§ Mrs. Bridget PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will give details concerning the leak of radioactive plutonium at the Sellafield reprocessing plant in September; and what assessment she has made of the effect on the health of workers at the plant and those who live in close proximity to it in the short and long term.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThis incident was fully investigated by the Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate who considered that there was no escape of radioactivity to the environment and there was no additional radiation exposure to workers on the site at the time of the incident. Doses to workers engaged on remedial activities have been controlled within statutory dose limits and to be as low as reasonably practicable. A statement of the incident was published in HSE's quarterly statement on incidents at nuclear installations on 4 January 1993, and also in BNFL's Sellafield site newsletter. Copies of the statement and the site newsletter have been placed in the Library.
§ Mr. Frank CookTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information is available regarding the lengths of periods of unemployment benefit disqualification imposed by adjudication officers in the area which includes Stockton, North.
§ Mr. McLoughlinResponsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mr. Frank Cook, dated 28 January 1993:
As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to write to you direct to respond to your Parliamentary Question to her about the length of periods of unemployment benefit disqualifications in the Stockton North area. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.All decisions on claims for unemployment benefit arc made by the independent adjudicating authorities.Information about the length of disqualification periods imposed is not collated or published as each is decided in the light of the circumstances surrounding the individual case. Without knowledge of these circumstances no meaningful interpretation of the information could be made.841WI hope this is helpful.As decided by the Administration Committee of the House of Commons, Chief Executive replies to written Parliamentary Questions will now be published in the Official Report. I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has regarding the lengths of periods of unemployment benefit disqualification imposed by adjudication officers fist the unemployment office which covers the Workington constituency.
§ Mr. McLoughlinResponsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mr. D. N. Campbell-Savours, dated 28 January 1993:
As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to write to you direct to respond to your Parliamentary Question to her about the length of periods of unemployment benefit disqualifications in Workington. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.All decisions on claims for unemployment benefit are made by the independent adjudicating authorities.Information about the length of disqualification periods imposed is not collated or published as each is decided in the light of the circumstances surrounding the individual case. Without knowledge of these circumstances no meaningful interpretation of the information could be made.I hope this is helpful.As decided by the Administration Committee of the House of Commons, Chief Executive replies to written Parliamentary Questions will now be published in the Official Report. I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.
London and South Eastern Region—Disqualifications Year ending March 1992 Quarter ending March 1991 Year ending December 1990 Year ending December 1989 Left voluntarily 48,019 11,647 20,813 54,115 Misconduct 18,805 3,563 7,618 18,287 Refusal of employment 201 89 929 1,279 Refusal of premature termination of training — 4 32 91 Neglect to avail of on offer of employment 121 27 163 626 Refusal or failure to comply with written instructions 574 175 114 9 Trade dispute 151 nil nil 134 Notes:
1. Starting with April 1991 the stastical year from April to March.
2. Decisions on absence from Great Britain; imprisonment or detention in legal custody; and, from April 1991, those relating to training are not separately identified in the statistical summary of decisions made and have not been included above.
§ Mr. John EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information is available regarding the lengths of periods of unemployment benefit disqualification imposed by adjudication officers in the area which includes St. Helens, North parliamentary constituency.
§ Mr. McLoughlinResponsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.