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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 27 May 1993
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Agency Letters
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he will place in the Library copies of the recommendations submitted by (a) the Editor of the Official Report, (b) the Principal Clerk of the Table Office and (c) other sources in connection with the resolution agreed by the Administration Committee on publication of agency chief executives' letters and accompanying tables.
Mr. Michael J. Martin : The terms of the Administration Committee's approval of arrangements for the publication of agency chief executive's letters in the Official Report are set out in the Committee's Minutes of Proceedings for 8 July 1992, HC 368-i to iv. It is not the practice of the Administration Committee to deposit in the Library papers which have not been reported to the House.
Telephone Bills
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee what were the quarterly telephone bills for the Palace of Westminster, including outbuildings, for each of the last 10 years ; what use has been made of Mercury Communications through least-cost routing ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael J. Martin [holding answer 17 May 1993] : It is not possible to provide details of quarterly telecommunications bills for the Palace of Westminster for the past 10 years. However, the annual bill for telephone messages for the last seven years is as follows :
|£
------------------------
1987 |471,000
1988 |552,000
1989 |561,000
1990 |570,000
1991 |690,000
1992 |599,000
New technology installed in the Palace of Westminster telecommunications exchange in the summer of 1992 included a "least-cost routing" facility. At the same time, 125 of the outgoing lines of the exchange were converted to the Mercury network. These changes allow the automatic selection of the cheapest service for each outgoing message. Since October 1992, approximately 1.1 million calls lasting more than 20,000 hours have been carried on Mercury lines.
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EDUCATION
Teacher Education
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the advice received, and all correspondence, from Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools on the subject of teacher education and school-based teacher training ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Boswell : Under the Education (Schools) Act 1992, the question of publication is entirely a matter for Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools. The Department for Education and Science was responsible for publishing Her Majesty's inspectorate's reports prepared before September 1992. It published a number of reports on teacher education, including one on school-based initial teacher training in England and Wales which was given wide distribution in January 1992.
Liverpool City Technology College
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the cost of acquiring land to be used as the Liverpool city technology college.
Mr. Forth : A site in Liverpool for possible use as a city technology college was acquired by the CTC Trust in February 1989 for £185,000 and sold in two parts in December 1990 and August 1991 for a total of £669,000.
Higher Education Student Charter
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many copies of the non-consultative version of the higher education student charter were printed before the publication on Friday 21 May of the consultative version ; what was the cost of printing them ; what was the total number of administrative hours spent preparing them ; when they will be pulped ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Boswell : Three and a half million copies of the charter for higher education were printed at a cost of £152,000. All copies have been pulped. Since my right hon. Friend announced our intention to publish further and higher education charters on 19 June 1992, the time of approximately one full-time equivalent offical has been devoted to the higher education charter initiative. The printing arrangements had to be made well in advance of the target date for publication given the large number of copies required. In the event, following further representations, my right hon. Friend agreed that wider formal consultations should be undertaken in particular to allow individual universities to have the opportunity to comment through the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals.
EMPLOYMENT
Asbestos
Mr. Randall : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress she has made towards banning all grades of asbestos ; what discussions she has had at an EC level on this matter ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : The importation, supply and use of the two types of asbestos most commonly associated with
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disease--crocidolite (blue asbestos) and amosite (brown asbestos)--has been prohibited in the United Kingdom since 1986, although they have not been imported since 1972 and 1980 respectively. Since 1 January 1993, three further types of asbestos have been prohibited though these were not used commercially in the United Kingdom.Chrysotile (white asbestos) is now the only type of asbestos allowed into the United Kingdom. Imports have dropped significantly in recent years and are now less than 10,000 tonnes annually. Negotiations are currently in progress on a European Community draft directive to ban chrysotile but with exemptions for certain uses. The Government are keen to avoid this resulting in the replacement chrysotile with substitutes which may be less safe, and support the proposed directive provided that exemptions are based on the relative risks of chrysotile and substitute materials in any particular application.
Ports (Accidents)
Mr. Loyden : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many fatal accidents have taken place in the United Kingdom ports industry since July 1989.
