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Scottish TUC
36. Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to meet the general secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang : I met the general council of the Scottish Trades Union Congress on 27 January. I drew its attention to the impressive performance of the Scottish economy in 1988, which saw major advances in manufacturing, construction and services ; continuing successes in inward investment ; a fall of 42,000 in seasonally-adjusted unemployment ; and evidence of increased business optimism and investment intentions.
Teachers
39. Mr. Patrick Thompson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he has taken to enhance the skills and standing of the teaching profession.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : It is primarily for education authorities to ensure that the skills of their teaching force are sustained and extended. The Government strongly support programmes that foster professional commitment and provide means to improve qualifications and expertise. To that end, my right hon. and learned Friend established the Scottish committee for staff development in education in 1987 to promote the development of in-service training and to encourage its uptake by the profession. In that year the pay and conditions settlement which followed the teachers' dispute stipulated that five days should be set aside each year for in-service training and up to 50 hours for planned activities. The Government also fund the equivalent of 190 academic staff at colleges of education as a national resource available for the provision of in-service training and for assisting central training programmes. It is also supporting at a cost of £1 million per annum a major new initiative for the management training of headteachers.
Unemployment
40. Sir Hector Monro : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has had recent discussions with the Confederation of British Industry about the level of unemployment in Scotland.
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Mr. Rifkind : I am in frequent touch with the Confederation of British Industry on a range of issues affecting the Scottish economy. I am sure that the CBI shares my satisfaction that
seasonally-adjusted unemployment in Scotland fell by 42,000 last year and is now at its lowest level since October 1981.
Employment (Springburn)
41. Mr. Michael J. Martin : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to increase employment levels in Glasgow, Springburn.
Mr. Lang : The Scottish Development Agency and St. Rollox industrial development enterprise (STRIDE), the job creation enterprise set up by British Rail, are jointly commissioning consultants to identify employment, training and business development opportunities and the role of STRIDE within a wider economic initiative for Springburn. Additionally, the agency has under consideration a training and employment grants scheme aimed at the long-term unemployed and is actively pursuing with a housing development company, proposals for housing refurbishment within the Springburn area which would involve local construction jobs.
School Boards
43. Mr. Ward : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what further representations he has received regarding school boards.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : A total of 35 formal responses have been received to consultation on draft regulations and guidance.
58. Mr. Dunn : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has had with regard to the voting system for school boards.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Twenty-two formal responses have been received to consultation on draft guidance on electoral procedure. In considering the content of the guidance to be issued, my right hon. and learned Friend will take these carefully into account, along with the views expressed during debate on the School Boards (Scotland) Bill by hon. Members from both sides of the House in favour of a single election system throughout Scotland and against any form of proportional representation.
Civil Service Dispersal
46. Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what benefits have accrued to Scotland arising from recent Civil Service dispersal ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Rifkind : Since 1979 some 2,000 civil service posts have been dispersed to Scotland, representing 35 per cent. of the total moved. Some 70 per cent. of these posts have been filled by local recruitment, providing many valuable employment opportunities, particularly for young people and school leavers. Local economies have also benefited from the creation of additional jobs in services. The momentum of dispersal is being maintained, and I particularly welcome the recent decision of the Department of Social Security to move 430 posts to Glasgow as part of its programme of relocating work out of London.
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Employment Training
48. Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how the Government's employment training scheme is progressing in Scotland ; and how many people have taken up places on the scheme.
Mr. Lang : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Lancashire, West (Mr. Hind) earlier today.
Tree Planting
51. Mr. Harris : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how far the Government's commitment to 33,000 hectares of new tree planting per annum is being met.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : In the year ended 31 March 1988, new planting by the Forestry Commission and by the private sector in respect of which grants were paid totalled 28,773 hectares. The figure for the current year is likely to be somewhat higher.
Woodland
54. Mr. Leigh : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of land in Scotland is covered by woodland.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Just under 14 per cent. of Scotland is covered by woodland.
Newbattle Abbey College
55. Mr. Eadie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what reply he has sent to the submission made to him on or around 23 December 1988 regarding the future of Newbattle Abbey college, Dalkeith.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : My right hon. and learned Friend is considering the submission made by the board of governors of Newbattle Abbey college about continued Government funding for the college. He will respond shortly.
