the force of the view that consumers should be allowed to choose these products if they so wish.

The Government have therefore considered very carefully whether the action recommended is proportionate to the potential problem. Nevertheless, the recommendations of the independent expert committees are clear and unambiguous, and we have concluded that they should in general be accepted.

Accordingly I have today met the health food trade and requested the immediate withdrawal from sale of comfrey tablets and capsules. The trade has confirmed that most firms have already decided not to maintain sales of these products, and endorsed the action proposed. Given voluntary agreement on withdrawal, we do not consider that regulations will be necessary. My officials are, however, informing the European Commission of the findings and the action taken, so that the Scientific Committee for Food can examine the matter from an EC standpoint.

In addition, I have asked the trade to consider effective labelling of comfrey root and leaves on the lines recommended, where these products are sold.

The FAC also recommended that an information note should be distributed via health food shops and consumer organisations to give wide publicity to its advice. I am asking for their co-operation in distributing a note which we have prepared. It will also be made available to other organisations, for example those that may include growers of comfrey.

I am grateful for the responsible, positive and practical reaction of the industry on this issue. I am writing simultaneously to the principal consumer organisations to notify them of the findings of the expert committees and the action being taken.

I am putting in the Library of the House copies of the Department's analysis of comfrey products, the advice of the COT and the FAC and the draft information note.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Mr. Burns : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what changes his Department intends to make in the testing of cattle for bovine tuberculosis in Great Britain.

Mr. Gummer : I have decided to extend the interval between tuberculosis tests for cattle herds. The majority of herds in Great Britain are tested once every three years. Most will now be tested once every four years.

The move follows outstandingly successful efforts by Agriculture Departments over many years to reduce confirmed cases of bovin tuberculosis in Great Britain to the present levels of below 0.1 per cent. of herds. In no way does it mean a lowering of our guard against the disease.

Cattle herds in the counties of the south-west of England where bovine tuberculosis is present at slightly higher levels will continue to be tested more frequently. This means that all herds in Cornwall, Gloucestershire and Avon will be tested at least once every two years, and some once a year. Most herds in Devon will be tested--as now--every three years. The situation in the south-west of England will be kept under close review.

Mr. Tyler : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the cost of the tuberculosis eradication scheme ; what estimates he has made of savings

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that can be achieved by the selective testing of cattle instead of the culling of badgers ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Soames : Some £8 million per year is spent on testing and compensation for bovine tuberculosis. A comprehensive national testing programme for cattle already exists, including more frequent testing in high risk areas.

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