Mr. McLoughlin : The numbers of fatal accidents occurring in docks and harbours in Great Britain between 1 July 1989 and 31 March 1992 are given in the table. Statistics for 1992-93 are not yet available. Accident statistics for Northern Ireland are a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Fatal accidents<1> in docks and harbours<2> as
reported to the Health
and Safety Executive's Factory and Agricultural
Inspectorates-
1 July 1989 to 1991-92<4>
Year |Fatalities
---------------------------------------------------
1 July 1989 to 31 March 1990 |7
1990-91<3> |2
1991-92<4><3> |6
|-------
Total |15
<1> Includes accidents to employees (including
trainees), self employed persons and members of
the public injured as a result of someone else's
work activity notified under the Reporting of
Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences
Regulations 1985 (RIDDOR).
<2> As defined by Standard Industrial
Classification Class 74 and actify heading 7630.
<3> Year commencing 1 April.
<4> Provisional.
Mr. Loyden : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many industrial accidents have taken place in United Kingdom port activities since July 1989.
Mr. McLoughlin : The numbers of non-fatal injuries occurring in docks and harbours in Great Britain between 1 July 1989 and 31 March 1992 are given in the table. Statistics for 1992-93 are not yet available. Accident statistics for Northern Ireland are a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
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Injuries<1> in docks and harbours<2> as reported to the health and
safety executive's factory and agricultural inspectorates
1 July 1989 to 1991-92<6>
Severity of Total
injury
|Major<4> |Over three days<5>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1989-90<7> |80 |406 |486
1990-91<3> |113 |498 |611
1991-92<6><3> |88 |469 |557
|------ |------ |------
Total |281 |1,373 |1,654
<1> Includes injuries to employees (including trainees), self employed persons and members of
the public injured as a result of someone else's work activity notified under the Reporting of
Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985 (RIDDOR).
<2> As defined by Standard Industrial Classification Class 74 and activity heading 7630.
<3> Year commending 1st April.
<4> As defined under RIDDOR but chiefly amputations, serious fractures and any other injury
requiring hospitalisation for 24 hours.
<5> Any injury that results in an absence from normal work for more than three days.
<6> Provisional.
<7> 1 July 1989 to 31 March 1990.
Dock Workers (Compensation)
Mr. Loyden : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether the inquiry commissioned from MDS-Transmodal by the Departments of Transport and Employment in 1991 into the cost to public funds of the compensation payments paid to former registered dock workers under the Dock Work Act 1989 has been completed ; and if it will be published.
Mr. McLoughlin : In 1991, the Departments of Employment and Transport commissioned MDS-Transmodal and Pieda plc to undertake a study into the effects on the port industry of the abolition of the dock labour scheme.
A report on the study is being prepared for publication. It is anticipated that the report will be published this year, and I will ensure that copies of the report are placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Sex Discrimination
Ms Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what action she is taking to lessen inequalities between women's and men's pay.
Mr. McLoughlin : In 1992, women's average hourly earnings--excluding overtime--were 79.2 per cent. of men's, the highest level ever, and the fifth consecutive year in which the differential between men's and women's pay had narrowed.
The pursuit of sound economic policies resulting in high productivity and low inflation have established the appropriate conditions for the recent success in further narrowing the differential between women's and men's pay. Further progress in this area will depend in part on sustaining and improving on these economic gains.
Ms Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what action she is taking to combat sex discrimination in the workplace.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Equal Pay Act 1970 and the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, both as amended, make
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discrimination on grounds of sex in contractual and non-contractual employment matters unlawful. The Department publishes and distributes widely explanatory guides to the legislation.The Department also funds the Equal Opportunities Commission, which has a statutory duty to work towards the elimination of discrimination and to promote equality of opportunity between women and men.
Sexual Harassment
Ms Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what action she is taking to combat sexual harassment in the workplace.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Government abhor sexual harassment as a particularly nasty form of sex discrimination which can have unacceptable repercussions in the workplace.
It is well established in law that in certain circumstances sexual harassment can amount to sex discrimination, contrary to the provisions of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975.
The Department has published two booklets explaining to employers and employees how to combat sexual harassment at work. Both booklets have been widely distributed throughout industry.