Flagship Schools
61. Mr. McLoughlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any proposals for the creation of flagship schools as centres of excellence ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : We have already announced our intention to proceed with the establishment of technology academies in Scotland to provide practical examples of high standards and expectations for pupils, parents and teachers.
Skye Road Bridge
62. Mr. Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the proposed construction of a road bridge to the Isle of Skye.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Member on Wednesday 25 January.
Scottish Bus Group
63. Mr. David Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received with regard to the promotion of management-employee buy-outs in the Scottish Bus Group ; and if he will make a statement.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : My right hon. and learned Friend has received a number of representations on this subject from individual Scottish Bus Group subsidiaries and other interests. He has made it clear that he is keen to encourage management-employee buy-outs. The basis on which assistance will be given towards financial advice has already been announced to the House during the Second Reading of the Transport (Scotland) Bill on 14 December 1988 at columns 978-79.
Rate Rebates
64. Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the number of people who currently receive a full rate rebate.
Mr. Lang : Figures for the number of people receiving the maximum rebate in 1988-89 are not available.
European Single Market
65. Mr. Roger King : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress the committee looking into the implications and opportunities for Scotland of the single market in Europe is making ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang : The single market committee of the Scottish Economic Council has been formed and held its first meeting on 13 January 1989. The committee members cover a wide range of interests including manufacturing industry, financial services, local authorities and trade unions and many of them have direct, practical experience of conducting business in Europe on behalf of both the private and public sectors. I am confident that with such a range of expertise on which to draw, the committee is very well placed to take an overview of activity in Scotland, and will be able to bring forward practical recommendations from which Scotland as a whole will benefit.
Forests
68. Mr. Couchman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the projected output from Scottish forests over the next 10 years.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The latest timber production estimates are as follows :
Year commencing 1 April |Estimated Production (000
|cm)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1989 |2,435
1990 |2,520
1991 |2,605
1992 |2,690
1993 |2,775
1994 |2,930
1995 |3,085
1996 |3,240
1997 |3,395
1998 |3,550
1999 |3,730
Heating Costs
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the average annual cost of heating a standard three-bedroom house in Scotland by electricity.
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Mr. Rifkind : Estimated average annual costs for heating a standard three-bedroom, semi-detached house by electricity in central Scotland are as follows :
|Well insulated |Some loft insulation and|Minimal insulation
|draught-proofing
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Space heating only |235 |360 |425
Space heating and water heating |325 |450 |515
Notes:
1. Costs are calculated on the same basis as the last published (February 1986) Monergy Guides with tariffs updated to the levels
operated by the South of Scotland Electricity Board from April 1988.
2. No standing charges or maintenance costs are included.
3. The calculations are based on all day heating (16 hours) using modern storage radiators and the figures are adjusted for outside
temperatures prevailing in central Scotland.
Labour Statistics
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people in Scotland are in full-time employment ; and what are the average annual figures for full-time employment in Scotland for each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Rifkind : The table gives the available information for each of the last 10 years on the number of employees in employment and the self- employed. It does not include participants on work-related Government training programmes.
Since it is not possible to obtain estimates of the number of male employees in full-time employment in Scotland for each of the 10 years, the figures for employees in employment include a small number of part-time male employees. For the years 1978, 1981 and 1984 the censuses of employment record some 0.06 million part-time employees in employment. The employee estimates may be revised when the results of the 1987 census of employment becomes available.
It is not possible to exclude those working part-time from the estimate of total self-employed in Scotland. The vast majority are likely to have been in full-time employment (in Great Britain about one sixth of the self- employed now work part time).
million ----------------------- 1978 |1.75|0.15 1979 |1.76|0.16 1980 |1.73|0.15 1981 |1.65|0.15 1982 |1.59|0.16 1983 |1.56|0.18 1984 |1.55|0.19 1985 |1.54|0.20 1986 |1.51|0.20 1987 |1.49|0.19 1988<1> |1.50|0.20 <1> September 1988 figures: not adjusted for seasonal variation.
Manufacturing
Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the productivity growth figures in manufacturing industry in Scotland for the last year for which figures are available.