The Government have also brought forward an amendment to the Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Bill which will give industrial tribunals a discretionary power to protect those involved in sexual harassment cases from intrusive or offensive reporting of their cases.
Personal Contracts
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what consideration she has given to the implications of the recent Court of Appeal ruling that companies which grant pay rises only to employees accepting personal contracts are in contravention of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 for employment practices in the United Kingdom ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : We have given careful consideration to the recent Court of Appeal decisions on this issue. As a result of these judgments, the law on action short of dismissal, which is now contained in section 146 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, has been left in a state of some confusion. Section 146 was never intended to interfere in an employer's freedom to determine negotiating arrangements that best suit his business needs.
In order to clarify the law on action short of dismissal, we have therefore introduced an amendment to the Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Bill, which completed its stages in another place on Monday 24 May. This provision makes it clear that action taken by an employer for the purpose of changing his negotiating arrangements is not action taken against an individual within the scope of section 146.
Departmental Offices
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the estimated amount to be spent in 1993-94 in rent and other associated costs for the offices of her Department in Caxton house, Tothill street, London.
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Mr. Michael Forsyth : Estimated expenditure by the Department for rent and other associated accommodation costs in Caxton house, Tothill street in 1993-94 is £12.75 million made up as follows :
Title |Allocation £ million ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Coastal Fisheries |0.38 Animal Health-Phase 4 |1.69 Coastal Prawn Culture |1.30 Tropical Forestry Management |10.77 Gas Distribution |9.70 Hydrocarbon Basin Assessment |5.98 Active Learning Professional Support |1.71 Library Development |0.75 English Language Training (National Level) |1.33 Institutional English Language Training |1.79 Biotechnology |0.43 South Sumatra Geological Survey |2.26 Regional Government Finance |0.91 Police Management Training |0.97 Development of Professional Training for Civil Engineering Consultants |0.97 Development of Mini-Hydros |5.61 Development of Thermal Power Plant Personell Training Capability-Phase 3 |1.20
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Mr. T. Barber
Mr. Robathan : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what action his Department has taken in response to the representations made to him about the case of Mr. T. Barber of 6 Bennett rise, Huncote, Leicestershire, regarding his work as a bailiff at Leicester county court.
Mr. John M. Taylor : I will write to my hon. Friend.
Mortgaged Properties (Repossession)
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what were the main conclusions of his Department's review of county court rules concerning general possession procedures in relation to mortgaged properties.
Mr. John Taylor : The main conclusions of the review of the handling of mortgage possession cases were that the court needed to be provided with more information about the basis of the claim and the defendant's circumstances. New rules and forms that achieve these aims are currently being drafted.
Judiciary (Training)
Mr. Gapes : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the cost of training the judiciary and the magistracy in the procedures to be adopted under the Criminal Justice Act 1991.
Mr. John M. Taylor : Before the Criminal Justice Act 1991 came into force in October 1992, all judges of the Crown court and all magistrates were trained in its requirements. Judges and recorders attended sentencing conferences on their own circuits and special sessions dedicated to studying the Act's provisions were incorporated in the standard refresher and induction courses run centrally by the Judicial Studies Board. Written material was also issued. In addition, a training package, funded by the Home Office, was provided for justices' clerks to enable them to train justices of the peace. It is not possible to quantify the cost in detail because of the local nature of most of the training, but a very rough estimate would be approximately £250,000.
Trainee Lawyers (Grants)
Mr. Boateng : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many representations his Department has received in the last 12 months regarding discretionary grants made by local authorities to trainee lawyers.
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Mr. John M. Taylor : The Lord Chancellor's Department has received four representations from individual students, as well as representations from the Law Society, and from the chairman of the Trainee Solicitors Group.
Equal Opportunities
Mr. Boateng : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what action he is taking to encourage (a) women and (b) members of ethnic minority groups to pursue careers in the legal profession.
Mr. John M. Taylor : Although he has no direct responsibilities in this field, the Lord Chancellor is concerned to ensure equality of opportunity between all persons intending to be employed in the provision of legal services. Section 64 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 extends the provisions of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Race Relations Act 1976 to the Bar in England and Wales. For those who seek judicial office, the Lord Chancellor's policy is to appoint those best qualified, regardless of gender, ethnic origin, political affiliation or religion. Without prejudice to this overriding principle, the Lord Chancellor has stressed publicly, and will continue to do so, that he would like more women and those of ethnic origin who are suitably qualified to be appointed to the judiciary.
The Government recognised the importance of encouraging equality of opportunity when it established the Lord Chancellor's advisory committee on legal education and conduct, which is independent of the Government. The Act requires the committee to have regard to the desirability of equal opportunity when fulfilling its general duty of assisting in the maintenance and development of standards in the training and conduct of those offering legal services. The committee has commenced a major review of legal education and training ; this issue will be considered as part of that exercise.
Justices (Appointments)
Mrs. Roche : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department whether his Department applies any restrictions based on physical, sensory or mental impairments in the appointment of (a) justices of the peace, (b) coroners and (c) judges.
Mr. John M. Taylor : In the appointment of judges and magistrates, the Lord Chancellor must be satisfied in the public interest that a candidate has the necessary physical and mental abilities to carry out the full range of duties of the post and any individual candidate is considered on his or her merits in the light of their particular circumstances. I understand from my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department that coroners are appointed by local authorities in accordance with qualifications laid down in the Coroners Act 1988, as amended by the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990.
Court Service
Mr. Stephen : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has for organisational change in the management of the court service.
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Mr. John M. Taylor : After detailed consideration, the Lord Chancellor has concluded that a move to executive agency status is the right way forward for the court service and he envisages setting up the service as an agency in April 1995.
Agency status will provide the management of the court service with a clearer focus on the job to be done, and greater flexibility to respond to the changing needs of all court users.
The agency will comprise the staff of the unified court service. It will exclude the staff of the magistrates court service, which is locally managed and whose organisation is dealt with in the White Paper "A Framework for Local Justice".
The conversion of the court service into an agency will not affect the judiciary, either in its independent role and functions or in its relations with the administration.
Consultation with the judiciary and the trade union side on this subject has recently begun and will continue with them, and with other interested parties, throughout the implementation period.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Indonesia
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the current projects and their value that are currently being funded in Indonesia by the Overseas Development Administration, European Community, World bank, Asian Development bank and other aid-giving bodies for which he is responsible.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Projects funded by ODA from the United Kingdom/Indonesia grant programme are :
We also support the activities in Indonesia of British non-governmental organisations such as Voluntary Services Overseas, Oxfam and Christian Aid. The Commonwealth Development Corporation, for which the principal source of finance is the British aid programme, has investments in Indonesia totalling £72 million, covering nine projects in sectors such as textiles, cement production, power and plantation crops.
Projects supported by the ODA under concessional loan arrangements include the following :
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Title |Soft loan allocation
|£ million
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cigading-Serpong Railway Rehabilitation |24.690
Citayam-Cibinong Railway (New Line) |20.105
Steel Bridging Components |3.669
Forestry Radio Communications Network |34.111
Airport Security Systems |10.455
Flight Simulator for Civil Aircraft |4.659
Shortwave Radio Transmitters for National Broadcasting Network |26.911
Additional Generating Capacity for Jambi Power Plant |5.345
Equipment for Universities in Sumatra and Kalimantan |13.671
Most European Community aid to Indonesia is provided through the Community's Asia/Latin America programme, of which the United Kingdom contributes around 16 per cent. Recent project approvals have been as follows :
Title Allocation
|£ million|Mecu<1>
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Punggur Utara Irrigation Project |23.07 |(29.3)
North Bali Irrigation and Water Supply |8.11 |(10.3)
Forest Sector Support Programme |20.47 |(26.0)
<1> Million European currency units.
The World bank has an active portfolio of 61 loans with a cumulative value of approximately $7.9 billion. For the Asian Development bank, the corresponding figures are 62 and $5.6 billion. For the International Fund for Agricultural Development, they are four and $66 million. Details of loan approvals are contained in the annual reports of these institutions, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
European Committee for the Prevention of Torture
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the European countries visited in each of the last three years by the European committee for the prevention of torture.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The European committee for the prevention of torture (CPT) has visited the following countries in the last three years :
1990 : Austria, Denmark, Malta, Turkey, United Kingdom. 1991 : France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey. 1992 : Cyprus, Finland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, San Marino, Turkey.