Mr. Lang : Over the year to March 1988, output per head in Scottish manufacturing industry was 9.8 per cent. higher than a year earlier. This compares with an increase of 7.3 per cent. in the United Kingdom as a whole.
Business (Overseas Investment)
Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total amount of overseas investment attracted by Scottish businesses for each of the last three years.
Mr. Lang : There are no figures available for the total amount of overseas investment attracted by Scottish businesses. Figures for investment and jobs associated with offers of regional selective assistance projects by overseas-owned companies for the last three financial years are as follows :
|Assoicated investment |Associated jobs created
|(£m) |and safeguarded
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1985-86 |646.8 |4,380
1986-87 |316.6 |4,360
1987-88 |240.2 |5,820
Earnings
Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current average earnings rate in Scotland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang : The average gross weekly earnings of full-time employees on adult rates in Scotland in April 1988 are estimated in the Department of Employment's new earning survey to have been £204.50. Scotland continues to rank highly among the GB standard regions, and was behind only the south-east and north-west in April 1988.
Single Parent
Mr. Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will make a statement on the application by the Scottish Council for Single Parents for renewal of funding for its training unit under section 9 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1988 ; and whether he will make it his policy to take into account the work already being done by this and similar organisations on the reliance of single parents on social security.
Mr. Rifkind : Decisions on the large number of applications received for funding under section 9 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 will be announced shortly. The contribution made by applicant organisations in their respective areas of social work provision is one of a number of factors taken into account in reaching a decision on funding.
Alcohol
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many alcohol-related offences were reported to children's panels in each year since 1979.
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Mr. Michael Forsyth : The information is available only for 1987 and for three social work authorities. Referrals for drunkenness and liquor licensing offences in that year were :
|Number
--------------------------
Central |9
Grampian |6
Strathclyde |145
They accounted for 0.9 per cent. of offence referrals in those areas. No information is available on offences where alcohol was a contributory factor.
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will meet representatives of the Scottish Football Association to discuss the issue of alcohol abuse involving persons under 18 years of age and to seek their assistance in banning all advertising at football grounds throughout Scotland of alcoholic drinks.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : No. The codes of practice relating to the advertising of alcohol generally have recently been strengthened, particularly in their requirements about advertising and young people. The ministerial group on alcohol misuse, which initiated the review of the codes, intends to monitor the effects of the changes.
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from Scottish councils concerning alcohol abuse and the consumption of alcohol in public places.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Three district councils have written concerning the possible use of byelaws to prohibit consumption of alcohol in specified public places and one has written to express support for a Bill to control under-age drinking in public.
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met representatives of Scottish churches ; and whether he discussed with them the problem of alcohol abuse.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : My right hon. and learned Friend has had no recent discussions with representatives of Scottish churches or any request for such a discussion on the problem of alcohol abuse.
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many prosecutions there were for the offence of drinking under age in Scotland in each year since 1979 ; and if he will make a statement ; (2) what was the average fine for the offence of drinking under age in each year since 1979 ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The available information is given in the table. Persons under 18 consuming exciseable liquor in a bar are not separately identifiable from persons under 18 purchasing such liquor.
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Persons under 18 buying exciseable liquor or consuming alcohol in licensed premises
Year |Number of persons |Number of persons with a|Number of persons fined |Average amount of fine
|proceeded against |charge proved |(£)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |602 |588 |509 |13.16
1980 |465 |450 |375 |15.50
1981 |317 |310 |256 |15.65
1982 |173 |159 |130 |15.71
1983 |140 |136 |112 |19.87
1984 |114 |103 |82 |23.74
1985 |83 |77 |56 |26.95
1986 |120 |116 |77 |29.31
1987 |131 |130 |92 |30.82
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many children were taken into care where alcohol abuse was involved in each year since 1979.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The information requested is not available centrally.
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will seek to make it an offence for a person under the age of 18 years to consume alcohol in public places.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : I have no present plans to do so, but I am consulting the Association of Chief Police Officers (Scotland) and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to seek their views on those problems and on whether changes in legislation might assist in dealing with them and will take their views into account.