1993 : Luxembourg, Greece, Liechtenstein.
The CPT plans to visit Belgium, Iceland, Ireland and Norway by the end of the year. The CPT will then have visited all the states party to the convention.
Tibet
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has recently received regarding the Chinese occupation of Tibet ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad : I have received a number of letters and other expressions of concern about the situation in Tibet
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from hon. Members of the House and others. We share the concern about human rights there and particularly about the latest reports of detentions and demonstrations. With our European Community partners, we have been pursuing these matters with the Chinese authorities.Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has had urging a boycott of Chinese goods in protest at the Chinese occupation of Tibet ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad : None. We have no plans to introduce such a boycott.
Mrs. Hamida Mattoo
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information about the death of Mrs. Hamida Mattoo he has received through the post in New Delhi from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs : what representations have been made to the Indian high commission in London about the circumstances of Mrs. Mattoo's death ; when he intends to write to the hon. Member for Bradford, West following his letter of 15 April ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Our high commissioner in Delhi took up the case with the Indian authorities and received a fact sheet from the Indian Home Ministry on 26 May which states that Mrs. Mattoo was killed on 3 March 1993 in crossfire between Indian security personnel and terrorists. I will write to the hon. Gentleman shortly with details of the fact sheet. We have not made representations to the Indian high commissioner in London about Mrs. Mattoo's death.
PRIME MINISTER
Ministers (Cash Payments)
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Prime Minister if Departments in their capacity as employers notify the Inland Revenue when cash payments are made to Ministers to relieve financial pressures which affect their performance as Ministers.
The Prime Minister : I know of no such payments.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Richard Shepherd : To ask the Prime Minister what considerations underlie the policies of Her Majesty's Government with respect to giving substantive answers to parliamentary questions seeking details of the names, occupations and remuneration of Members of (a) health boards in Scotland and (b) district health authorities in England.
The Prime Minister : Non-executive health board members in Scotland are appointed by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and information on them is therefore held centrally and given in response to parliamentary questions. Non-executive members of district health authorities in England, however, are appointed by regional health authorities and not b
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district health authorities in England are appointed by their respective board or authority. Information on them, therefore, is not currently available centrally.The level of remuneration for health authority members in England, and for health board members in Scotland, is set centrally and this information is always provided in response to parliamentary questions.
Merlin Reactor
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Prime Minister which Government Department is responsible for overseeing the decommissioning of the Merlin reactor at Aldermaston.
The Prime Minister : The nuclear installations inspectorate, which is now part of the Health and Safety Executive, was responsible for overseeing the decommissioning.
Kashmir
Mr. Madden : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 15 March, Official Report, column 33, what information has been received through the high commission in New Delhi from the Indian Government about Shabir Shah and Yasin Malik ; and if he will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : On 26 May, our high commission in New Delhi received a lengthy aide memoire from the Indian Home Ministry. This stated that both Shabir Shah and Yasin Malik are in custody in Jammu where they are awaiting trial. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs will be writing to the hon. Gentleman with details.
School Visits
Mr. Tipping : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the local authority maintained schools, grant-maintained schools and city technology colleges that he has visited since taking his present office.
The Prime Minister : I have visited a number of local authority maintained schools, grant-maintained schools and city technology colleges.
Jubilee Line
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a further statement about the Government's commitment to making a contribution to the Jubilee line extension.
The Prime Minister : The Government, and I personally, remain committed to the Jubilee line extension as a major addition to the infrastructure of docklands and of London's transport. We have earmarked public funds for the line. As soon as negotiations with the companies involved in the financing of Canary Wharf have been concluded satisfactorily my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport will authorise the start of construction and the first tranche of those funds will be made available. The line will then be built within an estimated 53 months. The draft funding agreement specifies that swingeing penalty payments will come into force if the line is not completed seven months after that.
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DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Advisory Committees
Mr. Nigel Jones : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make available a list of independent Government advisory committees dealing with human health, environmental protection and animal welfare, for which a list of members' registered interests are available, and the dates on which these registers were introduced.
Mr. Robert Jackson : Registers of members interests relating to the matters under consideration are published for the following committees.
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