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will support the request from a number of Scottish councils to impose a bye/law to prohibit the consumption of alcohol in designated public places ; and if he will make a statement.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : To date only one council has requested agreement to the making of a byelaw that would prohibit the consumption of alcohol in designated public places. In that case I have indicated that in its particular circumstances it may be possible to achieve the desired objective by the use of a management rule. As two other councils have also indicated interest in making such a byelaw, I am consulting the Association of Chief Police Officers (Scotland) and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to seek their views on the need for such byelaws and on their likely effectiveness in dealing with the problems commonly associated with drinking in public. Once I have had an opportunity to study their replies I shall decide whether it may be possible to approve such byelaws as part of an experimental scheme of limited duration.
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from the Scottish Police Federation about the problem of alcohol abuse by persons under the age of 18 years ; and if he will make a statement.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : None.
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met the chief constable of Strathclyde ; and whether he discussed the problem of alcohol abuse involving persons under the age of 18 years.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : My right hon. and learned Friend last met the chief constable of Strathclyde police at the Lockerbie memorial service on 4 January when this topic was not discussed.
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many convictions for the offence of breach of the peace where alcohol was directly or indirectly involved there were in each year since 1979 ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if he will give details of the number of convictions of persons under the age of 18 years, for violent crime where alcohol has been directly or indirectly involved.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information requested is not available.
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of representations made to him on the problem of persons under the age of 18 years consuming alcohol in public ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Only three representations have been received, one from a district council and two from community councils, specifically on the problems associated with persons under 18 years drinking alcohol in public. While the consultation paper we issued on the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1986 did not include this particular topic, some 60 respondents expressed concern about underage drinking in general. I am consulting the Association of Chief Police Officers (Scotland) and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to seek their views on these problems and on whether changes in legislation might assist in dealing with them.
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many retailers were convicted of selling alcohol to persons under the age of 18 years in each year since 1979 ;
(2) how many people were convicted of being agents in the sale of alcohol to persons under the age of 18 years in each year since 1979.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The available information is given in the table. Retailers are not separately identifiable, but in general, licensees are legally responsible for the actions of their agents in this matter.
Sale of drink to persons under 18
Year |Number of persons with a
|charge proved
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |69
1980 |88
1981 |91
1982 |65
1983 |75
1984 |114
1985 |90
1986 |106
1987 |113
Children in Care
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many children have been taken into care in Scotland in each year since 1979.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The number of children admitted into care in Scotland, excluding Strathclyde, in each year between 1979 and 1987 is given in the table.
Year ending 31 March |Number of children
|admitted into care
---------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |3,306
1980 |3,105
1981 |3,093
1982 |3,016
1983 |2,758
1984 |2,556
1985 |2,692
1986 |2,891
1987 |2,664
Comparable information for Strathclyde is not available for years before 1987 when 5,390 children were admitted into care in the region.
Aluminium
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consultations he has had with Scottish water authorities about pollution from aluminium contained in drinking water.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The Scottish Development Department is in frequent contact with the water authorities about the quality of drinking water supplies, to monitor compliance with EC standards. Aluminium is one of the substances concerned. The Department keeps closely in touch with research on aluminium in drinking water and provides guidance to the water authorities on the findings of such research as and when necessary.
National Farmers Union
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met representatives of the National Farmers Union ; and what matters were discussed.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : My right hon. and learned Friend and my noble Friend have regular meetings with union representatives to discuss issues of current concern ; most recently my noble Friend met the president and other representatives on 30 January to discuss the reform of the EC beef regime.
Salmonella
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations have been made to him by groups or individuals about the effects of salmonella from eggs ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : As at 30 January, my right hon. and learned Friend had received three letters from hon. Members expressing concern about the implications of salmonella from eggs. In addition officials have received one letter from an individual and about 70 telephone inquiries, largely on the cooking implications.
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European Commission
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met representatives of the European Commission ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang : My right hon. and learned Friend last met
representatives of the European Commission on 4 October 1988 when he led a mission to Brussels organised by Scottish Financial Enterprise. The mission consisted mainly of representatives of financial sector companies but included representatives of manufacturing industry, local government and the Scottish Trades Union Congress. The purposes of the mission were to allow the participants to learn about the likely effects of the completion of the single European market on their areas of interest and to ensure that the Commission was fully aware of the distinctive characteristics and potential of the Scottish financial community.
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